Indian NZ Business Council (INZBC) has almost struck gold in its board expansion by getting three new industry stalwarts on board.
The new appointees are Jo Pennycuick, Managing Director, Redesign Group, Esther Guy-Meakin, Manager, International Trade, Beef + Lamb New Zealand, and Earl Rattray (Director, Dairy Link Ltd).
The appointees not only diversify representation of different industry sectors currently on INZBC board but also strengthen the gender diversity.
The three new appointees are covering important sectors of Dairy, Food & Beverages, and Services.
The INZBC treasurer, Bhav Dhillon said that INZBC is excited to have three very experienced and credible professionals on the board.
“The new members are covering three important sectors - Dairy, F&B and Services, which gives us an all-round edge of having an excellent pool of talent on our board,” Mr Dhillon said.
“Among the INZBC board, we already had representation from the following sectors - Dairy Export, Education, Infrastructure, Logging, Aviation and Logistics. These new appointees add more value to the leadership quotient of the board,” Mr Dhillon added.
All the three members come with years of experience in the India-NZ trade space and have been pioneers, in their own right.
Jo Pennycuick is the owner and founder of Redesign Group which is closely involved in the construction of many Indian airports including Delhi T3, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Hyderabad and Mumbai international airport.
The business has been operating in India since last many years and brings to table significant experience of operating in the Indian market.
“I am thrilled to be on the board of the Indian New Zealand Business Council. I hope to bring some value-add to the council and provide my experience and in territory knowledge to fellow New Zealanders that wish to enter the Indian market,” Ms Pennycuick said.
“We are actively working in the airport, hospitality and retail sectors and providing local Indian corporate and international brands with a unique design service.
“The corporate are seeing value in our work in India, and we are now working with Samsung India, Diagio - Jonnie Walker and LG for their rollout plans.
“These contacts have been secured after 6-7 years of in territory work and persistence. We see that this is a typical length of time for an offshore company to make traction in a new country - especially India,” Ms Pennycuick further added.
The second appointee, Esther Guy-Meakin, who is currently International Trade Manager at Beef & Lamb NZ, has an illustrious career background in the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Ms Guy-Meakin has been closely involved in India – NZ Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, along with being the Lead Goods Negotiator on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) talks.
Ms Guy-Meakin has also previously served as deputy head of NZ High Commission in New Delhi.
On her appointment, Guy-Meakin said, “After my three years in India, I’m really excited to continue my connection to the Indian community through INZBC and be part of growing the relationship between India and New Zealand.”
The third appointee Earl Rattray has a longstanding career in the dairy sector.
Mr Rattray, currently director of Dairy Link Ltd, had previously been founding Director of the Fonterra Co-operative Group, and the inaugural Chairman of the NZ Dairy Companies’ Association.
He is also chairman of Binsar Farms Pvt. Ltd, a pioneering Indian-NZ dairy farming and fresh milk marketing company in Sonipat, Haryana.
On his appointment to the INZBC board, Mr Rattray said, “INZBC plays a valuable role in building bridges between business networks and between nations.
“All of us doing business in India benefit directly or indirectly from INZBC activity. We owe it to ourselves to lend it our support,” Mr Rattray added.
Welcoming the new Board members, the INZBC Chair Robert Baker said, “We welcome the new board members and hope that this will take our Council a long way, in providing more in-depth insights and on-ground support for other Kiwi businesses, wishing to work with India.”