Technology business innovator Fady Mishriki to be celebrated

New Zealand’s most prestigious celebration of individual achievement, the Kea World Class New Zealand (WCNZ) Awards, has today announced its second trio of 2019 award recipients.

Among the winners is entrepreneur and innovator, Fady Mishriki, who is being acknowledged for his significant and ongoing contribution to the global technology and business ecosystem.

Fady is widely known as the founder and former CEO of PowerbyProxi, a company he launched in 2007 and quickly grew to become a global leader in wireless power technologies, culminating in its acquisition by Apple in 2017.

Beyond this pioneering contribution to the technology landscape, Fady’s commitment to fostering the world’s next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs has also seen him play an active and ongoing role in initiatives such as the University of Auckland’s Engineering Dean’s Leadership Program and the Velocity Challenge (Business School).

Kea Global CEO Craig Donaldson says the WCNZ Awards are about recognising leading New Zealanders whose outstanding accomplishments are enhancing New Zealand’s reputation on the world map.

“This year’s second round of WCNZ winners have all helped to further improve New Zealand’s global reputation. I am thrilled to recognise their brilliance and accomplishments, and the WCNZ Awards is a great opportunity to share their inspiring journeys.”

In addition to Fady, the other Kea WCNZ winners announced today include globally recognised HR professional Kirsten Nevill-Manning, and renowned neurologist and neuroscientist Christopher Shaw.

Kirsten Nevill-Manning, Vice President of People Operations, IT and Facilities at Teachers Pay Teachers, (who has previously led international recruitment and expansion for both Google and Facebook) is being acknowledged for her extensive philanthropy work, including with non-profit organisations, Acumen and the Robin Hood Foundation.

Christopher Shaw, Professor of Neurology and Neurogenetics at King’s College in London is being recognised for his exceptional contribution to medicine and neuroscience. Christopher is responsible for having led ground-breaking research which led to the identification of many genes that, when mutated, cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, AKA motor neuron disease) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). His team are turning now from discovery to treatment by launching a spin-out company with an ambitious programme of novel gene therapies.

Further WCNZ winners announced earlier this month include Allbirds entrepreneur Tim Brown, business leader Rachel Taulelei, and scientist and entrepreneur Elizabeth Iorns.

They, along with the Supreme and Friend of New Zealand Award winners, will be recognised at an Award ceremony held at Auckland’s SKYCITY Convention Centre on Thursday 20th June. Tickets to the award ceremony can be purchased here.

Each World Class New Zealand Award winner will receive a Tall Poppy statuette, designed by Weta Workshop co-founder and 2009 Supreme Award winner Sir Richard Taylor.

Established in 2003, the WCNZ Awards provide a platform that recognise inspirational, world Kiwis and friends who are making outstanding contributions to New Zealand’s international reputation.

For more information about the recipients, see below:

Fady Mishriki
• Founder, former CEO and former CTO of New Zealand wireless charging technology company, PowerbyProxi.
• Current Managing Director of Apple’s Auckland Technology Centre.
• Board Member of Wireless Power Consortium.
• Bachelor of Engineering and Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Auckland.
• University of Auckland Distinguished Alumnus (2015).
• University of Auckland Spark (now Velocity) Entrepreneur of the Decade (2013).
• Supported the University of Auckland Dean’s Leadership Program (Engineering) and the Velocity Challenge (Business).
• Recently inducted into the University of Auckland’s Chancellor’s Circle.
Kirsten Nevill-Manning
• Former Director of International Human Resources for Facebook, supporting their global expansion with the recruitment of thousands of employees.
• Former Manager of International Staffing at Google, leading the international expansion teams into New Zealand, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
• Vice President of People Operations, IT and Facilities at Teachers Pay Teachers, a New York-based online educational marketplace, connecting teachers to enable them to share original educational resources.
• Kirsten is married to computer engineer and former Kea World Class New Zealand recipient, Craig Nevill-Manning. Together, the couple have made significant philanthropic contributions to a variety of organisations including the Robin Hood Foundation.
• Board member of Acumen.
• Co-owner of Happy Bones, a New Zealand café in New York.

Christopher Shaw
• MBChB, MD, FRACP, FRCP (Hon), FMedSci, FANA, FK.
• Professor of Neurology and Neurogenetics, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College, London.
• Director, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute.
• Associate Director, UK Dementia Research Institute.
• Led an initiative to build equip and staff a new Neuroscience research facility, the Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute.
• His team discovered more genes for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) than any other laboratory.
• Launched a spin-out company to develop novel gene therapies for ALS and FTD.
Tim Brown
• Co-founder and co-CEO of innovative sustainable footwear company Allbirds, “the fastest growing shoe company in the world.”
• The Allbirds Wool Runner shoe has been dubbed “the world’s most comfortable” by TIME Magazine.
• Raised U.S. $50 million in a Series C funding round in October 2018.
• Former Vice Captain of the New Zealand All Whites.
Rachel Taulelei
• CEO of Kono NZ, a Māori-owned New Zealand food and beverage company employing over 450 staff, farming more than 1000ha of land and sea, and exporting to over 25 countries.
• Founder of Yellow Brick Road, a sustainable seafood company.
• Former NZ Trade Commissioner in Los Angeles.
• Received the Sir Peter Blake Leadership Award, and is a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to food and hospitality.
• Named as Māori Woman Business Leader for 2018.
• Member of the Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Council.
Dr Elizabeth Iorns
• Co-founder and CEO of Science Exchange.
• Raised $60M in venture capital funding from top US investment firms (Union Square Ventures, Maverick Capital, Norwest Venture Partners).
• Co-founder and board director of Perception Therapeutics.
• Director of the Reproducibility Initiative, Co-lead of the Reproducibility Project Cancer Biology.
• Mentor at Y Combinator.
• Ph.D. in Cancer Biology from the Institute of Cancer Research (UK).Assistant Professor at the University of Miami’s Miller School of MedicineOver 60 peer-reviewed publications in top-tier scientific journals.

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