Business entrepreneur donates $1.2 million for international scholarships

Motor racing enthusiast and business leader Andrew Bagnall has funded a suite of scholarships for outstanding university graduates to pursue postgraduate programmes at the world’s best universities and at McLaren Applied Technologies (MAT) in the UK.

The Andrew Bagnall Doctoral Student International Mobility Scholarship will see exceptional students offered unparalleled experiences that will build their careers and bring knowledge and connections back to New Zealand.

These will be short-term placements at a range of top ranked pre-approved international universities and will be open to doctoral students across all subject areas.

Associate Professor of History and Dean of Graduate Studies Caroline Daley said this was a brilliant opportunity for doctoral students, as well as the University.

“These scholarships mean the very best students who remain in New Zealand for their doctorates will have excellent opportunities to visit leading partner institutions around the world. This will benefit their studies and their post-graduate lives.

“Doctoral mobility is the mark of a truly excellent, world-class programme. Our doctoral candidates should be exposed to the very best that the University of Auckland and, the world, has to offer.”

The Andrew Bagnall Bioengineering McLaren Postdoctoral Fellowship will fund a unique experience for an early career scientist at the University’s Auckland Bioengineering Institute, valued at up to $100,000 per annum. The recipient will undertake an agreed project at the MAT division of McLaren Industries in the UK. MAT is a high-performance technology and design company operating in the areas of motorsport, automotive, public transport and health.

The Andrew Bagnall International MBA Scholarship will support a University of Auckland graduate to study for two years at an approved world-ranked MBA Programme. This scholarship is also valued at up to $100,000 per annum and will be available biennially.

Andrew Bagnall was founder of Gulliver’s Travel Group, which he sold in 2006. He has a current involvement in the health sector through Green Cross Health, which incorporates more than 350 pharmacies under the Unichem and Life Pharmacy brands. He has been an amateur racing-car driver for many years and has competed in major endurance races including Le Mans, Bathurst, Daytona and Spa.

He considers that completing an international MBA early in his career significantly contributed to his business success.

“I was originally motivated by a comment qualifying the value of an MBA.

If you have what it takes it can reduce 10 years practical experience to two and it will give you a tremendous feeling of self-worth.

I believe this comment is as accurate today as it was 50 years ago.”

Says University of Auckland Vice-Chancellor Professor Stuart McCutcheon: “This generous donation of $1.2 million to the University’s Campaign For All Our Futures will provide unparalleled experiences to some of our most exceptional students. It will support important areas of activity related to the development of leaders in the fields of business and academia.”