Geoffrey Whitcher is credited with transforming how entrepreneurial thinking is fostered in New Zealand.
Whitcher was an organiser of Knowledge Wave conferences in the early 2000s, which was pivotal in setting up Kea, a global network of expatriate New Zealanders that has one million members.
Today he was made anOfficer of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
After 30 years in business, including stints at Unilever and Fletcher Challenge, Whitcher in 2000 became commercial director of University of Auckland Developments.
His role was to build bridges between academia and industry, and he established the steering programme for Spark, (now called Velocity).
Since 2003 Velocity Alumni have launched 107 ventures, attracted more than $212 million in investment, created more than 535 jobs, and have sold products and services into 37 countries.
He has served as a board member of business incubator Icehouse and the Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA).
Dean of the University of Auckland Business School, Professor Jayne Godfrey, said Whitcher had transformed the institution by "instilling an entrepreneurial culture and spirit of innovation and enterprise in the institution".
