Business leaders

We welcome business leaders as part of regular curriculum so our students gain from direct contact with hands-on experience and information.

Building strong relationships with business leaders enables us to bring into the classroom real issues affecting global business. This helps to equip our students to meet future business challenges.

Our Executive-in-Residence (EIR) appointments broaden the Business School's relationship with the business community. Typically the EIR is a prominent senior executive whose role is to share their expertise with our faculty and students. Involved as mentor, project adviser, ambassador and networker, the EIR becomes fully integrated into the life of the School.

Dr Alan Jackson

Alan has had a long and varied business career, holding a number of governance positions after retiring from The Boston Consulting Group. He is a Non-Executive Director of Delegat Group; is a former Chair of Housing New Zealand, New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing, and ThoroughVision Network; and a former Director of Fletcher Building. Alan was, until 2009, Chairman Australasia, Senior Vice President and Director of The Boston Consulting Group. He was an international management consultant for more than 20 years with The Boston Consulting Group and through that has experience at the most senior levels of international and government business. Alan is a Fellow of the Institute of Professional Engineers and Chartered Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Directors.

Nick Sautner

Nick is Chief Executive of Eden Park and has extensive experience of managing stadium facilities. He joined the Eden Park team in 2016. His 20 years’ experience has included roles at Colonial Stadium, Telstra Dome, Etihad Stadium, Domain Stadium and West Australian Football Commission. Nick holds Bachelor degrees in Business and Arts, as well as a Master of Business Administration. Outside of work, he played 260 VFL matches and won 5 premierships with Sandringham and 2 VAFA premierships with Wesley Collegians. Amongst a number of individual honours, Nick kicked 883 goals in the VFL competition and holds the competition record for leading goal kicker. In 2019 he received the Executive of the Year award at The Stadium Business Summit, and Venue Executive of the Year and Supreme Venue Person of the Year at the EVANZ Awards. In 2020 Nick became a Certified Venue Executive with the International Association of Venue Managers.

Greg Cross

Through an early career in multiple technology companies, Greg has made his mark as a business leader with a career that includes launching BellSouth NZ, one of the biggest start-up technology investments made in New Zealand, and leading Microsoft New Zealand as Managing Director. Greg was also CEO of Advantage Group before leaving for the USA to pursue various business opportunities including a role as Entrepreneur in Residence in Silicon Valley for an international VC firm. He now lives in New Zealand and co-creates technology businesses that compete on the international stage. He is the co-founder of Soul Machines, a leader in the humanization of AI, and co-founder of one of the world’s leading wireless power companies, PowerbyProxi, which was sold to Apple in 2017. Greg is also the Sir John Logan Campbell Executive in Residence at the University of Auckland Business School, and was inducted into the New Zealand Hi-Tech Hall of Fame in 2019.

Cecilia Tarrant

Cecilia has over 25 years of experience in law and finance, having worked as a lawyer in Auckland and San Francisco before becoming an investment banker in New York and London. She is now a professional director. Cecilia is the Chancellor at The University of Auckland. She also holds various positions such as Chair of the Board at New Zealand Green Investment Finance, Chair at ArcAngels NZ, and Non-Executive Director at Seeka Limited. Additionally, she is an Independent Director at Payments NZ Limited and has served as a Trustee at The University of Auckland Foundation. Cecilia is also an Executive-in-Residence at The University of Auckland Business School.

Geoff Whitcher

After 30 years in business, including stints at Unilever and Fletcher Challenge, Geoff joined the University of Auckland, and became a tireless champion for entrepreneurship. He is a co-founder of the Centre of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and was the driving force behind a number of initiatives including Velocity (originally called Spark), the University of Auckland’s student-led entrepreneurship programme which has helped launch nearly 300 ventures including PowerbyProxi, Fishpond, Thought Wired and The P3 Foundation. Geoff also backed the launch of Chiasma, a professional student-led organisation that creates links between academia and the wider science and technology industries. He is a mentor to many emerging entrepreneurial and business leaders in New Zealand. Geoff is also an Executive-in-Residence at The University of Auckland Business School.

Mitchell Pham

Mitchell Pham joined the Business School as Entrepreneur-in-Residence in 2018. Mitchell is a Vietnamese-Kiwi business and social entrepreneur. He brings to the position extensive experience in information management, software products and services, sales and marketing, international operations, integrated health-disability-social services, strategy development, collaborative partnerships and strategic growth through innovation.

Mitchell is Chairman of the New Zealand Asia Institute Strategic Advisory Board, Co-founder, Director and Head of Sales and Marketing of the Augen Software Group in New Zealand, as well as Chairman and Director of their operation in Vietnam.

Mitchell is actively involved in FinTech, HealthTech and Blockchain, as well as other areas in the tech sector. He serves as Chair of the NZ Technology Industry Association (NZTech) and the NZ Financial Technology Innovation Association (FinTechNZ). Internationally, he is recognised for leadership, as an Asia 21 Fellow of the Asia Society, and a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.

Randy Komisar

Randy Komisar is a prominent business leader and investor, holding many significant roles including Senior Counsel for Apple Computer, Co-founder of Claris, Founding Director of TiVo, and General Partner at Kleiner Perkins.

Randy is a lecturer on entrepreneurship at Stanford University, and the author of four books about entrepreneurship.

Randy has been contributing to the New Zealand entrepreneurial ecosystem for several years, including as a Special Advisor to the government’s venture capital provider NZGCP (formally NZVIF), on the Board of Advisors for Movac, and a Strategic Advisor to Vector.

Peter Lee

Dr Peter Lee teaches the staff of numerous New Zealand companies and government agencies how to increase the revenues and profits from new products as part of the MBA course at the University of Auckland. Companies benefit from analysis and advice for new product and venture investments by involving Peter either as a director, consultant or member of the advisory boards.

Peter has thirty years of commercial experience in senior roles in US business including VP of R&D at International Paper Company for 15 years, and he also serves as Chief Defence Technologist for New Zealand

Jonathan Mason

Jonathan Mason has 30 years of experience in financial management roles in the oil, chemicals, forest products and dairy industries. Mr Mason was CFO of Fonterra Co-operative, CFO of Cabot Corporation (a Boston-based chemical company), and CFO of Carter Holt Harvey. Mr Mason also served in senior financial management positions at US based International Paper from 1990-2000.

Jonathan is currently a director of Air New Zealand, Vector Limited and Zespri and an Honorary Adjunct Professor in the Department of Accounting and Finance at the University of Auckland Business School.

Tom Peters

Tom Peters first gained worldwide attention with his ground-breaking 1982 bestseller In Search of Excellence, co-written with Robert Waterman, and today is acknowledged as one of the 100 most influential figures in modern business. He continues to be in constant demand for lectures and seminars and in 2017 received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Thinkers50.

Tom studied civil engineering at Cornell University (BCE, MCE), followed by an MBA and PhD in business at Stanford, and spent his early career in the US Navy, at the White House, and at McKinsey & Company, where he became a partner before leaving to set up his own consulting practice. Sixteen books and 35 years later, he has been instrumental in shaping management thinking through his work as a consultant, writer, columnist and public speaker.

The impact of his work has led to honorary doctorates from institutions including the University of San Francisco and the State University of Management in Moscow, and dozens of associations in management, leadership, innovation, marketing and design have honoured him.

Learn more about Tom Peters