Steven Carden is the author of New Zealand Unleashed: The Country, Its Future, And The People Who Will Get It There, published by Random House in July 2007.

A best-selling book that takes a fresh look at New Zealand’s social and economic future, New Zealand Unleashed has been described as a must-read for anyone concerned about New Zealand’s prospects in a rapidly changing world.
 
Named as one of the country’s six emerging leaders by The Sir Peter Blake Trust in 2005, Steven was until recently an Engagement Manager in the New Zealand office of the global management consulting firm, McKinsey and Company.  Steven’s work with the firm has involved multiple corporate, growth and business unit strategy engagements for large North American and Australasian clients across the financial services, media, healthcare, logistics and telecommunication sectors. 

Prior to joining the New Zealand office in early 2007, Steven spent three years serving North America’s largest companies for McKinsey in New York.   Prior to this Steven was the CEO of FlyingPig, New Zealand and Australia’s then-largest online retailing store.  Steven has also worked in the financial services industry as a marketing and legal specialist for New Zealand Funds Management.
 
Steven has extensive experience in the non-profit sector.  Two years out of university, Steven took a year out of paid employment to found the First Foundation, a non-profit organisation that provides New Zealand’s most talented, but financially disadvantaged secondary school students with work, mentoring and funding from New Zealand’s largest companies.  To date, thanks to the support of over 50 New Zealand companies, the First Foundation, has provided more than 150, 4-year scholarships to students from the country’s most challenging neighbourhoods.  Steven’s involvement in the non-profit sector continued during his six years in America.  He founded KEA Boston, a chapter of the global New Zealand expats network, and Friends of CCE, a US-based non-profit organisation that raises funds to help rehabilitate inmates in Ecuadorean prisons.  Steven spent time working in two prisons in Ecuador following his graduation from business school in 2003.
 Steven has a MBA from Harvard Business School, where he received a Knox Fellowship and was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship.  He also holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts (political science) from the University of Auckland.

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Testimonials

“Steven brings broad, boundary spanning strategic thinking to provide innovative and provocative insights to industry analysis and company-level challenges.  Steven’s energy, sharp intellect and engaging sense of humour enables his audiences to challenge existing dogma, reflect on new approaches to current challenges, and embark on fresh paths to success”
- Professor, Victoria University of Wellington
 
“Steven’s keynote was relevant, thought-provoking and skilfully presented making excellent use of communication technology” 
- SonCon Convenor, University of Auckland
 
“Steven spoke at an event to our business audience and delivered a thought provoking and compelling presentation that made you sit up and think about the future of business in NZ.  Would definitely invite
Steve to speak again at events as the content he delivers resonated with the attendees especially being centred around the NZ economy” 
-  Microsoft NZ