Final speaker lineup announced for Ignite ‘25 Growth Summit

More than 400 business leaders from across New Zealand are set to converge on the Viaduct Events Centre in Auckland next week for the inaugural Icehouse Ignite ‘25 Growth Summit, a full-day event designed to reignite business-led growth in the New Zealand economy.

Taking place on Tuesday, May 6, the Summit will be headlined by former Prime Minister the Sir John Key, who will share his unique perspective on navigating economic turbulence, drawing from his experience leading the country through the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) in 2008.

“When John Key took the reins in 2008, New Zealand was in the throes of the GFC. Now, his insights will be intriguing, as we learn from the past but look to the future to rebuild the economy,” says Icehouse CEO, Olivia Blaylock.

Blaylock says that Sir John’s continued engagement with global business gave him a unique lens on the challenges and opportunities facing Aotearoa’s economy in 2025.

“We need to see new ideas and a real shift in how we get out of this rut our economy’s in. The coalition Government is doing a great job, and businesses can capitalise on this, but we need more sparks to unlock productivity and drive growth.”

Also joining the speaker lineup is the Chris Penk, current Minister for Building and Construction, Manufacturing, Small Business, and Land Information, and the MP for Helensville, a seat formerly held by Sir John.

The Summit boasts an impressive range of high-calibre speakers and entrepreneurs, including:

Sir Wayne Smith, rugby icon and leadership mentor
Chelsea Lane, high-performance consultant formerly with the NBA’s Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks
Jamie Beaton, founder of Crimson Education
Alex Bullot, CEO of YES
Icehouse alumni including John Wikstrom (Magic Memories), Carmen Vicelich (Valocity), Rewa Willis (Sherson Willis), Leon Kirkbeck and Michelle Walshe (Augusto), and Felicity Hill (Cahill Accountants)

The event will be hosted by David Downs, Icehouse Chair and CEO of NZ Story, alongside Blaylock. Speakers have been tasked with sharing personal leadership experiences and perspectives relevant to the current economic landscape.

Blaylock highlighted the Summit’s focus on collaboration as a key driver of future growth.

“It’s rewarding to be facilitating those introductions so complementary companies can band together and pitch for bigger jobs, particularly with the changes in procurement of government contracts,” she says, referencing recent successful partnerships within the Icehouse network.

The event will also feature a live survey capturing real-time business growth forecasts from attendees, with results announced during the day. A new partnership with Air New Zealand will also be unveiled at the event.

The Ignite ‘25 Growth Summit is sponsored by BNZ, alongside MyHR, Indicator, Mint HC, Indevin, Giltrap, Extraordinary, No Ugly, and YES.