Chris Liddell - BE, MPhil

Chris is at the forefront of business leaders, an outstanding New Zealander who possesses a rare combination of financial talent, technical understanding and personal leadership qualities. He has worked in many ways to improve the national income and improve New Zealanders' standard of living.

Chris followed his Auckland Engineering degree with a MPhil in Management Studies from Oxford University.

Not only an outstanding businessman, Chris has also been actively involved on a national level as a past director of the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and governor of the New Zealand Sports Foundation, and through the executive board of the Knowledge Wave Trust, as well as being the Chairman of Project Crimson (a charitable trust that aims to protect New Zealand's endangered pohutukawa and rata trees). More locally, he was school "Hero" at Glenn Innes Primary's Books in Homes programme.

In 2004 Chris moved from CEO of Carter Holt Harvey to a position as Director of Finance for International Paper Company, based in Connecticut, USA. In April 2005 he was appointed Chief Financial Officer at Microsoft.

Chris received a Distinguished Alumni Award in 2003.