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Stephen Jacobi is the Managing Director and Principal of Jacobi Consulting Ltd, a consultancy which offers advice to corporate and government clients in the fields of international trade, government relations and industry development. Jacobi Consulting’s principal clients are the New Zealand United States Council, the New Zealand International Business Forum and the APEC Business Advisory Council. Mr Jacobi fulfils the roles of Executive Director for the Council and the Forum and serves as Senior Policy Adviser and Alternate New Zealand Member for ABAC. The New Zealand United States Council was established in 2001 and is a non-partisan organisation, funded by both business and government and committed to fostering the strongest possible relationship between New Zealand and the United States. The Council comprises a number of New Zealand’s leading business interests and works closely with the Government to achieve its goals. Mr Jacobi has fulfilled the role of Executive Director since October 2005. In April 2006 Mr Jacobi helped organise the first ever US NZ Partnership Forum in Washington DC, bringing together an influential group of American and New Zealand business, government and academic leaders to discuss key strategic issues in the US NZ relationship. The event was repeated in Auckland in September 2007 when the largest American business delegation ever to have visited New Zealand participated in the three day meeting. The third US NZ Partnership Forum will be held in Washington DC in October 2009. The New Zealand International Business Forum was formally established in May 2007 as a successor to the NZ Trade Liberalisation Network. NZIBF brings together senior business leaders to provide leadership towards the goal of greater international engagement by New Zealand companies. In 2008 NZIBF successfully implemented a project to develop New Zealand’s economic and business relationship with Japan with the first Japan NZ Partnership Forum held in Tokyo in May. Further events are planned in Japan and Korea in 2009. The APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) is an independent high-level group of business people drawn from the private sector to advise leaders of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) on priority issues for business in the region. Mr Jacobi grew up in Auckland and was educated at Auckland Grammar School and Auckland University. He has a First Class Honours degree in French and German and is a graduate of the Ecole Nationale d’Administration (ENA) in Paris as well as the Leadership Seminar of Georgetown University in Washington DC and the Institute for Strategic Leadership (Millbrook). Mr Jacobi has broad experience in industry and trade development. He earlier served as Chief Executive of the New Zealand Forest Industries Council, a national pan-industry body representing the forestry and wood processing sectors, the country’s third largest exporter. Earlier he established and led the New Zealand Trade Liberalisation Network – a business organisation aimed at building broad public understanding and support for trade. In both roles he has been a frequent media commentator on industry and trade issues. Mr Jacobi also has extensive diplomatic, trade and government experience including posts as Deputy High Commissioner in Ottawa, Assistant Trade Commissioner in Paris and adviser on trade and diplomatic issues with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He was formerly Private Secretary to the Minister for Trade Negotiations, Hon Jim Sutton, advising on trade policy, international affairs and government-to-government negotiations. In 2003 Mr Jacobi helped establish the Santa Catalina Group, an informal network of six international forest and paper industry associations seeking a robust outcome for the sector from negotiations under the World Trade Organisation’s Doha Development Agenda. Mr Jacobi led three international industry delegations to the WTO in Geneva in support of this goal. In Hong Kong in December 2005 he chaired an international industry roundtable with Ministers attending the WTO Ministerial Meeting. Mr Jacobi continues to advise industry in both New Zealand and overseas on international trade issues. Mr Jacobi is an experienced director and holds the Certificate in Company Directorship from the Institute of Directors in New Zealand. He is a member of the St John’s College Trust Board, one of the country’s largest trusts providing funding for education in the Anglican Church. He is currently Deputy Chairman of Fulbright New Zealand which promotes educational exchanges with the United States. In April 2007 he was elected to the Trust Board of Napier Girls High School and currently serves as Chairman of the Board. Mr Jacobi is married to the Dean of Waiapu Cathedral in Napier, the Very Reverend Helen Jacobi and has two children. He lives in Napier. |
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