The recipients of the 2017 awards are business leaders Danny Chan and Chris Moller, former World Anti-Doping Agency Director-General David Howman, Family Court Judge Ida Malosi, social justice champion Stephanie McIntyre, academic and women’s rights activist Professor Marilyn Waring, and athlete Liam Malone (Young Alumni Award).
Victoria Chancellor Sir Neville Jordan says the seven alumni have shown exemplary leadership and outstanding achievement over the course of their careers, and are inspirational figures for current and future Victoria students.
“These alumni have made major contributions in their respective fields, ranging from the business world to the legal profession, from sport to the social sector, from the judiciary to academia. They have left a substantial mark not only here in Wellington and New Zealand but around the world.
“The quality of Victoria University can be seen in the quality of our graduates, and these alumni are exemplars of the civic-minded and globally engaged graduates we aim to produce. They demonstrate the best of Victoria’s values and show our current and future students what can be achieved with an education from Victoria.
“We are immensely proud of their achievements and honoured to count them as alumni.”
The seven alumni will receive their Distinguished Alumni Awards at a gala dinner at the TSB Arena on 14 November 2017. This event is open to the public and tickets will be available from 1 June at http://www.victoria.ac.nz/about/alumni-and-giving/alumni/community/distinguished-alumni-awards.
Biographies
Danny Chan (BCA 1972; BCA Hons 1973)
Danny Chan is an influential businessman with interests spanning sectors as diverse as education, investment management, financial and business consultancy, and floriculture.
He is perhaps best-known for his involvement in Academic Colleges Group (ACG), an education and training company Danny co-founded in 1995. ACG is made up of preschools, schools and vocational colleges, educating more than 13,000 students at 35 campuses across New Zealand, Indonesia and Viet Nam.
In recognition of his business experience in the Asia-Pacific region, Danny serves on the NZ-China Executive Council Board, and the boards of the Asia New Zealand Foundation and the Confucius Institute based at the University of Auckland. He has also previously served as a member of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet China Project Advisory Group.
David Howman (BA 1970; LLB Hons 1973)
David Howman has recently stepped down as Director-General of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). During his 13 years in the role he led the establishment of the first worldwide anti-doping code for elite athletes, managed its global implementation, and oversaw a two-year investigation into Russia’s sports doping programme.
Before joining WADA, David had a successful legal career in sport law. In addition, he has served as Chair of New Zealand Tennis, as a board member for the Hillary Commission for Sport, Fitness and Leisure, and is currently serving on a panel working on New Zealand Rugby’s Respect and Responsibility review.
Judge Ida Malosi (BA 1985; LLB 1989)
Judge Ida Malosi is a beacon for Pasifika men and women in the legal profession, serving as a District Court Judge based in South Auckland with a particularly close involvement in the Youth Court and Family Court.
She became New Zealand’s first female Pasifika Judge when she was appointed to the Family Court in 2002. She then became Samoa’s first female Supreme Court Judge when she was seconded there in 2013 to assist in establishing that country’s Family Court and Family Violence Court. During her time in Samoa, she also implemented judicial settlement conferences and laid the groundwork for the establishment of the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Court.
Stephanie McIntyre (BA 1975)
Stephanie McIntyre is an advocate for the most marginalised people in New Zealand, most notably those who are homeless. As Director at Wellington’s Downtown Community Ministry, she leads a team dedicated to working with people others often overlook, seeking new solutions to ending homelessness.
Stephanie champions difficult public issues to raise awareness about critical social issues. She has a long history of active community involvement in numerous national and local initiatives.
Chris Moller (BCA 1976; DipAcc 1977)
Chris Moller is a leading businessman with particularly close involvement in the New Zealand dairy industry, including senior executive roles at the NZ Dairy Board and Fonterra. He is currently Chair of Meridian Energy, SKYCITY Entertainment Group, and the New Zealand Transport Agency, and is a Director of Westpac New Zealand.
In addition, Chris has served as Chairman of New Zealand Cricket and as Chief Executive of the New Zealand Rugby Union, co-leading New Zealand’s successful 2011 World Cup bid.
Professor Marilyn Waring (BA Hons 1974)
Professor Marilyn Waring is a prominent New Zealand economist, and a leading activist for women’s human rights.
After serving as an MP between 1975 and 1984, Marilyn went on to establish the field of feminist economics. Her most famous work – If Women Counted – argued for the importance of women’s unpaid work and the environment, revealing the serious policy consequences of ignoring these when calculating national economic measures such as GDP.
More recently, Marilyn’s work has focused on the inequities of globalisation. She has received national and international awards for work in economics and human rights.
Young Alumni Award – Liam Malone (BCOM 2017)
In 2016, Liam Malone became one of New Zealand’s most popular athletes with his performance at the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, where he won two gold medals and a silver, breaking several world records in the process.
Liam achieved this success while also completing his business studies, and in the future plans to create a foundation that provides low cost, accessible equipment for children with disabilities in developing nations.