Meet the inaugural 40 under 40
Forty exceptional individuals in fields from plastic surgery to psychedelic rock music have been named in the University
of Auckland’s inaugural 40 Under 40 list.
The list recognises graduates who are making a significant contribution to their field and community. It comprises six
categories: business leaders, influencers, performers, entrepreneurs, humanitarians, and disruptors and innovators.
“Out of our 185,000 alumni in New Zealand and around the world, 70 per cent are under the age of 40,” says the Director
of Alumni Relations and Development, Mark Bentley. “Recognition of achievement often comes later in life but we wanted
to celebrate the game changers and high achievers now and draw inspiration from their accomplishments.”
One, Rez Gardi, escaped persecution from her homeland of Kurdistan to live in a United Nations refugee camp in Pakistan,
before emigrating with her family to New Zealand. She went on to gain law and arts degrees at the University of Auckland
and was named Young New Zealander of the Year in 2017 for her humanitarian work.
Closer to home, Dannevirke-born Alanna Simpson says she was motivated to study geology after hearing harrowing stories
from her grandparents, who were both survivors of the 1931 Napier earthquake. She joined the World Bank in 2012 where
she coordinates disaster risk management activities in Europe and Central Asia countries.
Other notable entries include business leader Alex Fala, MP Chloe Swarbrick, musician Ruban Nielson, Pushpay co-founder
Chris Heaslip, lawyer Kiri Toki and biotech consultant Ipshita Mandal.
“In a world increasingly dominated by high achievers under 40, including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, French
President Emmanuel Macron and New Zealand Labour Party leader Jacinda Ardern, it seems the mantle of leadership is being
passed to a new generation,” Mark Bentley says. “The contributions of the 40 are inspiring, and their personal stories
fascinating and often moving.”
While many were originally from Auckland or other centres around the country, six had moved to New Zealand as teenagers
from countries such as Ukraine, Kurdistan, Botswana, Malaysia, India and Fiji.
The full 2017 40 Under 40 list can be viewed at -
ENDS