This year's Distinguished Alumni

Josh Bayliss LLB (Hons) 1996, BA 1996 (Law and Arts)

Josh Bayliss is CEO of the Virgin Group and Sir Richard Branson's second-in-command. Since 2011 he has led the development of Virgin’s strategy and, under his leadership, the Group has grown new businesses in a range of industries and diversified its investment portfolio.

Josh is a qualified solicitor as well as an advocate for sustainability and the role that business can play in tackling the threats posed by climate change.

Fatu Feu’u, ONZM PG DipFA 1998 (Creative Arts & Industries)

Fatu Feu’u is an internationally recognised sculptor, printmaker, painter and ceramic artist who has created and exhibited Pacific art for more than four decades.

He is an Honorary Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to art and, in 2022, he received the Icon Award from the Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi for his outstanding contribution to art and his role as a leader within the Pacific arts community.

Dr Kirsten Finucane, CNZM
BHB 1983, MBChB 1986 (Medical & Health Sciences)

Dr Kirsten Finucane is Chief Surgeon of the Paediatric and Congenital Cardiac Service at Starship Hospital in Auckland. For more than two decades, Kirsten has been leading a team that operates on the hearts of the country’s youngest and most vulnerable patients.

Her early experiences working at Starship sparked a desire to improve access to cardiac surgery for children in the Pacific. She is a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to health and paediatric heart surgery.

Dr Chris Tooley DipTchg 1998, BEd Massey 1999, MA 2001, PhD Camb. 2006 (Arts)

Dr Chris Tooley, Ngāti Kahungunu, is an Indigenous rights advocate and transformative business leader. He is CEO of Te Puna Ora o Mataatua, a health and social services provider serving the Eastern Bay of Plenty.

Chris completed a PhD at Cambridge University focusing on the political philosophy behind self-determination and he holds a strong desire to serve others by investing in and empowering people. In 2002, Chris was awarded a Gates Cambridge Scholarship and in 2020 he won a prestigious Blake Leadership Award.

Young Alumna of the Year
Elise Beavis BE(Hons) 2016 (Engineering)

Elise Beavis is a sailor, coach, youth Olympian and engineer who has combined her academic strengths and sporting passion into a successful career as a performance engineer at Emirates Team New Zealand.

Starting at ETNZ in 2015 as the team’s youngest full-time employee, Elise was an integral part of the team developing the cutting-edge technology used in two successful America’s Cup campaigns. She is the current Women’s WASZP World Champion and was New Zealand Female Sailor of the Year in 2022.

Taumata: Celebrating the University of Auckland's 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award winners | Watch the livestream 

Our 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award winners are shining examples of the aspiration, effort, determination and resilience required to ascend a Taumata or summit.

Join us online on 8 April for Taumata, a celebration of our Distinguished Alumni's many achievements.  Together, they represent Taumata, which comes from the University’s new Māori name, Waiapapa Taumata Rau, meaning ‘Place of many peaks’.