Executive Director||NZ International Business Forum

Stephen Jacobi is the New Zealand Director of the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum Secretariat. Stephen serves concurrently as Executive Director of the New Zealand International Business Forum and Managing Director of Jacobi Consulting Ltd.

Stephen has broad experience in industry and trade development. He was formerly Chief Executive of the New Zealand Forest Industries Council, Executive Director of the NZ US Council 2005-2014 and Executive Director of the NZ China Council 2016-19. He led the ANZLF Secretariat 2011-2018. Mr Jacobi is a frequent media and public commentator on industry and trade issues.

Stephen also has extensive diplomatic, trade and government experience including posts as Deputy High Commissioner in Ottawa, Assistant Trade Commissioner in Paris and adviser on trade and diplomatic issues with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He was formerly Private Secretary to the Minister for Trade Negotiations.

Stephen grew up in Auckland and was educated at Auckland Grammar School and Auckland University. He has a First Class Honours degree in French and German and is a graduate of the Ecole Nationale d’Administration (ENA) in Paris, as well as the Leadership Seminar of Georgetown University in Washington DC and the New Zealand Institute for Strategic Leadership (Millbrook). He was a Fulbright Scholar and Visiting Researcher at Georgetown University in 2013. He is a member of the World Class New Zealander network. He is an accredited director and currently serves on the National Advisory Board for Export NZ and is an Alternate Member of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC).