International logistics expert appointed as Chair

Friday 13 October 2006

International logistics expert appointed as Chair

The University of Auckland Business School and Ports of Auckland are pleased to announce the appointment of the first Ports of Auckland Chair in Logistics and Supply Chain Management.

Professor Alan Stenger is a preeminent international expert with more than 40 years experience in logistics, supply chain and transportation in both education and research and also as a consultant. He has undertaken the Chair position while on two-year leave from the world's number one ranked supply chain research programme at The Pennsylvania State University.

Ports of Auckland and the Business School recognise that efficient supply chain management is essential to ensuring the future competitiveness of New Zealand's trade.

"Supply chain management and logistics skills are critical for New Zealand companies that want to operate successfully in the international arena, and very valuable for competing domestically," Professor Stenger explains.

Professor Stenger says New Zealand is often at the beginning of the supply chain. "Thus, New Zealand companies have to understand what is going on at the other end of the chain in order to make themselves and their products and services as valuable and as competitive as possible to the downstream users."

The Ports of Auckland Chair in Logistics and Supply Chain Management was established to combine academic knowledge and insight with commercial knowledge, practice and experience. Professor Stenger's role is to provide both academic leadership and to act as a conduit for co-operation between academia, the commercial sector and Government, as well as linking with prominent international centres of research.

Professor Stenger will help develop a first-rate programme of teaching and research in logistics and supply chain management, housed within the Business School's Department of Information Systems and Operations Management and will foster and promote research in the broad area of logistics and supply chain management.

Dean of the Business School, Professor Barry Spicer, says the creation of this important new position fits well with the Business School's aspirations and goals.

"The partnership with Ports of Auckland is a good fit. The company is an innovative organisation committed to exploring new frontiers in logistics, supply chain management and professional business practice in general. "Similarly, the Business School is determined to become a dynamic forum in which business and economic issues and policies can be researched and taught, for the benefit of the whole country," says Professor Spicer.

Ports of Auckland Managing Director Geoff Vazey also welcomes the initiative: "This type of partnership is important and will be of significant value to the industry as a whole.

"The Port industry is an integral part of New Zealand supply chain with the rest of the world and Ports of Auckland is committed to helping provide an optimal supply chain for New Zealand."

The Chair is funded by Ports of Auckland with a $1 million grant over five years.

ENDS

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