working with AST SpaceMobile<\/a>, one of the standout innovators in the satellite space. Their technology will deliver text, voice, and data connectivity via satellite, and we\u2019re incredibly excited about what that will mean for our customers.<\/p>\nHow are you using AI to change your business? <\/p>\n
Yes – but just as importantly, we\u2019re focused on staying curious and open to what\u2019s possible as the technology evolves.<\/p>\n
Practically, AI is already embedded across several areas of the business: in our contact centres to drive efficiency and reduce call volumes; in our network operations to improve incident management; and within our marketing teams, from creative development through to highly data-driven engagement with existing customers.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s all moving so fast \u2014 ask me again in a few months and I\u2019ll likely have a different answer.<\/p>\n
What will the key election issue be in 2026 and why? <\/p>\n
Confidence. This is confidence in leadership, confidence in the economy and most importantly, that decisions will be made that drive the country forward. It has been a tough few years for many people and they will want to understand what the election will mean for them. <\/p>\n
How do think the New Zealand economy will perform in 2026? <\/p>\n
We survey business leaders annually through our Shaping Business Study, and in 2025 they were starting to see green shoots \u2014 although the recovery is taking longer than expected.<\/p>\n
From our perspective, momentum is heading in the right direction and I remain optimistic about the year ahead. The focus now needs to be on maintaining confidence, continuing to push forward, and stimulating the economy.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the worst mistake you have made in business and what did you learn from it? <\/p>\n
With the benefit of experience, most of my mistakes have occurred when I haven\u2019t followed my initial instinct. <\/p>\n
This often results in delays, a flow-on of poor decisions and sub-optimal outcome. While this is not a singular mistake, it is often a common root cause that I would encourage people to always think about when making decisions. Speed is often better than perfection. <\/p>\n
What would you rate as your greatest success? <\/p>\n
Hands down it\u2019s the merger of 2degrees and Vocus. Three years ago we brought together two brilliant companies, each with its own strengths, and the outcome is a new business that hasn\u2019t lost that challenger spirit. <\/p>\n
Where and how are you holidaying this summer? <\/p>\n
I\u2019m heading off to the Gold Coast with the family for New Year. This will be after a great Christmas back home with my parents. Can\u2019t wait!<\/p>\n
What would you recommend as a good book to read over summer? <\/p>\n
Accountable Leaders by Dr Vince Molinaro is a must-read for anyone who manages people. I recently gave copies to all our senior leaders.<\/p>\n
Stay ahead with the latest market moves, corporate updates, and economic insights by subscribing to our Business newsletter<\/a> \u2013 your essential weekly round-up of all the business news you need.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Understanding and keeping pace with the impact of AI. Leaders need to balance the hype and promise of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":234091,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[836,36297,3017,365,15408,95,6743,6726,9218,138,74026,138706,138704,3937,31898,6741,3938,2740,18126,191,138705,32573,4505,111,139,69,90,13649,84888,17146,147,138707,392,14625,199,7574,29648,1529,46003,379],"class_list":["post-234090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-space","tag-836","tag-2degrees","tag-ahead","tag-ai","tag-almost","tag-and","tag-became","tag-become","tag-before","tag-business","tag-butcher","tag-caddie","tag-callander","tag-chief","tag-degree","tag-doors","tag-executive","tag-former","tag-golf","tag-here","tag-instinct","tag-mark","tag-moment","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-on","tag-outer","tag-pursue","tag-questions","tag-science","tag-sliding","tag-space","tag-summer","tag-take","tag-teacher","tag-telcos","tag-three","tag-ultimately","tag-year"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234090","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=234090"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234090\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/234091"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=234090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=234090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=234090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}