Established in 1861, the business expanded from its Dunedin base until its branches covered the country, providing New Zealanders with instruments, accessories and publishing New Zealand compositions, including the national anthem, God defend New Zealand. Begg’s served as a music advocate for over 100 years, bringing overseas artists to New Zealand and supporting every area of musical activity. As one commentator observed in 1943 “the story of music in New Zealand is the history of Begg’s”.
From unlikely beginnings lacking both formal education and capital, to building New Zealand’s largest private business group, receiving a prestigious university doctorate and consistently achieving top place on the wealth creators score board, commerce has always been part of Graeme Hart’s DNA.
Building an industrial group culminating in revenue exceeding $20 billion, some 40,000 employees across circa 400 facilities in 50 countries – combining leverage capital with calculated risk and great people has been Hart’s platform for success.
Hart has an audacious entrepreneurial spirit, preferring risk over mediocrity, is family centric, philanthropic and quick to credit those contributing to his success.
For over 30 years Greg Tomlinson has built businesses; equipping them with infrastructure and scaling them to become meaningful assets that add value to New Zealand.
Greg is a director and shareholder of Oceania Healthcare, which has matured from start up to listed company. He is a director and cornerstone shareholder of Heartland Group Holdings, the parent of Heartland Bank; a controlling interest in Indevin, New Zealand’s largest wine business, and Argenta, a pharmaceutical company with global capabilities in innovation, R&D and manufacturing.
He is a passionate philanthropist, investing and supporting initiatives for young people around the globe.
Born in Apia, Uluomatootua (Ulu) Saulaulu Aiono is a Christian. In 1960 his family moved to New Zealand. Ulu founded the international high tech COGITA company during his Otago University MBA. He is NZ's first Pacific Islander MBA graduate. Over 29 years with his wife Margaret the company's ERP (enterprise resource planning) software and services business grew until its sale to a Silicon Valley software giant in 2012. Ulu chairs various NGO's including Alliance Health Plus NZ's only Pasifika PHO. COGITA is now a holdings & investment company.
Having owned and grown up in business with her parents in the Hawke’s Bay, Pania Tyson-Nathan moved to local and then central government during the 90’s, gaining an appreciation for the impact of public policy. Since 2011, Pania has served as Chief Executive of New Zealand Māori Tourism (NZMT). Pania has contributed to Māori economic development, focusing on the unique and nuanced opportunities that Māori contribute to tourism and trade, domestically and internationally. Pania has also held governance positions including Ngati Kahungunu Asset Holding Company and He Kai kei aku ringa (the Māori Economic Advisory board).
As a young man from Auckland, Bruce McLaren took his motorsport dream overseas to become one of the most successful international drivers, race car designers and team owners. In 1963, he founded the Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Team, which remains in the Formula One World Championship today simply as McLaren Racing. Bruce McLaren won his fourth F1 Grand Prix racing his own McLaren car in 1968, achieving the team's first F1 Grand Prix win. As Sir Colin Giltrap said, “Bruce was an inspiration and hero to many young people aspiring to emulate his achievements in many different fields.”
On a mission to make athletic workouts more accessible, internationally-recognised athletes, Les Mills and his wife Colleen founded the first Les Mills gym in 1968. Their son Phillip and his wife Dr. Jackie Mills, also recognised athletes, went on to take the reins in the 1980s. What started in a Grey Lynn garage has grown to become New Zealand’s leading gym chain, and an international fitness brand. The Les Mills global network now sees 140,000 Les Mills fitness instructors delivering Les Mills fitness classes in 21,000 gyms across more than 100 countries.
