The rules of business are being rewritten. Trade tensions, political shifts, capital flows, and the relentless pace of change mean that standing still is no longer an option.

The Faraday 2026 Conference is built for leaders who are ready to move.

Programme & Speaker Line-up

From Conrad Smith on high-performance leadership, to David Seymour on what election year means for NZ business, to deep dives on private capital and organisational transformation — this is a day designed to sharpen your edge.

With the help and support of our trusted partner BoardPro, this year’s Faraday Conference is on Wednesday 26th August 2026 at The Northern Club followed by networking drinks and nibbles.

9.00am - Registration and Coffee
 
9.30am - Introductions and Welcome
Henry Lynch, Co-founder of Faraday
 
9:40am – Private Capital-using Private Capital to power your business’s ambitious growth plans
Linda Sturges, Head of Private Capital at BNZ who has had 30 years’ experience in the Financial Markets and is passionate about wealth creation for business owners.

BNZ work with the market to match investors with businesses seeking growth capital and Linda will take us through what is required to obtain Private Capital and how to get your business ready for that and for sale.

 
10:30am Morning Tea

10.50am Elevate your Strategy and Accelerate your Implementation
Paul Young, Faraday Chair and Advisor

The ability to anticipate change and implement solutions is now critical to out-competing in all sectors.  Paul will take us through tools and the mindsets required to rethink the speed of your decision making, raise productivity, and prepare your business to accept change as the new normal.

11.20am Taking lessons from high performance sport and the All Blacks into business, boardrooms and life beyond the game. 
Conrad Smith, All Black, Lawyer and Head of Rugby Operations of International Rugby Players Association
Conrad will take us on his journey from being an All Black to serving on several World Rugby Committees and how he has taken this into business and boardrooms around the world and what leadership lessons he has learnt.

12.20pm Lunch

1.05pm NZBlood (nzblood.co.nz)

Shane Paramore - National Manager, Marketing and Communications - New Zealand Blood Service

Each year Faraday asks a charity to speak at the Conference. This year we have invited NZBlood who rely on a different type of donation. In businesses cash flow is the blood which supports the organisation, however human beings need blood flow to survive 24x7. In this session we will hear about how important blood and plasma donations are to New Zealand’s health system, some interesting technical properties of our blood, and the clinical complexities of the organisation to ensure supply. 

1.35pm Transforming Organisational Performance
Craig Steel is the founder and Chief Executive of Vantaset (Vantaset.com)

To compete in the years ahead, Chief Executives and Business Owners will need to deploy better tools to not only lift their people's productivity but execute their strategy more consistently and efficiently.

Craig will step us through what his 40 years of research on human and workplace performance has uncovered and how true organisational transformation can be achieved.

2.35pm Geopolitical impacts on trade and economic policy

Jo McKeagg, Divisional Manager, Economic Division Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade

In an increasingly fragmented, contested and volatile world, how does New Zealand navigate the uncertainty to ensure its interests are protected and can be pursued.  What does trade and economic policy look like for a New Zealand diplomat in 2026?

Jo is the Director of the Economic Division at MFAT and - among many other things - leads the effort on the Middle East fuel crisis. She was formerly the head of the Ministry’s trade law team and led the successful Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) negotiation with Canada.

3.15pm Coffee

3.45pm Election Year and what that means for NZ Businesses

David Seymour, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Regulation, MP for Epsom and ACT Party Leader

David grew up in Whangārei with two brothers, a Pharmacist Mum, and a draughtsman Dad. He was exposed to business from an early age.
He studied electrical engineering and philosophy at the University of Auckland, his first job was working night shift at a sawmill, and his first full time job was on a design project for a fibre optic roll out. 
First elected in 2014, he has now been elected four times. David passed End of Life Choice Act, giving New Zealanders the right to make decisions about their own lives. It was a landmark law, passed by referendum in 2020.

4:20pm Close followed by networking drinks and canapes
Ivy Bar, Northern Club

Entry fee: $450 + GST

More information: info@faraday.company