GENERAL.
Robert Ivan Owen McShane.
Born 1941, Thames, New Zealand, New Zealand Citizen.
Computer literate on both Macintosh and PC. Touch typist.
Access several facilities on Internet.
Listed in Marquis Who's Who in the World.
Wife's name: Jenny.
Wife's occupation: Owned and operated UNDERSTATEMENTS, New Zealand's leading high fashion lingerie store, for twelve years. Now partner and assistant in McShane Venture Management.
Provides historical research for STRAIGHT THINKING magazine.
EDUCATION.
Rotorua High School, 1951 -1958.
School Certificate, University Entrance, Higher School Certificate.
General Excellence Prize 1958.
Sole New Zealand delegate to New York Mirror World Youth Forum 1957.
University of Auckland, 1959 - 1963.
Engineering Intermediate Examination 1959.
Graduated B. Architecture. 1963.
Graduated Diploma Town Planning. 1965.
President Architectural Students' Society, 1960-62.
New Building's Officer, Auckland University Student's Assn, 1960-62.
Awarded Harkness Fellowship to study in US 1967-69.
Graduated Master of City and Regional Planning, U.C. Berkeley 1969.
Worked in "Oakland Project" in School of Public Policy, studying urban economics and making a major contribution to text of "Implementation" by Pressman and Wildavsky. (Three chapters credited to Masters' thesis in Public Policy, 1969. At the time of publication one of very few books in the world dealing with the actual implementation of public policy.) The thesis studied a Federal programme which attempted to reduce urban unemployment by promoting business development in the central city.
CONTINUING EDUCATION.
Have attended numerous courses and seminars covering such topics as Technological Forecasting, Strategic Accounting, and Financial Analysis for Managers.
Completed four day course in Venture Capital Management at the University of Queensland, Brisbane, under direction of Professor Brophy of the University of Michigan, in 1984.
Attended Company Chairman's Conference, focusing on Corporate Governance, presented by the Institute of Directors in NZ, at Christchurch, 30 Sept -2 Oct, 1994.
Attended Business Technology Consultant training seminars organised by Tradenz, 2 & 3 October 1995.
INSTITUTES AND PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS.
Founder Vice President of New Zealand Venture Capital Association and edited The VC Journal, the official newsletter of the Association during its existence.
Member of New Zealand Institute of Directors, and Auckland Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Listed as Business Technology Consultant within the "Business Technology Link" programme promoted and managed by Tradenz.
GENERAL WORK EXPERIENCE.
From 1965 to 1968 worked in newly established City Development Division of Auckland City Council, developing policies for Urban Renewal, introducing Town House and infill housing ordinances, and developing Transport Planning and Classified Road Network (bounding and serving environmental areas) for the City. Left City to take up Harkness Fellowship to study City and Regional Planning at University of California, Berkeley.
Returned to New Zealand in 1970 as wide ranging consultant to the building industry specializing in industrialized building systems and techniques and environmental matters as well as regular town planning matters and court hearings. For eight years research co-ordinator Industrialised Building Systems Ltd, managing a large multi-disciplinary team of professionals associated with all facets of the building industry and property development.
In 1978 joined Development Finance Corporation, at that time New Zealand's Government owned industrial investment bank, as Technology Licensing Co-ordinator and later became Technology Manager at national level for Corporate Finance Division.
In 1984 joined Challenge Corporate Services (Strada) as Venture Capital Manager for Venturecorp, the publicly listed Venture Capital company.
Have negotiated technology based licences or similar agreements in New Zealand, the U.K., Germany, Switzerland, France, USA, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong, China, Korea and Singapore, in the fields of pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, thermophilic enzyme technology, precision engineering, gas compression, electronic instrumentation, and computer control systems. Has developed general expertise in management of biological technologies.
In June 1988 left Venturecorp to set up Restech Venture Management a joint venture with Restech International Ltd formed to attempt to source venture capital for New Zealand from public and private sector sources in Singapore and Hong Kong. In June of 1989 bought Restech share of Restech Venture Management to form McShane Venture Management. Presently owner and Managing Director of McShane Venture Management Ltd.
Until takeover by Rocksprings Ltd, Director/Secretary of Restech International Ltd, a mining and technology development company which listed on the New Zealand and Brisbane stock exchange early in 1987. The company has been active in Australia in base metals and gold, in Canada in oil and gas, and in the USA in diamond exploration. Acted as sole independent director responding to takeover offer and commissioned report on fairness of offer and prepared recommendation to shareholders.
