New Graduate Barry Brill Completes A Double

Company director and former Cabinet Minister Barry Brill, OBE, JP, LLM (Hons) has graduated again, twice.

Mr Brill, 59, is President of the Employers & Manufacturers Association (Northern) and a board member of the New Zealand Employers Federation.

This week he adds a Master of Commercial Law (MComLaw), in employment law from the University of Auckland to his qualifications. Last month in Boston, USA, another graduation ceremony awarded him a diploma from the Harvard Business School.

Mr Brill said he decided to go back to university in 1996 intending to pick up on PhD studies he had begun in the 1960's, but part-time doctorate studies proved too demanding, and he converted over to the Masters degree course.

"Employment law seemed an obvious choice, in view of my heavy involvement with employer organisations," he said. "Ironically, the new Employment Relations Bill seems set to sweep away most of what I learned.

"The Owner-President Management (OPM) Course at Harvard is 'by invitation' to chief executives of companies who also have a substantial ownership stake. The content is similar to the Harvard Business School MBA (Master of Business Administration), but is taken over three years with one month's live-in attendance required each year for a 'pressure-cooker' schedule.

"Just over 100 were in the 'Class of 2000', about half from the US and the others from 22 different countries. There were two from New Zealand and four from Australia."

Mr Brill is to be capped in the Auckland Town Hall at 10.45 am on Friday, May 5th. Further comment: Barry Brill tel 09 486 3392 (Bus & Hme) 021 120 6213 (Mob)

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