Outlook 2025 - Policy, Regulatory and Economic Update

Join us for Outlook 2025 on Tuesday, 4 February, where leaders from the political, regulatory and economic spheres will provide key insights for 2025.

 Attendees will gain valuable insights and hear keynote addresses from:

• Hon. Andrew Bayly, Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs
• Samantha Barrass, Chief Executive of the Financial Markets Authority (FMA)
• Brad Olsen, Chief Executive and Principal Economist at Infometrics

Each keynote address will be followed by a Q&A session. 

An ideal time to connect with peers and stay ahead of key developments shaping 2025, ensure the team is involved and take advantage of savings by booking a table for 10 registrants. 

Buffet breakfast is available. 

Date and time: Tuesday, 4 February 2025 7.30am - 9.30am
Venue: The Hilton, Aquamarine Ballroom, Princes Wharf,
147 Quay Street, Auckland

Register here:

Speakers:

Hon. Andrew Bayly
Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs

Hon. Andrew Bayly is a businessman, adventurer, and politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Port Waikato and the Minister of Commerce & Consumer Affairs, Minister for Small Business & Manufacturing, and Minister of Statistics in the National-led Coalition Government. Andrew was first elected to Parliament at the 2014 general election.

In his professional life prior to Parliament, Andrew qualified as a chartered accountant. He has been a merchant banker and a former officer in the New Zealand Army Territorials, and also served in the British Parachute Regiment. He is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society of London. Andrew comes from a farming background and grew up in Whanganui.

Samantha Barrass
Chief Executive, FMA

B.Com (Econ), BCA Hons (Econ), MSc (Econ)

Samantha first arrived in New Zealand at the age of 7 with her parents and sister from the UK. She is a dual New Zealand / UK national. She grew up in Christchurch and attended Christchurch Girls’ High School before attending the University of Canterbury (B.Com (Econ) 1987) and Victoria University of Wellington (BCA. Hons (Econ) 1988). 

She joined the Reserve Bank of New Zealand as an economist in 1988. In 1993 she moved to London to attend the London School of Economics where she was awarded an MSc in Economics. In 1995 she joined the Financial Services Authority in London (now the Financial Conduct Authority) which was responsible for the prudential and conduct of business regulation of the UK financial markets. She served successively as an Economist, a Supervisor in the Markets and Exchanges Division and a Manager in Conduct of Business Regulation. 

Between 2005 and 2009, Samantha was a Director at the London Investment Banking Association where she worked on behalf of investment banks to develop and implement strategic advocacy programmes with the UK, EU and other national governments and national and international regulatory bodies. In 2009 Samantha took her regulatory knowledge and skills from the financial to the legal sector when she was appointed as an Executive Director at the Solicitors Regulation Authority with responsibility for leading the SRA’s work to transform the regulation of solicitors. This was the most significant element of the transformation of the legal services market in England and Wales enabled by the UK Legal Services Act 2007. It included implementing a new regulatory regime allowing for non-lawyer investment into, and ownership and control of law firms. 

2014 saw Samantha return to financial services when she was appointed Chief Executive of the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission. Samantha led the prudential and conduct regulation of a complex financial services sector that primarily exports financial services and which represents around 25% of Gibraltar’s economy. 

This period was characterised by the significant global and EU regulatory reform in the wake of the 2007/08 financial crisis. Between 2014 and 2019 the GFSC secured the confidence of governments and regulators in key export markets that Gibraltar was implementing these reforms in substance as well as form. 

During this period the Commission also developed and implemented the first comprehensive international regulatory regime for firms using distributed ledger technology to hold and transfer value. These successes required strong connections with regulators in other markets, particularly in the UK and Europe but also further afield. They also saw the Commission expand substantially in terms of staffing and capability. 

Between 2018 and 2019 Samantha, with the support and approval of the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission’s Board, served as a member of PwC (UK)’s Public Interest Body, responsible for independent oversight of PwC (UK)’s approach to protecting the public interest in its activities in the UK economy. Samantha stood down from this body on her appointment as Chief Executive of the Business Banking Resolution Service (BBRS) in November 2019. 

As CEO of the BBRS, Samantha was appointed to lead the establishment of a non-statutory alternative dispute resolution scheme for banks and their larger SME customers. The scheme was a response to concerns, which began to surface as a result of the financial crisis, over the way banks had treated their SME customers. Because the scheme did not have statutory backing, the task involved complex negotiations with banks and the SME sector and attracted close political and regulatory scrutiny. The scheme was launched in February 2021 with business body and political cross-party support in all nations of the UK. Having led the establishment of the BBRS, Samantha stood down to take a planned break, including taking time to pursue her interest in theatre. 

When not regulating financial and professional services Samantha tries to find time for her passion for the theatre. Wherever in the world she has lived and worked, she has involved herself with theatre groups, acting, producing, governance and many other of the wide variety of roles needed to support live theatre. In her younger years, this included Wellington and Canterbury Repertory theatres. Samantha has three children who are at university in the UK.

Brad Olsen
Chief Executive and Principal Economist, Infometrics

Brad Olsen is the Chief Executive and Principal Economist at Infometrics and is one of New Zealand’s leading economic commentators. Brad is passionate about using economics to make better informed decisions and can communicate complex and detailed trends in a simple, relatable, and useful manner. With extensive networks across New Zealand’s business, media, community, and social sectors, Brad often brings together a variety of views, data, and emerging trends to inform advice and analysis to key decision makers across New Zealand.

He is a community leader and is one of New Zealand’s youngest Justices of the Peace. His work in the community has been recognised a number of times: he was named New Zealand’s Queen’s Young Leader in 2016, one of Asia New Zealand Foundation’s 25 to Watch in 2019, and Young Wellingtonian of the Year 2020.

As a young person, he brings a different perspective to key opportunities and challenges that New Zealand faces and is keen to unlock more potential across businesses and communities. Emerging trends continue to accelerate the pace of change across the world and in New Zealand, and Brad focuses on understanding these trends as they evolve and highlighting way to enhance outcomes for local communities.

Read Terms and Conditions for the event here.