Distinguished Alumni: Recipients from left to right Dr Craig Nevill-Manning, Lt Col Tenby Powell and Sam Knowles, with Waikato University Chancellor Jim Bolger and Vice-Chancellor Professor Roy Crawford.
Waikato University honoured three of its top alumni at a glittering awards dinner in late August.
The annual Distinguished Alumni Awards were held on August 27, with more than 220 invited guests attending the black-tie, invitation-only dinner.
Chancellor Jim Bolger and Vice-Chancellor Professor Roy Crawford presented the awards to the three winners – Kiwibank Founding Chief Executive Sam Knowles, one of Google’s top software engineers Dr Craig Nevill-Manning, and leading businessman Lt Col Tenby Powell.
The three were each presented with a limited edition cast-glass figure created exclusively for the award.
Guests included Hamilton and Waipa mayors Bob Simcock and Alan Livingston, Minister Georgina te Heuheu and husband Timi te Heuheu, businessman and art collector James Wallace and local MPs.
The University of Waikato Distinguished Alumni Awards are presented to no more than three alumni each year. They recognise and celebrate Waikato University alumni who have made an outstanding contribution to their profession, to the community, to the arts or sport, or to more than one of these areas since graduation from Waikato University.
Previous awardees have included have included outgoing Solomon Islands Prime Minister Dr Derek Sikua, and Lt Gen Jerry Mateparae, Head of the New Zealand Defence Force, and soon to become Director of the Government Communications Security Bureau.