Intangible assets such as data, brands, software code, client lists, regulatory approvals and confidential information (including trade secrets) account for an estimated 87% of company value. Despite this, many companies diligently track low-value items in their fixed asset register and fail to identify valuable intangible assets which are typically absent from, or under-valued on, balance sheets. As a result, significant intangible value remains untapped.
However, the mood is changing. Smart boards and management teams are now proactively identifying what intangible assets they hold and are taking steps to extract value from those assets. At the same time, boards are learning to manage the ever-increasing risks associated with protecting intangible assets. Whether it be the increasing vulnerability of confidential information in today’s digital age, the risk of infringing third party intellectual property rights or directors’ liability for failure to adequately protect intangible assets, these risks need to be taken seriously.
Our speakers will discuss:
• What are intangible assets and why are they so valuable?
• How can companies identify and leverage their intangible assets to build and maintain a competitive edge?
• What questions should directors and management teams be asking in relation to their intangible asset positions?
• What is the relevance of directors’ duties to the need for directors to understand, identify, optimise and protect intangible assets?
• What are the key risks associated with intangible assets (including the increasing vulnerability of data in today’s digital age) and how can those risks be mitigated?
• What are some examples of intangible asset success stories?
Speakers
Rob Campbell
Chair of SkyCity Entertainment Group, Summerset, Tourism Holdings and WEL Networks and director of Precinct Properties
Rob has over 30 years’ experience in capital markets and is a director of, or advisor to a range of investment fund and private equity groups in New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong and the United States of America. Rob holds a Bachelor of Arts with First Class Honours in Economic History and Political Science and a Masters of Philosophy in Economics.
Ian Fletcher
Managing Director, InPhySec Security Ltd
A highly experienced organisational leader and diplomat who is highly regarded for his organisational change management work, Ian has led organisations as diverse as the GCSB, the UK Patent Office, the Queensland Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (like MBIE), the UN Customs Service in Kosovo, and chaired a G8 committee on innovation and intellectual property.
Paul Adams
Chief Executive Officer, EverEdge Global
Paul Adams is the CEO of EverEdge, a global advisory and transaction firm specialising in intangible assets. EverEdge helps companies and capital providers convert intangible assets (such as data, design, inventions, brands, software and content) into business impact: increased margins, market share and enterprise value.
Paul has been ranked as one of the top intellectual property strategists in the world for the last five years consecutively and was the recipient of the Global IP Leader Award in 2012.
Prior to EverEdge, Paul served as Intellectual Property Manager for the New York Stock Exchange listed Brunswick New Technologies. He was the founding incubator manager of The Icehouse Incubator, named one of the top 10 technology incubators in the world by Forbes magazine. He has served on the advisory board of the New Zealand government’s commercialisation vehicle Callaghan Innovation and on the Board of Lewis Holdings, a $350M private investment vehicle.