Distinguished graduates honoured byUniversity of Auckland

Distinguished graduates honoured by the University of Auckland

Six outstanding graduates of the University of Auckland, in fields ranging from competitive sailing and rugby to law and wireless power systems, will be honoured at a gala dinner this month.

Approximately 400 guests will attend the dinner in a large marquee on Old Government House lawn at the University’s City Campus.

The five winners of the Distinguished Alumni Awards, and the Young Alumnus of the Year award, have all made outstanding contributions to their professions, their communities, or the nation.

As well as addressing the gala dinner on Friday 13 March, the award winners will speak at Bright Lights: An Audience with Distinguished Alumni on Thursday 12 March. This ticketed event is open to the public and will be held from 6.30pm to 8pm at the Maidment Theatre.

At this event speakers will discuss their aspirations and inspiration, their vision of the future in both their career and industry, and advice for people interested in their field.

The five distinguished alumni are;

Sir Russell Coutts KNZM, CBE, BE (1987) is an Olympic Gold Medal sailor, and CEO and helmsman of America’s Cup syndicate ORACLE TEAM USA, based in San Francisco. He has been in five winning America’s Cup teams and is the most successful skipper in the history of the event. He conceived and co-designed the RC44, a high performance yacht that is raced in Europe.
Bruce Plested DipTchg (1961), CA is Founder and Executive Chairman of Mainfreight, New Zealand’s largest domestic freight forwarder and a global logistics provider which operates in 20 countries. Bruce is a fervent conservationist, and a passionate supporter of education initiatives, including the Books in Homes project run by the Alan Duff Charitable Foundation and the Life Education Trust.
Bryan Williams CNZM, SOM, MBE, LLB (1974) had a distinguished international rugby career from 1970 to 1978, and was among the first Pacific Island players to wear the All Black colours. He was President of the New Zealand Rugby Union from 2011-2013. After being admitted to the bar in 1975, Bryan practised law for 38 years.
Professor Christine Winterbourn CNZM, FRSNZ, BSc (1963), MSc (1964), PhD Massey is a world authority on the biological chemistry of free radicals. In 2011 she became the first female recipient of New Zealand’s top science and technology honour, the Rutherford Medal. She is Professor of Pathology at the University of Otago.
Joan Withers MBA (1991) has had an illustrious career in management and leadership and is Chair of Mighty River Power, Deputy Chair of Television New Zealand, independent non-executive Director of ANZ, and a member of the Treasury Board. She holds governance roles for organisations including New Zealand Global Women, the Tindall Foundation, the Louise Perkins Foundation (Sweet Louise), and Grow Our Own Workforce.

The Young Alumnus of the Year is;
Fady Mishriki BE (2005), BCom (2005) is one of the world’s leading specialists in the deployment of wireless power systems. He co-founded PowerbyProxi in 2007 and is currently the company’s Chief Tesla Officer. The company developed from a student project in wireless power at the University of Auckland and is now commanding attention from global electronics giants like Samsung and TE Connectivity.
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