Speakers

Executive Director, Markmore Energy
Honorary Professor, The University of Auckland Business School

The halal investment opportunity for New Zealand

Tan Sri Halim Saad is best known as the businessman who led the Renong/UEM Group in Malaysia from 1985 to 2001. Under his stewardship as Executive Chairman, the Renong/UEM Group became Malaysia’s largest corporation, with investments in nearly every sector in Malaysia. Time Magazine’s Global 100 in December 1994 named him as one of the upcoming leaders who define the coming age.

In 2001 Halim Saad founded the Markmore Group, which has overseas investments in oil and gas exploration and productions concessions, mining concessions, downstream oil and gas, renewable energy, property development and shopping malls.

Chairman, Halal Industry Development Corporation

Tan Sri Dato' Dr Syed Jalaludin graduated with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science from the University of Punjab in 1967 and a Master of Philosophy from the University of London, UK in 1969. He also holds a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of London, Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) from the University of Hull, and DSc (Honoris Causa) from the Soko University, Japan.

Dr Jalaludin has lectured at University of Malaya and University Putra Malaysia. He has published over 350 journal papers in the fields of animal science, university management and education. He served as a Vice Chancellor of University Putra Malaysia, as Director of the Research Institute of Investment Analysts Malaysia, as Chairman of Ecofirst Consolatated Bhd and Chairman of Bank Kerjasama Rakyat Malaysia Berhad. Dr Jalaludin is also Malaysia National Science Laureate and a founding fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia.

Chief Executive Officer, Halal Industry Development Corporation

The global halal economy and the Malaysia halal hub - opportunities for New Zealand

Jamil bin Bidin is the Chief Executive Officer of Halal Industry Development Corporation Sdn Bhd and a Director of Projek Lintasan Kota Holdings Sdn Bhd. He has served as CEO and Managing Director of Putera Capital Bhd and is a chartered accountant with extensive experience in auditing, corporate finance and financial management at C I Holdings Berhad, Arab Malaysian Group and Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad. He holds a masters degree in Business Administration (Finance) from the United Kingdom.

Associate Dean Māori and Pacific Development / Director, Mira Szaszy Research Centre

New Zealand iwi and the halal economy

Manuka arrived at the Business School in 1996 as a Senior Lecturer in Māori Business Development. He is currently Associate Dean Māori and Pacific Development, founder-Director of the Mira Szaszy Research Centre and Academic Coordinator, Huanga Māori Masters Programme in the Graduate School of Business.

He was a Board member of the Environmental Risk Management Authority for eight years and Chair of its Audit and Risk Committee. He is a member of the HSNO Committee, Environmental Protection Agency. Manuka holds ministerial appointments to the Council of Te Wananga o Aotearoa and the Council of the Manukau Institute of Technology. He is a member of the Institute of Directors and Consultants. He has advised government departments, local authorities and other institutions on bicultural policies and has also served on government advisory committees on development assistance, peace and disarmament, archives, history and social policy.

He was previously a lecturer in Māori Studies at Victoria University of Wellington, where he taught courses on the Treaty of Waitangi, Māori culture and society and tribal histories. He also lectured in the Masters of Development Studies on culture, religion and economic development.

Prior to his university career Manuka was CEO of two national non-governmental organisations involved in international development, justice and peace, and has travelled extensively throughout Asia and the Pacific.

Manuka holds a BA, BA (Hons) and PhD from Victoria University of Wellington.

International Trade Development specialist and past NZ Trade Commissioner to GCC States & Consul, Dubai, UAE

New Zealand iwi and the halal economy

Bruce has extensive experience in international business development, official development assistance and international trade related technical assistance. He is currently Acting Chair of the NZ Pacific Business Council, a member of the Executive Committee of Export NZ, member of the NZ partnerships for International Development Reference Group and a member of the Research Advisory Board for Oxfam NZ. He was the first Māori to be appointed to a Trade Commissioner role in 1999.

His current role sees him involved with a range of contracts primarily in the Pacific region and Middle East including such diverse projects as export pathway development, agri-business products, community economic development, and aid management. Bruce has an enduring interest in indigenous economic development working in the past with Māori businesses as an Executive Director of Tuia Group/Tuia Investments and Tuia International.

Vice Chair, Palaburan MARA Berhad

Islamic finance and halal currency as an enabler for halal trade

Dato' Yusli Bin Mohamed Yusoff graduated with a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Essex, United Kingdom, and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, England and Wales, the MIA, the Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants, as well as an honorary member of the Institute of Internal Auditors Malaysia.

