Sir Stephen Tindall really needs no introduction. Tonight we recognise his contribution to business and the community in the North Harbour region with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Sir Stephen’s contribution to the region was first recognised as one of the inaugural inductees into the North Shore Business Hall of Fame in 2004.
He has been awarded two Knighthoods for his contribution to New Zealand – 2009 Knight Companion of the NZ Order of Merit; 2019 Knight Grand Companies of the NZ Order of Merit.
There have been many other awards of recognition, including Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year in 2015.
Sir Stephen Tindall was founder of The Warehouse Group (1982); Founder and Trustee of The Tindall Foundation; Founder and Trustee, Alay Buhay Educational Foundation; Past Chair, Emirates Team New Zealand; Co-Founder, Past Director and Chair of KEA (Kiwi Expat Association); Council Member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (Co-founder and Chair of NZBCSD, 2000-2004); Chair, Climate Change Forum 2008 and Broadband Investment Forum; Chair, Growth & Innovation Advisory Board; Member, New Zealand Science & Innovation Council; Member, Prime Minister’s Enterprise Council for PMs Bolger and PM Shipley.
He's also an Investor in New Zealand Enterprises, with a stated personal goal “To help New Zealanders realise their full potential for the overall benefit of New Zealand and help use technology to deal with Climate Change”.
Through K1W1 and other vehicles Sir Stephen has invested over $400m in Seed and Venture capital into a large number of start-up and early stage businesses from Biotech, environmental technology, deep tech, electronics, high tech, software, and other high export potential businesses.
The Warehouse Group was a private company until late 1994, when it floated on the New Zealand Stock
Exchange. The group now has 89 retail, 68 Noel Leeming and 68 Warehouse Stationery and 24 Torpedo 7 stores and an online business ‘theMarket.com’ in New Zealand – with annual sales in excess of $3 billion.
Prior to founding The Warehouse Group, Sir Stephen spent 12 years learning the retail business with George Court & Sons.
The Tindall Foundation was established to focus New Zealand on: Improving the performance of families and social services; supporting community-based initiatives that create employment and encourage enterprise; supporting the environment and preserving biodiversity; strengthening the Community sector and promoting generosity and giving. To date it has provided over $200m to assist these initiatives on a “hand-up not hand-out” basis.
Founded by Sir Stephen in 1982, the Alay Buhay Foundation has a “hand-up not a hand-out” philosophy to teach families in the Philippines how to manage themselves into micro financed businesses. The Foundation has been helping over 2,300 families.
Tonight we recognise Sir Stephen Tindall for an extraordinary Lifetime of Achievement.
