MEDIA RELEASE:
Entrepreneur Declan Scott honours Samuel Gibson with a discussion on the importance of spirit in life and business
Declan Scott of The Spirited Business Network,
THE RESILIENCE INSTITUTE, and Spirited Business Ltd.
Wellington – Thursday 19th May 2016 – Business networking group BNI New Zealand held the Wellington Big Breakfast event at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa today. In his speech, entrepreneur Declan Scott honoured Samuel Gibson, who was originally scheduled to speak and who sadly passed away after suffering a head injury while taking part in a half-marathon at the weekend. Samuel had a strong relationship with BNI and had spoken to hundreds of members over the years so understandably many attendees were impacted by his passing.
Declan connected with Samuel’s story in his speech that discussed the importance of authenticity and spirit in business. “Samuel was a true original,” Declan says. “He wasn’t trying to copy anyone. He lived his life to the max and by pushing himself found out who he truly was – now he can fly free without his body.”
Declan is an entrepreneur and business owner who is dedicated to helping change the face and culture of business by creating a renewed sense of purpose and passion for people in the workplace. Since moving from Ireland Declan has helped cofound a group called SHE Universe which includes a harbourside restaurant, event centre and gourmet chocolate company. Declan’s other initiatives include working with the team at the Resilience Institute in New Zealand and founding The Spirited Business Network, which work to bring more authenticity to business.
“I want to remind people of the power of business to act as a medium for good and to uplift humanity in the community,” says Declan. “That’s what I spoke about at the Big Breakfast and the audience seemed to really connect with my message about regaining our own power and responsibility for our lives by living up to who we truly are and finding our groove. This may be because of the strong connection between the Spirited Business Network and BNI; both bring people together that inspire others and help people on their business journeys.”
Organiser and one of the BNI NZ Regional Director Consultants for Wellington, Steve Hockley, says Declan was an inspiring speaker because like many in the audience he is an accomplished businessperson who has overcome challenges.
“There were about 150 people representing businesses from the Wellington region in the room so there was a real atmosphere of energy,” Steve says. “The audience truly appreciated Declan’s message and the way he honoured Sam in his speech.”
Graham Southwell, National Director, BNI New Zealand
“BNI New Zealand is the largest networking organisation in the country and has 15 chapters (business groups) in the greater Wellington region,” Steve notes. “Last year BNI generated almost 60 million dollars of business and a single Wellington chapter was responsible for over a million of that. All in all it was a great event and we hope to follow it up with more big breakfasts in the future.”
KEY TAKEOUTS:
Networking group BNI has hosted the Wellington Big Breakfast on 19th May at Te Papa.
The Big Breakfast was attended by SMBs who are members of BNI to learn about new approaches to business and social networking.
Special guest Declan Scott honoured Samuel Gibson who was originally scheduled to speak but sadly passed away on Monday.
Declan is an entrepreneur and business owner who is dedicated to helping change the face and culture of business by creating a renewed sense of purpose and passion for people in the workplace.
Organiser Steve Hockley hopes to repeat the successful Big Breakfast event in the future.
About BNI:
BNI New Zealand, established in 1999, is the country’s largest structured business networking organisation for small to medium businesses. With over 2600 members and 120 groups around the country in 2015 they generated near $60 million in business.
As a business community, BNI helps create business opportunities through a structured system of referrals and reciprocity, based on trust and giving. Business owners from all types of industries (only one trade representative per group) meet weekly. They build sustainable relationships with other businesses, develop new networks and take BNI’s underlying philosophy of ‘Givers Gain’ to grow their businesses. www.bni.co.nz
Media contacts:
Declan Scott, 021 695 8922
Steve Hockley, BNI NZ Regional Director Consultant for Wellington, 0274 477 577, Shockley@bni.co.nz
Nimita Morarji, Serum, 021 950 058, Nimita@serum.co.nz
