Guillermo ‘Bill’ Luz (Photo from Asia New Zealand Foundation)
DAVAO CITY, Philippines—An associate director of the Ayala Corporation has been appointed as honorary adviser of the Asia New Zealand Foundation.
In a statement on Tuesday, Simon Draper, executive director of the Asia New Zealand Foundation, identified the new honorary adviser as Guillermo Luz.
“We welcome Bill as one of our new honorary advisers from Asia. He brings with him a wealth of expertise and experience that the Foundation can draw from in our various engagements especially in the Philippines,” said Draper.
The Asia New Zealand Foundation is New Zealand’s leading non-government authority on Asia. It is a non-partisan, non-profit organisation set up in 1994 to build New Zealanders’ knowledge and understanding of Asia.
Honorary advisers are individuals who hold key positions in business, academia, community or other sectors that are relevant to the foundation’s mandate of “equipping New Zealanders to thrive in the Asian century.”
“I look forward to the Foundation engaging with the newly appointed honorary Asia advisers and drawing on their wisdom in helping the Foundation achieve its mandate,” Draper pointed out.
On the other hand, David Strachan, New Zealand’s Ambassador in the Philippines, welcomed Luz’s appointment.
“Our Embassy has enjoyed a close working relationship with Bill, especially when the Philippines hosted the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings in 2015,” Strachan said.
“Currently the Embassy is working with Bill through the NCC and government agencies on a project to improve the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ in the Philippines.”
Honorary adviser appointments are open ended and they are made by the New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Apart from being the associate director of the Ayala Corporation, one of the biggest business conglomerates in the country with interests in real estate, banking, telecommunications, among others, Luz was previously the executive director from 1987-2006 of the Makati Business Club, one of the most influential business associations in the country engaged in advocacy, information services, publishing, and investment promotion. (davaotoday.com)
