Speakers

SESSION THREE SPEAKER

Elise Bond is a lawyer in the Competition and Overseas Investment team at Bell Gully in Auckland. She has experience acting on merger clearances and notifications, assisting clients in responding to Commerce Commission investigations, and advising clients on a broad range of issues arising under the Commerce Act. Elise also spent a year in litigation, working on various Commerce Act claims and proceedings. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and a Bachelor of Commerce (majoring in Economics) from the University of Auckland.

SESSION FIVE SPEAKER

Jon Duffy became CEO of Consumer NZ in 2020. Jon has enjoyed a varied career in the consumer protection field including roles as Assistant Privacy Commissioner, Head of Trust & Safety at online marketplace Trade Me and as a Senior Investigator at the Commerce Commission. Alongside its core work of product testing and review, under Jon’s leadership, Consumer NZ is focussing its research and advocacy efforts on the big issues facing consumers in New Zealand, Aotearoa.

Jon and his team also keep traders honest by calling out illegal or unethical conduct when it occurs. Jon speaks regularly on consumer issues and is increasing concerned with how dysfunctional market structures and muted competition in critical sectors are benefitting a small minority and delivering poor outcomes for the rest of society. From supermarkets to transport, banks to electricity, as we respond to climate change and cost of living our consumer landscape needs to change and begin delivering outcomes that are fairer, sustainable and benefit society longer term.

Jon and his team are helping to harness the collective power of consumers to achieve this before it’s too late.

SESSION THREE SPEAKER

Lachlan is a Senior Economist at the Commerce Commission, focusing on competition-related matters. He has worked on a variety of cases, including mergers with vertical and horizontal concerns, investigations into abuse of market power, and cartel agreements. Prior to joining the Commission, Lachlan worked at EY in the infrastructure advisory team.

Lachlan completed his undergraduate studies in economics and finance at Victoria University of Wellington and, alongside his role at the Commission, is currently completing a master’s degree in economics at the University of Auckland. His dissertation applies econometric techniques to quantify the effect of wind and solar generation on electricity spot prices and spot price volatility in New Zealand. 

SESSION FIVE SPEAKER

Chandni Gupta is the Deputy CEO and Digital Policy Director of Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC) – Australia’s only dedicated consumer policy think tank. Chandni leads CPRC’s research and policy program, while also leading CPRC’s research stream on protecting consumers in a digital world. Her work includes exploring the consumer shift from the analogue towards the digital economy, the impact of deceptive and manipulative online design, and the key gaps that currently exist in Australia’s consumer protections. She also a Churchill Fellowship recipient following her research and policy work on dark patterns.

Prior to CPRC, Chandni has worked in state and federal agencies, including the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and has worked internationally both at the United Nations and the OECD.

SESSION SIX SPEAKER

Michael Hodge KC is a barrister practising at Omnia Chambers in Sydney and Level Twenty Seven Chambers in Brisbane.

He appears in complex, high-stakes commercial, regulatory, and public law matters. His practice focuses particularly on:

• Competition and economic regulation
• Corporations law
• Class actions
• Financial services
• Equity and trusts

SESSION TWO SPEAKER

A/Prof Gordon Leslie is an economist at Monash University, specialising in industrial organisation and energy economics. His research focuses on electricity markets, spanning competition, market design, consumer engagement, and regulation — particularly in the context of the clean energy transition. As Director of Monash's Energy Lab, he leads efforts to improve the quality of energy policy in Australia through rigorous, independent research that translates insights from both local and international jurisdictions into timely analysis for the country's most pressing reform debates. Gordon has contributed submissions and participated in Technical Working Groups on market design for Australia's National Electricity Market, and provided peer review to New Zealand’s 2025 Review of Electricity Market Performance. He currently serves as an Associate Editor at The Electricity Journal and on the Governing Board of the Transportation and Public Utilities Group (TPUG), where he previously served as President.

SESSION SEVEN SPEAKER

Edward is an experienced academic and consultant with interests in constitutional law, administrative law, economic regulation and competition law. He is particularly interested in the interaction between law and economic policy, and is currently writing a book on how competition law and economic regulation can be understood and justified in public law terms.