EDUCATION PROJECTS AND ACTIVITY.
Lecturer in Strategic Management and Management of Technology and Intellectual Property within Executive MBA programme at University of Auckland, and at Asia Pacific International Institute (APII).
Contracted to Auckland Institute of Studies as MBA thesis and research project supervisor.
Occasional lecturer at undergraduate and graduate level within Graduate School of Business at University of Auckland.
In 1987 and 1988 member of Steering Committee for New Zealand New Ventures the programme run jointly by the NZVCA, The University of Auckland, and the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, to train entrepreneurs in managing innovation and the preparation of business plans.
SAMPLES OF GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC POLICY RELATED ACTIVITY.
The Committee of Enquiry into the Establishment of Casinos in New Zealand.
Appointed to this Government Committee which reported back with a positive recommendation. The present Act drew heavily on McShane¹s reports and his direct submissions to the Select Committee in particular.
Auckland Area Health Board.
In December 1989 appointed by the Minister of Health as one of five Government representatives on the Board which administered the public health system for the Auckland region, with an annual budget of $700,000,000. Immediately appointed Deputy Chairman of the Policy and Planning Committee of the Board, convener of the Medical and Surgical Service Development Group and Board representative on the Laboratory Services Rationalization Committee.
Technology Development Schools.
April, 1993, advised Selwyn College on their application for funding from major Government initiative Technology Development Schools.
Business Roundtable (Contract)
Commissioned by Business Roundtable to prepare report comparing Financial Transaction Tax proposed by Alliance Party with the FID and BAD taxes operating in several states of Australia and in Brazil, and similar taxes elsewhere in the world and to comment of suitability of such a tax in the modern economy.
Business Roundtable. (Subcontract)
Subcontracted to the Centre For International Economics of Australia to assist in preparation of their report Keeping New Zealand in the Fast Lane, commissioned by New Zealand Business Roundtable. Provided specialist input relating to innovation, competitive pressure, and role of publicly funded science and technology.
AgResearch Corporation
Employed as consultant by AgResearch Corporation, the largest of the New Zealand Government owned Crown Research Institutes (CRIs) specialising in agricultural research and development, to advise the group on management of innovation and development and management of intellectual property.
Gibbs Securities Ltd
Author of report prepared for Alan Gibbs Where have all the Dollars Gone? a study of the disposable income of New Zealand families from 1953 - 1993.
US Political Economy Forum
Joint author (with Rodney Hide) of paper Can privatisation Succeed in a Western Democracy? Lessons from New Zealand, presented to 1994 Political Economy Forum, Mountain Sky Guest Ranch, USA, from 2nd to 5th June, 1994.
This paper is included in a book The Privatisation Process, published in the US, in May 1996.
Reserve Bank of New Zealand.
In May 1996 Contracted by Reserve Bank of New Zealand, to carry out research into causes of rises in land costs and construction costs of New Housing in Auckland region. This study was to test the theory that an restraints on the supply of land and recent court decisions regarding liability for structural failure are having a significant impact on new house prices and hence on the CPI.
Law and Economics Association of Australia
Invited to present paper titled The RMA - A clash of cultures with the law caught in the middle to the annual conference of the Australian Law and Economics Association on Judicial Policy and Government Regulatory Policy, held at Monash University, in July 1997.
Minister for the Environment
Commissioned by the Minister to write a ³Think Piece² on Land Use Controls and the Resource Managment Act. Published in March 1998.
Papers on sustainable cities, RMA, land transport, etc to several conferences for Federated Farmers, EECA, BOMA and others.
SAMPLE OF ACTIVITIES IN STRATEGIC PLANNING, MARKETING AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT.
Biotech 82, London 82. Presented paper Commercializing an Ecosystem. (Note: at this important Biotechnology Conference, was the sole speaker from the Southern hemisphere.)
LES 1984 Biotechnology Seminar - How to market, Sell, and Distribute Biotechnology in the USA and elsewhere.
LES Conference Sydney 1986: The Commercialization of Industrial Microbiology - Opportunities, Problems and Uncertainties
Licensing Executives Society International Conference in Sydney 1988. Two papers - The Klasse Experience in the Peoples Republic of China, and Commercializing Innovation in the Pacific Region.
Asia Development Bank sponsored conference in Bangkok, 1988 - Venture Capital in Asia. Title: Venture Capital in NZ - the Current Approach.
