Vangelis Vitalis is Deputy Secretary, Trade and Economic. He was the APEC2021(external link) Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) Chair for New Zealand’s host year and in 2023 Vangelis will be chairing the Senior Officials' process that supports the CPTPP Ministerial meetings.
Vangelis was also the Chief Negotiator who led the conclusion of negotiations for the New Zealand European Union Free Trade Agreement and before that the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. In 2007-9, Vangelis was also the Chief Negotiator who concluded the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA) and the Malaysia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (MNZFTA).
Prior to taking up his role in Wellington in 2017, Vangelis was New Zealand’s Permanent Representative (Ambassador) to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva where he chaired the agriculture negotiations in a personal capacity. In this role he helped draft the text of the historic Nairobi WTO Ministerial Decision(external link) to eliminate agricultural export subsidies. Vangelis has also been the Ambassador to the European Union and NATO in Brussels and has had postings to Canberra and Moscow.
Vangelis has worked outside the Ministry including as an economist in the Secretariat of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). He is a past member of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Future Council on Trade and is currently a member of the WEF Trade and Investment Action Group and is also on the Steering Committee for the WEF Climate Trade Zero initiative. He has chaired in a personal capacity the OECD Committee on Trade and the Environment (2008-2017), the OECD Global Forum on Trade and Climate Change and is currently the New Zealand Envoy for the Small Advanced Economies’ Initiative.
A keen saltwater land-based fisherman, Vangelis is married with three children and speaks Greek, German and Russian. He is a longstanding (and suffering) supporter of the Wellington Phoenix Football Club.

Philip Gregan is the Chief Executive Officer of New Zealand Winegrowers Inc, the national industry organisation that represents, researches and promotes the interests of New Zealand grape growers and wine makers. Philip has been with New Zealand Winegrowers and its predecessor, the Wine Institute of New Zealand, since starting as a Research officer in 1983. He has held the role of Chief Executive Officer since 1990. Philip has a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts (Hons) degrees, majoring in Geography, from the University of Auckland, and has also completed a strategic leadership course at Oxford University in the UK.

Darrell Jones is the General Manager for Gallagher Animal Management New Zealand. With 21 years of experience in the agriculture sector, Darrell has made significant contributions to the company's growth and strategy. He initially came from a Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) background, which allowed him to bring fresh insights and perspectives to his roles at Gallagher.
In 2018, Darrell was given the opportunity to manage Gallagher's subsidiary in Chile. During his tenure, he introduced innovative business strategies that have resulted in increased brand equity, market share, and year-on-year growth. Gallagher Chile was established in 2009 with support from the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE).
According to Darrell, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) has played a crucial role in enabling Gallagher to maintain a competitive business model in the market. By leveraging the benefits provided by the CPTPP, Gallagher can effectively compete with other companies while delivering value to its customer base.

Ashlin joined MIA in July 2022 as Senior Policy Advisor after an extensive career at the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). She first joined MPI in 2013 in a team that focused on policies for New Zealand’s domestic forestry and horticulture sectors. She has also been in roles that involve climate change and resource policy, and trade negotiations. Most recently, Ashlin was the First Secretary (Primary Industries) at the New Zealand Embassy in Beijing where she represented New Zealand’s agriculture interests and its cooperation relationship with China. Ashlin has also had roles in a number of other government departments working on policies covering women’s issues, and community and settlement issues. She has undergraduate degrees from the University of Auckland, and post-graduate degrees from the University of Victoria Wellington.

Jason heads up the Bank of New Zealand’s (BNZ) engagement with the export community a key growth focus for the organization. Funding international growth, supporting customers develop their export capability and facilitating connections is a key remit of Jason’s mandate.
Prior to joining BNZ, Jason was employed by New Zealand Trade & Enterprise (NZTE) and held the positions of New Zealand Trade Commissioner to Japan based in Tokyo, and International Coalitions Manager and Industry Sector Lead based in Auckland. Before joining NZTE Jason spent eight years at Fonterra in the Supply Chain and Global Sales Division with a focus on the Asia Pacific region. Jason holds a BA (Japanese) from AUT and an MBA from Massey University and is highly excited about New Zealand’s trade prospects utilizing Free Trade Agreements.

Justine is currently the Trade Strategy Manager at Fonterra Co-Operative Group where she has responsibility for driving Fonterra’s engagement and advocacy on strategic global trade issues.
A former New Zealand diplomat, Justine held a range of trade policy roles in the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade prior to joining Fonterra. She was most recently posted to Washington DC where she was responsible for advocacy in relation to a range of bilateral and multilateral trade issues. Justine has also previously served in the New Zealand High Commission in London and as an advisor to the Minister of Trade.
A graduate of the University of Auckland in Arts and Law, Justine has been admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor to the High Court of New Zealand, and has completed studies in international law at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and Georgetown University in Washington DC.