Kiwi business leader and philanthropist Owen Glenn has been awarded CPA Australia's highest honour – Honorary Fellow of CPA (FCPA) - in recognition of his global entrepreneurial success, the New Zealand branch said today.
Kiwi business leader and philanthropist Owen Glenn has been awarded CPA Australia's highest honour – Honorary Fellow of CPA (FCPA) - in recognition of his global entrepreneurial success, the New Zealand branch said today.
Honorary fellowships are awarded by the professional finance association to leaders of a country’s business community to recognise leaders who have set the standard in their industry and delivered on a vision to build their own companies while contributing to their countries.
Mr Glenn owns one of the largest logistics companies in the world OTS Logistics Group and also supports a number of international charities through the Glenn Family Foundation, which has as a guiding principle a commitment to educate those that wish to learn. In 2002, the Foundation made a $7.5 million donation to the University of Auckland for the development of its business school - believed to be the largest private donation in New Zealand educational history.
Mr Glenn said he was pleased to be a part of an international professional finance body of over 132,000 members, which works to cultivate global financial leadership and expertise.
“New Zealand benefits from the international experience gained by our professionals. I’m honoured to be recognised for contributing to this body of knowledge and also delighted to join the ranks of a family tradition. With both my brother and my late father serving in the finance profession, our family get-togethers were punctuated with vigorous debates between the accounting versus marketing perspectives!” Mr Glenn said. “It would indeed have made my father proud, as it does myself, to accept, with humility, this wonderful gesture.”
CPA New Zealand's branch council president, David Searle said it was an honour to have someone of the calibre of Mr Glenn become an Honorary FCPA.
“It is a proud day for us all. Mr. Glenn’s contributions to New Zealand will be instrumental in developing the high- quality accounting and business graduates, and strategic business leaders required to enhance the productivity, growth and global competitiveness of New Zealand enterprises," he said.
Mr Glenn will receive his award at an event later this year that honours leaders in New Zealand’s business and finance community.
FCPAs representing CPA Australia’s highest level of professional accounting skill in New Zealand include: Nigel Morrison, chief executive of SkyCity; David Shand, financial management adviser, World Bank; Chye Heng, chief financial officer and executive director of BECA; Craig Jones, chief financial officer of NZ Oil and Gas; and Dean Greg Whittred, University of Auckland Business School.
Internationally FCPAs serve as chief financial officers and financial leaders for major organisations such as Microsoft, ANZ Baking Group, Telstra, Coca-Cola and Adidas.
For more on Mr Glenn, including his plans for OTS and vision for New Zealand, see NBR's print edition this Friday.