I.I.R Tourism Investment Conference, Auckland, 1992. Casinos as Tourism Magnets Myth or Reality.
Quest & Associates Inc of US.
One of only two contributors selected from over two hundred international applicants (responding to advertisement in The Economist) to present a paper to the 1995 Annual General Meeting of QUEST & Associates Inc, a US market advisory firm owned by a consortium of US advertisers and whose sponsors include General Motors, General Electric, McDonald's, Hallmark, Coca Cola, Citibank, Nestlé, Anhauser Busch, and Lever Brothers. The paper, titled Tribal Marketing, was treated as a key-note address making a major contribution to our understanding of marketing methodology.
SAMPLE OF OTHER BUSINESS-CONSULTANCY PROJECTS.
Over the years has given advice to many small and medium sized companies especially in the management of intellectual property and new business development. Some recent projects include:
Kiwi Pacific Records - Dame Kiri Te Kanawa of London, and John Ruffell now living in Boston recently purchased this company. Adviser to this company on general marketing strategy, public relations, and project funding.
Advised Christchurch Casinos Ltd on their application for the South Island Premises Licence. Wrote the descriptive document supporting the application for their Parkroyal Casino proposal. They won the licence.
Advised Klasse Manufacturing Ltd, on setting up operation to export door-knobs etc for export (over 2,000,000 knobs per year).
Advised Carter Holt Fibre division on how to resolve their difficulties with Waitakere City in maintaining access to waste paper collection to maintain ongoing supplies for their recycling plant. Was able to undo a complex and vexatious situation within just a few hours of discussion with Mayor and CEO.
Advised New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute at Rotorua on development of strategy for further development of the Institute, on managing their intellectual property and on restructuring necessary to deal with end of current lease and with the need for joint venture funding from private sector.
SAMPLES OF WRITING, RADIO AND OTHER COMMUNICATIONS EXPERIENCE.
From 1983 to 1994 contributed a regular column to Metro magazine titled Speculations, a column focusing on issues of current changes in New Zealand business and society.
Has contributed regularly to numerous other publications including National Business Review, The Examiner, Tomorrow magazine, New Zealand Wine Glass, Les Nouvelles, and the New Zealand Herald, the Christchurch Press and the Dominion.
While BBC World Service New Zealand incorporated New Zealand content was regular contributor to the morning news and current affairs programme. Producer of, and major contributor to, Soap-box, a series of opinion pieces broadcast daily at 7.40 am.
Contributor to New Zealand National Radio on programmes such as Money Matters and Sunday Supplement. Generally accustomed to appearances on radio and television.
In August 1994, appointed regional advisor supplying ideas, researched topics, and articles to Breaking the Mould, a magazine published in London and Ireland. As regional advisor co-ordinate a small team of advisors in New Zealand and Australia.
In September 1994, appointed editor of The NZ Skeptic,the quarterly publication of the NZ Skeptics Society.
In October 1994, McShane Venture Management launched monthly magazine STRAIGHT THINKING, which challenges conventional wisdom wherever it may be found.
During 1995 a contributor to "Fifth Column" of Far Eastern Economic Review and to the US, Asia and European editions of The Wall Street Journal. Letters published in The Economist, the Times Literary Supplement, and other prestigious journals.
OTHER PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS.
Has made numerous presentations on a wide range of subjects to conferences and seminars over the years including:
Attended 1972 United Nations Human Environment Conference at Stockholm as "citizens' observer".
Annual conference of Skeptics Society, Auckland, 1995 -Presentation comparing the Industrial Society of the Enlightenment tradition with The Risk Society of the new Romanticism. This presentation drew on the work of the German, Ulrich Beck, who has been developing his concept of the Risk Society over the last few years.
Has given other conference papers at numerous venues including:
The Biotechnology Seminar at Hamner Springs 1987
Oils and Fats Conference in Auckland 1987,
Royal Society Conference on Science and Technology in NZ, Wellington 1986.
Commercializing University Technology at Otago University 1985.
Three seminars on "Doing technology based business in China².
Numerous lectures at the University of Auckland within the MBA course and other courses in international marketing, technology licensing and venture finance.
OTHER INTERESTS.
Reading, music,drama and education. Technology, history, language and literature. Cooking, and gardening.Swimming and surfing.The physical and social environment.
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Owen McShane, Rangiora Road, R.D. 2, Kaiwaka, Northland 1240
Phone: 64 9 431 2775
Fax: 64 9 431 2772