Biography

Alexander P. van Heeren, Hon. CVO, MBE

Born:

5 March 1947

Nationality:

Netherlands subject.

Profession:

Businessman/Investor.

Chairman:

Worldwide Leisure Limited, a parent company for tourism-related business.

Consultant and Owner’s Representative:

Grande Provence Heritage Wine Estate, Franschhoek, South Africa.

Founder:

The Huka Retreats – comprising three sister properties in three unique global locations:

Huka Lodge, Taupo, New Zealand (consistently ranked as one of the finest resorts in the world, Member of Relais & Châteaux).

Grande Provence Heritage Wine Estate, Franschhoek, South Africa.

Dolphin Island, Fiji, South Pacific (Member of Relais & Châteaux).

www.thehukaretreats.com

Member of Advisory Boards

Roosevelt Foundation, Special Advisor.

A private foundation established in 1982 to organise the Four Freedoms Awards ceremony in Middelburg, The Netherlands, in co-operation with the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute in Hyde Park, New York.
www.fourfreedoms.nl

University of Stellenbosch Business School, South Africa.

A leading and highly respected provider of internationally accredited postgraduate management degrees and executive education in South Africa.
www.usb.ac.za

Former Appointments, Directorships and positions

Honorary Consul for New Zealand

Antwerp, Belgium, for 25 years.

Honorary Consul for The Netherlands

Auckland, New Zealand, for 27 years.

Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

Chairman of the World Fellowship and International Trustee of The International Award for a 12-year period, from 1998 until 2010. This charity was founded by H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh and now operates in over 100 countries.
www.intaward.org

Chairman

Mont Blanc Financial Services Ltd, Geneva.

Chairman

New Zealand Export-Import Corporation – a government-owned buying and selling office/trading house established to promote and develop international trade. This role carried specific responsibility for putting the corporation on a sound commercial footing, which enabled the government to proceed with a successfully completed privatisation.

Vice-Chairman

B.A.N.Z. (Bahrain/New Zealand Cold Storage and Warehousing Company) – joint venture between the governments of New Zealand and Bahrain, also successfully privatised.

Member of Board of Directors

Owens Group Limited – a publicly listed New Zealand company involved in transport, shipping, container terminals and related services.

Member of Supervisory Board of Directors

Tranz Rail Ltd. (formerly New Zealand Rail).

Member

New Zealand Eminent Persons Group for International Trade.

Trustee

Outward Bound, U.K.

Member of Executive Committee

F.I.C.A.C. – International Federation of Consular Corps and Associations