Dato' Yusli began his career with Peat Marwick Mitchell & Co in London and has since held various key positions in a number of public listed and private companies in Malaysia, providing him with experience in property and infrastructure development, telecommunications, engineering and investment banking.

He served as Bursa Malaysia's CEO and Executive Director and led Bursa Malaysia to its own listing in 2005, as well as entering into business partnerships with major global players including the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and FTSE. He was a director of several of Bursa Malaysia's group companies and also sat on the boards of the Capital Market Development Fund and the Financial Reporting Foundation of Malaysia.

Currently, Dato' Yusli serves as an independent non-executive director of a number of publicly listed organisations including YTL Power International Berhad, Mulpha International Berhad, and Mudajaya Group Berhad (also as chairman). He is chairman of the Red Cliff Group Pte Ltd and the NextView Group of companies as well as deputy chairman of Strategic Communications Sdn Bhd. He also serves on the board of the Asian Institute of Finance Berhad.

Regional Head of Coverage & Partnership for Asia, Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector

Funding opportunities for investment in the halal industry

Ahmed Abdul Khalid is the Regional Head of Coverage and Partnership for Asia at the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He holds a Bachelor of Accountancy from the University of South Australia, Adelaide and is a member of the Australian Society of CPA as well as Malaysian Institute of Accountants.

He joined ICD at its headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in 2007, before moving to Kuala Lumpur to head its regional office which was set up in 2011. He was responsible for setting up investment companies and financial institutions in several member countries in Asia and the Commonwealth of Independent States as well as advisory on relevant legislation amendments. He also sits on the Board of Directors and is an audit committee member for both Maldives Islamic Bank and Asian ReTakaful (L) Ltd.

He was previously with International Bank Malaysia Berhad before joining Malaysian Plantations Berhad (now known as Alliance Financial Holding Berhad) as the assistant to the financial controller. He later joined Alliance Investment Bank Berhad's Corporate Finance and Capital Market Division.

Market Access Counselor, NZ Ministry of Primary Services Market Assurances Directorate

New Zealand’s Malaysian halal re-certification and its implications for opportunities in other Islamic Nations

In her role of Market Access Counselor, Kathy works directly with export market counterpart governments to facilitate access and provide necessary assurances regarding the safety and suitability if New Zealand food and animal products exports.

The Market Assurances Directorate negotiates importing country access requirements and develops export health certification for a wide range of agricultural exports including meat, seafood, dairy products, bee products, pharmaceutical products, processed foods, wine and other beverages.

Kathy has been involved in halal access issues since 2005, when Malaysia de-listed New Zealand beef establishments, and she has had responsibility for Southeast Asian markets since 2007. Her prior roles included serving the New Zealand Food Safety Authority as a veterinarian, focusing of animal welfare for commercial slaughter. She is a member of the Australian College of Veterinary Sciences Animal Welfare chapter.

Senior Environmental Scientist, AgResearch, Ruakura Research Centre

New Zealand and FIANZ halal certification system for Muslim markets

Dr Ghani is President of the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (an umbrella national organisation of Muslims in New Zealand), which is one of the premier certifiers of halal in New Zealand. He has been involved with the New Zealand halal industry for over 20 years and was the Inaugural Chairman of the Halal Standards Advisory Council set up by the New Zealand government, advising the Ministry of Primary Industry on matters of halal.

Dr Ghani was awarded with the title of MNZM in 2004 for services to Muslims and interfaith communities and spoke at the first international halal conference held in 2012 at Riyadh, KSA. He has also represented New Zealand on interfaith forums and spoken to national and international audiences on a variety of topics.

Vice-chairman of the Board of The National Agency for Export and Investment “KazNex Invest”, Ministry of Industry and New Technologies of the Republic of Kazakhstan

The Kazakh halal market – emerging opportunities for New Zealand

The main activities of JSC KAZNEX INVEST includes the promotion of the export capacity of Kazakh enterprises; promotion of export of Kazakh products; the attraction of foreign investment; development of institutional capacity and conducting analysis of industry and investment opportunities.

Managing Director, Greenlea Premier Meats

How halal trade relations have successfully helped New Zealand become one of the world’s leading exporters of premium halal products

Tony is Managing Director of Greenlea Premier Meats, a family-owned business that has an annual turnover of $240 million and processes more than 180,000 cattle per year with a staff of 360. He is also a member of the Meat Industry Association of New Zealand.

Tony’s previous roles include serving as the CEO of both AsureQuality, New Zealand’s largest quality assurance organisation 1,700 staff across New Zealand, Australia and Singapore, and AFFCO New Zealand, a meat processing and marketing company with 3,500 employees in 12 sites and an annual turnover of NZ$1 billion.