KEY POINTS:
Stock market operator NZX has confirmed Auckland mergers and acquisitions lawyer Andrew Harmos is its new chairman, replacing Simon Allen.
Harmos is a founding partner of Auckland-based specialist corporate legal advisory firm Harmos Horton Lusk, and has been an NZX director since 2002.
He specialised in takeover advice and structuring, securities offerings, company and asset acquisitions and disposals, and strategic and board corporate and legal advice, NZX said today.
Among the key economic challenges that Harmos saw for this company was "cementing our place in the world as an influential economic force in spite of scale".
Others were ensuring the savings and investment environment was optimal for maximum New Zealand investor participation, and ensuring New Zealand has a vision, and a plan against which policy, opportunity and decision making can be benchmarked, NZX said.
"Strong capital markets, complemented by strong technological, regulatory and tax infrastructure and the availability of a range of investment tools, are fundamental to the economic wellbeing of this country," said Harmos.
"NZX forms the core of our markets and sees its role as participating in the drive to ensure New Zealand enhances its competitiveness - and ultimately its relevance - in the global economy."
He considered the NZX held many of the keys to ensuring a strong domestic environment for companies to be able to source capital and grow from a base here, with New Zealand-based expertise and talent.
"To do this effectively we need to ensure our investment structures, policy settings, capital markets infrastructure and people are, and remain, world class," he said.
Harmos is a director of Westfield New Zealand Group and Elevation Capital Management and is described as an enthusiastic supporter of New Zealand art.
- NZPA
