Presenters

Patrick Learmonth, Partner, Stace Hammond Lawyers
Patrick Learmonth is a partner in the Auckland office of Stace Hammond Lawyers and specialises in advising business clients on a wide range of legal issues relevant to their businesses. He has over 30 years experience advising on corporate, commercial and trust matters with particular expertise in company law and insolvency, mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, succession planning, joint ventures and shareholder agreements, trust law and trustee advice, intellectual property - licensing, copyright, and franchising, information technology - software development and licensing and websites and trade practices, fair trading and anti competitive behaviour in business markets, privacy law and mediation of commercial and trustee disputes. Patrick acts for a wide range of business clients, local and international, particularly in the consumer product retail, wholesale and manufacturing sectors and the IT industry. Patrick is a member of the New Zealand Law Society Complaints Service Committees and also convener for the Franchise Association of New Zealand complaints committee. Prior to joining Stace Hammond Patrick was a partner for over 20 years at the Auckland office of national law firm, Kensington Swan.


Liam Mason, Executive Director, Evaluation & Oversight & General Counsel, Financial Markets Authority
Liam is responsible for a broad range of audit, risk, legal and governance matters along with evaluating the effectiveness of regulatory interventions and activity. He is also the FMA General Counsel. Liam has been with the FMA since its inception. He has extensive experience in securities law and corporate governance matters, advising on securities and financial services law and policy, Crown entity governance and legal compliance. Liam has previously led frontline teams overseeing the FMA’s compliance frameworks, licensing, knowledge management and intelligence, and fintech functions.