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Job title: Chief executive, Industrial Research


The desire to be part of New Zealand's much-vaunted knowledge economy is luring Nigel Kirkpatrick home from Switzerland, where he is the intriguingly named "global innovation leader" for hygiene products company DiverseyLever.

IRL is in "a very exciting phase" as it begins to make money from its vast stores of knowledge, "so it's a very exciting company to work for", says Kirkpatrick. "Of course, returning home is an added advantage."

Kirkpatrick, Auckland-born but holding a bachelor of science with honours in chemistry from the University of Otago, has spent most of his business career with DiverseyLever.

He has worked in senior roles for the company in New Zealand, Indonesia and Malaysia, and has experience in sales and marketing, and general and research and development management.

Kirkpatrick learned much from the "highs and lows of a very turbulent time in Asia".

"We were living in Jakarta from 1996 to 1999. The highs came from working in a very exciting growth economy and managing the constant expansion," he says.

"The economic crash brought the lows of seeing a lot of effort disappear and many quality people forced to experience the realities of a recession."

But, he adds, it offered valuable lessons in people management.