Former Bhutan Minister recognised in alumni awards

20 March 2018

Financial leader and former Bhutan Minister recognised in alumni awards

Founder of nationwide financial company Craigs Investment Partners, Neil Craig, and former Bhutan Minister for Agriculture, Forests and Environment, Dr Pema Gyamtsho, will be recognised as outstanding alumni at the Lincoln University Graduation ceremony on April 13.

Neil will be awarded the Bledisloe Medal while Dr Gyamtsho will receive the Lincoln Alumni International Medal.

Neil has a Bachelor of Agriculture (Commerce) from Lincoln and founded Craig & Co. Ltd (now Craigs Investment Partners) in 1984. Through a series of acquisitions, he built the company into a full service investment business with a national presence and 17 branch offices throughout New Zealand. Neil retains the role of Executive Chair.

Neil’s company has sponsored Lincoln University alumni events for the last two years, including those in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin in 2017, and he was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2016 for services to business and philanthropy.

He was a Trustee of Waipuna Hospice in Tauranga and his company has supported all 29 hospices throughout the country. He also helped establish the philanthropic Acorn Foundation, and Craig’s Investment Partners is a national sponsor of the Community Trust Foundation. Neil is also the Chair of NZX-listed Comvita Ltd, is on the Board of NZ Cricket and a number of agriculture/horticulture based companies.

Dr Gyamtsho is currently the Opposition Leader in Bhutan’s National Assembly and is also the Second Party President of Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (Bhutan Peace and Prosperity Party: DPT).

When in Government he was Chairman of the Bhutan Trust Fund for Environment and Conservation (BTFEC), and he spearheaded the country’s successful rural poverty alleviation programme and through his initiative, Bhutan initiated its largest national park, the Wangchuck Centennial Park.

He declared Bhutan’s pledge to remain a carbon neutral country for all time and its aspiration to gradually move towards a fully organic farming system as part of the country’s efforts to combat climate change

Dr Gyamtsho completed a Master of Agricultural Science degree in the Plant Science Department at Lincoln University, followed by a PhD from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland.

His career has drawn upon his agricultural science background and focused on sustainable development, closely aligned to the aims and interests of Lincoln University.

Lincoln University Honorary Doctorates, which will also be awarded at the graduation ceremony, will be announced at a later date.

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