Bill Gallagher (businessman)
Sir William Gallagher | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Gallagher in 2011 | |
| Born | William Murray Gallagher 22 January 1941 |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Relatives | Bill Gallagher (father) |
Sir William Murray Gallagher KNZM MBE (born 22 January 1941) is a New Zealand businessman.
Biography
[edit]Gallagher was born on 22 January 1941, the son of Bill Gallagher [1] and Millie Gallagher (née Murray).[2][3] His father was an inventor, engineer and businessman who is best remembered for popularising the electric fence; he founded Gallagher Engineering Limited in Hamilton in 1963.
The younger Bill Gallagher and his brother John took increasing roles in the business and marketing side of the family firm through the 1960s, with Bill leading the company's export push into Australia and becoming the Chief Executive and Chairman in 1973. [3] By 2010, the Gallagher Group was exporting to over 130 countries with revenue of $160 million, and had over 1000 employees, including 600 in New Zealand. Their product range had expanded to include high-powered electric fences, automatic gate openers, security access systems, and animal weighing devices.[4]
Gallagher and his wife, Judi, have three children.[3]
Hamilton statue controversy
[edit]In 2013, the Gallagher Group donated to Hamilton City a statue of John Fane Charles Hamilton, a British naval officer who was killed at the Battle of Gate Pā, for whom the city was named.[5] In 2017, Gallagher gave a speech in which he called the Treaty of Waitangi a "fraud", and said that non-Māori risked being stripped of their rights and becoming unable to visit New Zealand's beaches.[6] In 2018, the statue of Hamilton was defaced with red paint, and it was removed from public display in Civic Square by the Hamilton City Council in 2020 following a request from the local iwi, Waikato Tainui.[7] Gallagher subsequently circulated reports to city councillors detailing an alternative history of New Zealand in which Māori were not the first inhabitants of New Zealand, a theory that has been debunked by leading historians.[8]
Philanthropy
[edit]A significant contributor to the community, Gallagher, and the Gallagher Group, have been a major sponsor of Waikato Rescue Helicopter, Mounted Police, Gallagher Community Swimming Pool, Gallagher Hockey Centre, the Chief's Rugby Team, Waikato Stadium, Wintec, Gallagher Family Hospice, Hamilton Gardens, and many other civic and community organisations.
The Sir William and Lady Judi Gallagher Foundation provides scholarships for computing and mathematical science, engineering, management and music (specifically opera).[9]
Honours and awards
[edit]1987 - 1987 Queen's Birthday Honours, Member of the Order of the British Empire[10]
1990 - New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal[11]
1996 – (EXCEL) Excellence in Communication Leadership, The International Association of Business Communicators [12]
1999 - 1999 New Year Honours, Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit[13]
2002 - Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year[14]
Honorary Fellow of the Waikato Institute of Technology[15]
2004 - Inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame[16]
2005 - Distinguished Fellow, Institute of Directors[17]
2008 - Honorary Doctorate University of Waikato[18]
Freedom Holder of the City, Hamilton City Council[19]
2009 - Outstanding International Business Leader, New Zealand International Business Awards[20]
Inducted into the Hi-Tech Hall of Fame[21]
2010 - World Class New Zealand Awards[22]
2011 - 2011 New Year Honours, Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit[23]
2011 - Lifetime Achievement Award, New Zealand Dairy Industry[24][25]
2012 – Inducted into the Waikato Business Hall of Fame[26]
2016 – Inaugural Family Business Award of Excellence, Ernst & Young[27]
Exporters Champion, Air New Zealand Cargo ExportNZAwards[28]
2019 - Visionary Leadership Award, New Zealand Security Industry[29]
2023 - Inaugural Contribution to the Security Industry Award, The Security Event[30]
References
[edit]- ^ Downs, Jeff. "Gallagher, Alfred William". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ "Births". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. 78, no. 23872. 24 January 1941. p. 1. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ a b c Adams, Christopher (31 December 2010). "Fences around the world". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ Duff, Michelle (16 April 2011). "Big day for a knight". Waikato Times. p. 7.
- ^ "Catalogue showcases city's public art collection". Waikato Museum. 17 October 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ Hamilton, Scott (28 November 2017). "Treaty of Waitangi denialism: a long, dark and absurd history". The Spinoff. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ "Controversial statue of Captain John Hamilton has been removed". RNZ News. 12 June 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ Leaman, Aaron (11 July 2020). "Sir William Gallagher's 'wacky' history claims 'embolden racists'". Stuff. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ https://www.waikato.ac.nz/news-events/news/sir-william-and-lady-judi-gallagher-announce-further-support-for-university-of-waikato-with-new-scholarship/
- ^ "No. 50950". The London Gazette (4th supplement). 13 June 1987. p. 32.
- ^ Taylor, Alister; Coddington, Deborah (1994). Honoured by the Queen – New Zealand. Auckland: New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa. p. 150. ISBN 0-908578-34-2.
- ^ https://www.prnewsonline.com/honors-4/
- ^ "New Year honours list 1999". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 1998. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/gallagher-voted-years-best-entrepreneur/S2RQI4BNBJQGSA2W4A4K6QFJBI/
- ^ https://www.wintec.ac.nz/about-wintec/our-people/honorary-award-recipients
- ^ "Gallagher, William Murray". Business Hall of Fame. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ https://www.iod.org.nz/membership/distinguished-fellows
- ^ "Honorary Doctors of the University of Waikato". University of Waikato. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ https://hamilton.govt.nz/your-city/city-events/city-honours/?stage=Live
- ^ https://itbrief.co.nz/story/tech-companies-win-big-at-nz-international-business-awards
- ^ https://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/business/24173/Gallagher-enters-the-Hi-Tech-Hall-of-Fame
- ^ https://auckland.scoop.co.nz/2010/02/world-class-new-zealanders-announced/
- ^ "New Year honours list 2011". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 2010. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ https://www.dairyindustryawards.co.nz/hall-of-fame/
- ^ https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1109/S00771/dairy-awards-recognises-sir-william-gallagher.htm
- ^ https://keanewzealand.com/kea_winners/sir-bill-gallagher/#:~:text=Sir%20William%E2%80%99s%20achievements%20and%20contributions%20have%20been%20officially,the%20Excellence%20in%20Communication%20Leadership%20Award%20in%201996.
- ^ https://sen.news/gallagher-takes-out-award-of-excellence-in-auckland/
- ^ https://auckland.scoop.co.nz/2016/06/gallagher-named-exporter-of-the-year/
- ^ https://australiansecuritymagazine.com.au/nz-security-industry-honours-sir-william-gallagher-with-visionary-leadership-award/
- ^ https://internationalsecurityjournal.com/global-security-award-gallagher/