Link Economics Information

Link Economics is a boutique economics consultancy, providing high-quality advice to a range of business clients, regulators and government agencies. Economists, Alexis Hardin and Emma Ihaia (Lanigan), specialise in applying microeconomics principles and quantitative techniques to regulation, competition analysis, pricing and commercial strategy. As experienced consultants, Link Economics prides itself on its strong analytical and communication skills, particularly the ability to present complex economics and financial concepts in a manner accessible to a range of audiences. Link Economics works collaboratively with academic experts from a range of international universities to assemble project teams that best address our clients' requirements. Alexis Hardin has extensive pricing and regulatory experience in infrastructure sectors. For the past 20 years, the focus of Alexis' professional career has been the application of quantitative economics to network industries including telecommunications, electricity, water, gas and airlines. Over this period, she has worked as a consultant and as an employee of Telstra Australia and ACT electricity distributor ActewAGL, with her experience spanning both the commercial and regulatory aspects of these businesses. Alexis' role at ActewAGL involved responsibility for the financial modelling that determines pricing for electricity, gas and water services in the ACT. At Telstra, Alexis was the Group Manager of Economic Analysis in Regulatory Affairs, managing the quantitative and economic analyses required to support Telstra's regulatory functions. Alexis then took on the position of Director of Mobile Pricing at Telstra, responsible for the development and implementation of the company's retail mobile pricing strategy. Before joining Telstra, Alexis worked as an economics consultant where she had a special focus on regulatory issues in the telecommunications sector, undertaking numerous assignments for major corporations and government agencies in Australia, New Zealand, Asia and Europe. Alexis studied economics at the Australian National University, majoring in econometrics. Emma Ihaia specialises in competition analysis and regulatory economics, with 20 years of experience in this field. As a Principal Economist for Link Economics, Emma has been retained as an expert in the context of regulatory investigations and consultations, competition assessments, legal proceedings and government reviews. Matters have included market definition and market power analysis, anti-competitive conduct, mergers, access pricing, infrastructure deployment strategy and the implementation of regulatory regimes. Emma recently held a senior management position at electricity distributor Network Tasman where her responsibilities included network pricing strategy, regulatory compliance, managing relationships with retailers, and implementing a new communications strategy. Over the past 3 years Emma has led the Electricity Networks Association's working group initiatives on pricing reform in New Zealand. Her professional career has also included working as an economics consultant with NECG, Charles River Associates and Concept Economics for a range of clients internationally. While telecommunications and electricity networks have been areas of special focus, Emma has also worked on projects relating to airlines, postal services, medical supplies, financial services, transport and pay television. Emma holds a Master of the Arts (First Class Honours) in Economics from the University of Auckland for which her thesis examined access pricing arrangements between monopolistic networks.