About
Dr Richard Meade, Principal Economist of Cognitus, has over 25 years' professional experience, including his first career in investment banking with Credit Suisse First Boston.
In that time he has advised a diverse range of corporate, public and Māori sector clients. This has given him extensive experience in applying economic ideas to a diverse range of practical problems, and in communicating complex economic concepts, in accessible ways, to a wide variety of audiences.
Regulation, Competition and Industry Governance
Cognitus has advised corporates, government agencies, and Māori organisations on the case for (or against) regulation, optimal regulatory design, or regulatory impacts. This has included futures regulatory analysis, assessing optimal regulatory responses to the advent of disruptive new technologies and business models. It has also included assessments of the impact of climate change policy on Māori and non-Māori.
Cognitus has advised both corporates and government agencies on competition matters, such as damages assessment, and merger analysis. Likewise, it has advised such bodies on questions of industry governance, including optimal ownership forms, market and contracting arrangements, and incentives.
Dr Meade was formerly a Research Principal at the New Zealand Institute for the Study of Competition and Regulation (ISCR), with which he was associated from 2001 to 2011. His main research focus was on competition, regulation and industry governance issues in electricity sectors, as well as climate change policy.
Other Expert Analysis
Dr Meade has provided expert evidence for arbitration and litigation, including loss assessment, and the evaluation of complex commercial mechanisms. Cognitus has also offered private and public sector clients services using discrete choice analysis, such as evaluating how users of public services trade off non-price service attributes.
Māori Sector
Richard has been active in the Māori sector since 1992. He has acted on many of the largest and most innovative Treaty settlement negotiations, including the landmark Ngāi Tahu and CNI Iwi Collective settlements (Download a summary of Cognitus' Treaty settlement experience).
Richard has provided expert economic evidence on matters such as historical loss assessment, and estimates of required economic base, for a number of parties seeking binding recommendations from the Waitangi Tribunal.
Cognitus also has also acted for Māori corporates in structuring complex commercial transactions, assessing the impacts of regulatory changes, valuing losses and compensation, and optimising collective governance arrangements.
Click here for further details of Cognitus' Maori sector experience.
Training and Development
Training and Development
Cognitus has been a thought partner with corporates, and strategy director for government (involving both thought leadership and capacity building). Dr Meade regularly gives private or public presentations on topical economic questions, for public/industry good or training purposes. He has taught at university level since 2003, in New Zealand and Hong Kong, including at professional level (e.g. MBA, and industry body training).
Sector Experience
Sectors in which Cognitus has acted include:
-
Energy - electricity (generation, transmission & distribution), liquid fuels
-
Agriculture & forestry
-
Fishing & aquaculture
-
Mining & minerals
-
Climate change, emissions trading & carbon farming
-
Financial services
-
Healthcare & social services
-
Tertiary education
-
Transport.
Investment Banking Experience
Prior to creating Cognitus, Dr Meade worked for Credit Suisse First Boston in New Zealand and Australia. He began in the Firm's research division in 1989, and commenced investment banking in 1992. There he specialised in mergers and acquisitions, and privatisations, as well as asset and option valuations. Richard also provided advice on cost of capital, dividend policy, capital structure, and incentive compensation. While at CSFB he acted for Ngāi Tahu in the iwi's Treaty claim negotiations, concluding with its landmark settlement in 1998.
Expert Evidence | Advice | Analysis | Research | Representation | Training
