Farib Sos, MNZM, JP, PhD is Executive Director of the Asia Forum Executive Committee.
MBS Hons (Massey), BSc (Well), Dip Safety and Management (with distinction), Dip Bus and Admin, Dip PHI, Dip APC, Cert Tchg.
Farib has wide experience in both the private and public sectors in New Zealand, spanning some 35 years. He has been employed in the energy, resources, health, environmental, educational and business sectors. He has worked for prominent organisations such as Comalco, BP, the Ministry of Health, and the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR).
Between 1987 and 2011, Farib was a senior academic staff member at The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand and Whitireia Community Polytechnic. He was responsible for the management and delivery of Business and Technology programmes. He also worked as Programme Director for the Conjoint Bachelor of Business Studies degree between Massey University and Whitireia Community Polytechnic and taught Marketing for this conjoint programme.
Farib’s life-long interest in learning has earned him a range of qualifications. Cambodian by birth, he was awarded a Colombo Plan Scholarship in 1972 and received a BSc degree from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. He also holds a Master of Business Studies with Honours from Massey University, a Postgraduate Diploma of Business and Administration, a Diploma of Safety Management with Distinction, the Royal Society of Health Diploma of Public Health Inspection, the Royal Society of Health Diploma of Air Pollution Control, a Diploma of the Environment and a Certificate of Teaching.
He was awarded a United Nations Operational Programmes Services (UNOPS) Fellowship to develop a training programme for health professional trainers with the Cambodian Ministry of Health, and was a recipient of an Australian Research Training Scheme Award for his PhD study with the Australian National University (ANU). He recently submitted his thesis, entitled ‘Khmer-Chen in Contemporary Cambodia: Suppression, Revitalisation and Emulation’, to the ANU.
Farib was a member of the NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Consultative Committee for the establishment of the Institute of Economic Development Cooperation for the Mekong Sub-Region based at Khon Kaen University, Thailand. Other appointments have included:
- Member of the External Reference Group for the New Zealand Agency for International Development (NZAID)
- Member of the External Reference Group ‘Asia Strategy’ for the New Zealand Agency for International Development (NZAID)
- Member of the Political and Security Issues Group for the ‘Seriously Asia’ programme launched by then NZ Prime Minister Helen Clark, November 2003
- Immediate Past President and Founding Member of the Society for Southeast Asian Communities in New Zealand
- Former Executive committee member of the Cambodian Trust-New Zealand, which campaigns against land mines and supports the rehabilitation of land mine victims in Cambodia
- Member of the Joint International Election Observers team coordinated by the United Nations for the 1998 Cambodian General Election
- Represented New Zealand on the International Election Observers team for the Cambodian General Election in 2003
- Member of the New Zealand Observers team for the second round of the Indonesian Presidential Election in 2004
His business and enterprise experiences include:
- Independent Director of Gunson Property Group which owned and managed a portfolio of both residential and commercial properties in New Zealand, 2011-2014
- Director of Human Resources International Ltd, 1996-2011
- Director of Dawn Traders Ltd, 1998-2008
- Director of New Zealand Business Services Ltd, 1994-1997
- Representative of Japan-New Zealand Education Ltd, 2000-2006
Farib also currently holds several roles in the community:
- Council member and immediate past Chair of Volunteer Service Abroad
- Trustee and Director of the Asia Pacific Research Institute of New Zealand — a charitable trust which facilitates and promotes research on Asia/Pacific issues particularly in the fields of business, law, economics, politics, international relations, public affairs and associated disciplines
- Executive Chair of Asia Forum — a high-level monthly discussion forum to bridge understanding of Asian political issues and their impact on trade and investment, and to encourage a cross-over of ideas between those in different fields but with similar interests
- Council Member of the ASEAN-New Zealand Combined Business Council with special responsibility to chair the Cambodian Chapter
- Member of the NZ-Indonesian Council established in 2011
- Fellow of the Asia Studies Institute, Victoria University of Wellington, 2006
- Justice of the Peace (JP) for New Zealand
- Marriage Celebrant
In 2009 Farib was appointed Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to International Relations.
