Wellington, April 17 (JY&A Media) Wellington businessman Jack Yan has announced his bid for the city’s mayoralty.
   Mr Yan says he is declaring his candidacy now to put a fresh option for change to Wellingtonians well before the final polling day on 12 October (just 25 weeks away).
   ‘I believe Wellingtonians are creative, industrious, innovative and independent people. They are looking for an advocate for the city who reflects those qualities and who will represent a new face for Wellington,’ he says.
   ‘Since placing third in the 2010 campaign I have received a steady stream of encouragement to stand again.
   ‘My commitment to a more inclusive, citizen-focused form of leadership is key to this campaign.
   ‘Over the next two months I will be looking to the citizens of Wellington to contribute to fine-tuning my campaign manifesto which is now publicly available at jackyan.com.
   ‘The three overlapping themes that I have announced today are growing our economy, keeping a lid on our rates, and uniting Wellingtonians. I am looking to the citizens of the city to give me their feedback on the issues and ideas that matter most to them.’
   A Facebook group has been set up for feedback on his manifesto, at facebook.com/groups/backjack2013.
   Mr Yan believes that Wellington has the potential to be world-class, and that he has the right experience and leadership to promote the city to a global level.
   ‘It’s easy for politicians to limit their thinking to how Wellington can compete with Auckland and Christchurch. But when it comes to our exports and our investment, we have to make our mark internationally,’ he says.
   ‘We have already seen this with ventures that started in Wellington, such as Silverstripe, 42 Below and Weta—all of which exemplify how Wellingtonians typically punch well above our weight.
   ‘My biggest motivation is that I love Wellington and the Wellington region. As my campaign slogan says, “You can’t beat Wellington,’ says Mr Yan.
Images
Images for this release may be downloaded from http://jyanet.com/press/photo.htm.
About Jack Yan
Jack Yan founded Jack Yan & Associates (http://jya.net), one of the world’s first virtual firms, in 1987, operating internationally. Among his company’s interests are business consulting, imaging, software and media, including the fashion magazine brand Lucire. He writes on topics, ranging from branding and business responsibility to fashion and typography, in numerous publications and journals worldwide and is a regular international speaker. He serves on the editorial board for The Journal of Brand Management. He has authored or co-authored numerous books, including Beyond Branding, Typography and Branding and, most recently, Nation Branding: Country Concepts and Cases. His personal site is at jackyan.com. He is a director of the Medinge Group (http://medinge.org), a think-tank in Sweden devoted to cutting-edge branding. He was one of the parties behind the successful bid for Miss Sweden in 2003 for Panos Emporio, and is general counsel of the Miss New Zealand Consortium, the New Zealand licensee for Miss Universe. Since 2006, he has been a mentor with Business Mentors New Zealand. In 2013, he announced his second bid for the mayoralty in Wellington, New Zealand, after netting 12 per cent of the vote on his first attempt.
Contacts
Jack Yan
T 64 4 387-3213
E jack.yan@jyanet.com
Hamish McConnochie
Campaign Media Manager
C 64 27 772-4391
E hamish@jackyanformayor.org