Special recognition for longtime Business School supporters
Long-standing Business School supporters who give their time to support our programmes and students were recognised at a special thank you event at the end of November.
Every year, alumni and industry professionals give their time to the Business School, offering their time as guest speakers, guest lecturers, judges for student competitions, mentors, coaches, advisory board members and more.
Business School supporters from 2023 were invited to a special Supporters Thank You event hosted by Dean Susan Watson at the Business School on Wednesday 29 November 2023. It was a fantastic opportunity to recognise and celebrate the incredible people who give their time so generously to support our students, our programmes, and the School.
Attendees heard from guest speaker, Distinguished Alumnus, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and founder of Just Life Group Limited Tony Falkenstein, who is passionate about entrepreneurship and business education in the secondary and tertiary sectors, and had just recently returned from Silicon Valley with a cohort of 16 University of Auckland students, supporting them through the life-changing Vanguard programme.
Four long-time Business School supporters received Supporter Awards at the event:
- Annabel Lush, Business Manager, Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand, for her continued support as a mentor on the Business School’s Women’s Mentoring Programme over the last 9 years.
- Andrew Steel, CEO Symmatix, for his ongoing support of the programmes at the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, including Velocity, over the last 13 years. (Ang Nayyar, Strutfit CEO and past mentee of Andrew’s, accepted the award on Andrew’s behalf.)
- Susan Lowe, for her ongoing dedication, expertise, and commitment to the HR profession and to our Business School, enriching our curriculum and providing our students with real-world insights into the HR profession. (Past HRM student Amy Raine accepted the award on Susan’s behalf.)
- Shailan Patel, for his continued support of our accounting students and staff over the last ten years in a myriad of ways, including working with the Business School’s Beta Alpha Psi Auckland Chapter, establishing the MYOB Digital Challenge with the University of Auckland Case Club, and working with the University of Auckland Investment Club, to name just a few!
2023 EY Business Student of the Year, Luke Davis, closed the event with a special thank you message to all our supporters on behalf of the student body.
The evening was a wonderful opportunity to show our appreciation for all the time, effort and dedication our supporters have given to us over the past year.
See photos from the event below.
If you’d like to find out more about ways in which you can support our students through giving your time and sharing your expertise please contact Natalie Newton on n.newton@auckland.ac.nz
