Hon Tim Groser, starting his career in Treasury, was NZ Chief Negotiator in multiple international trade negotiations and strategist for past Labour and National Governments on trade (including initiating the TPP strategy via its first building block, the NZ/Singapore FTA). He was Ambassador to Indonesia, to the WTO and to the United States. He has chaired many international negotiations prior to entering politics as a List MP for the National Party in 2005. As Minister of Trade he oversaw the entry of the United States into the TPP negotiations in 2010.

As Climate Change Minister for seven years he established the Global Research Alliance on Agriculture Emissions, which coordinates research amongst 54 Member countries into lower agriculture emissions. He also developed the ’NZ proposal’ on the legal form of what became the Paris Agreement. He is an Hon Adviser to a variety of international trade and climate change organisations, including the Asia Society of New York.