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Which universities produce the directors, CEOs, and CFOs who sit on NZX boards? We rank every university by alumni count, executive roles, pay, performance, and governance credentials across 480 people with disclosed university education.
Universities with 5 or more alumni currently serving as NZX directors or executives, ranked by total people.
| # | University | People | CEOs | CFOs | Med. CEO Pay | Avg 1Y TSR | % IoD | % Female |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  University of AucklandNZ | 90 | 14 | - | $1.09M | 163.0% | 31% | 33% |
| 2 |  University of CanterburyNZ | 48 |
How do NZ-educated directors compare to their internationally-educated peers on pay, CEO attainment, and governance credentials?
| Region | People | Median Comp | % CEO | % IoD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ | 244 | $1.05M | 13.5% | 30.3% |
| Australia | 92 | $998K | 9.8% | 9.8% |
| US/UK/Europe | 144 | $1.15M | 7.6% | 18.8% |
| Other | 138 | $525K | 6.5% | 15.2% |
Which university produces the most CEOs relative to its total alumni on NZX boards? A higher ratio suggests the university is a stronger pipeline for chief executive roles.
| # | University | CEOs | Total Alumni | CEO Ratio | Med. CEO Pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  INSEAD | 2 | 8 | 25.0% | $804K |
| 2 |  University of Waikato | 3 | 13 | 23.1% | $1.90M |
| 3 |  |
Which universities produce the most Chartered Accountants, MBAs, lawyers, and engineers? Top 20 universities by total alumni.
| University | Total | CA/FCA | MBA | LLB/Law | Engineering |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Auckland | 90 | 18 | 11 | 11 | 20 |
| University of Canterbury |
Female director representation by university. Based on disclosed gender data.
| # | University | Total People | % Female | Bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Auckland University of Technology | 10 | 60.0% | |
| 2 | Melbourne Business School | 5 | 60.0% |
Does attending a specific university correlate with higher compensation? We compare median pay across all roles for each university against the overall median of $999K. Universities with 3+ people with compensation data shown.
| # | University | People w/ Comp | Median Comp | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Massey University | 4 | $1.85M | +85% |
| 2 | University of Waikato | 3 | $1.65M | +65% |
| 3 | |
University data is extracted from director and executive biographies disclosed in NZX annual reports. University names are normalized using our canonical mapping to merge variant spellings. Only individuals with disclosed university education are included in the rankings.
CEO and CFO classification is based on current management team roles. Compensation data comes from the latest available year in executive compensation disclosures. TSR is the most recent 1-year total shareholder return for the company where the person holds a role.
A university threshold of 5+ alumni is applied for the main rankings table. The pay premium section requires 3+ people with compensation data. Person deduplication ensures each individual is counted once per university, even if they hold multiple board seats.
Data sourced from publicly available records. Our datasets may not be complete. Automated analysis can produce errors. If you believe any data on this page is incorrect, please contact us at hello@nzxplorer.co.nz. For informational purposes only. Not investment advice.
| 5 |
| - |
| $1.24M |
| -15.5% |
| 38% |
| 17% |
| 3 | Massey UniversityNZ | 39 | 4 | - | $1.85M | -1.3% | 31% | 18% |
| 4 |  Harvard UniversityUS/UK/Europe | 35 | - | - | - | -12.8% | 20% | 34% |
| 5 |  University of OtagoNZ | 33 | 3 | - | $653K | 15.7% | 30% | 18% |
| 6 |  Victoria University of WellingtonNZ | 29 | 5 | 1 | $1.04M | -13.8% | 24% | 38% |
| 7 |  University of MelbourneAustralia | 18 | 2 | - | $4.95M | -19.9% | 6% | 22% |
| 8 | University of WaikatoNZ | 13 | 3 | 1 | $1.90M | 4.0% | 23% | 46% |
| 9 |  Wharton School (UPenn)US/UK/Europe | 12 | 1 | - | $1.18M | -0.3% | 17% | 17% |
| 10 |  Stanford UniversityUS/UK/Europe | 12 | - | - | - | - | 17% | 8% |
| 11 |  University of CambridgeUS/UK/Europe | 11 | - | - | - | -3.5% | 9% | 0% |
| 12 |  Queensland University of TechnologyAustralia | 11 | 1 | 1 | $1.00M | 12.4% | 18% | 36% |
| 13 | Auckland University of TechnologyNZ | 10 | - | 1 | - | -5.0% | 20% | 60% |
| 14 |  University of SydneyAustralia | 10 | 1 | - | $224K | -5.6% | 10% | 40% |
| 15 |  University of New South WalesAustralia | 10 | 1 | - | $117K | -4.7% | 0% | 20% |
| 16 | University of TechnologyOther | 9 | 1 | - | $1.00M | 44.4% | 11% | 33% |
| 17 | Deakin UniversityAustralia | 9 | 2 | - | $1.60M | -8.2% | 0% | 22% |
| 18 | INSEADUS/UK/Europe | 8 | 2 | - | $804K | -6.8% | 25% | 25% |
| 19 |  University of PennsylvaniaOther | 7 | - | - | - | 2.6% | 14% | 14% |
| 20 |  Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyUS/UK/Europe | 6 | - | - | - | - | 33% | 50% |
| 21 |  Macquarie UniversityAustralia | 6 | - | - | - | - | 0% | 17% |
| 22 |  University of Technology SydneyAustralia | 5 | 1 | - | $500K | -16.3% | 20% | 0% |
| 23 | Melbourne Business SchoolAustralia | 5 | - | - | - | - | 0% | 60% |
| 24 | Queensland UniversityAustralia | 5 | 1 | - | $1.00M | 44.4% | 0% | 20% |
| 25 |  Lincoln UniversityNZ | 5 | - | - | - | - | 60% | 40% |
| 26 | The UniversityOther | 5 | - | - | - | - | 20% | 20% |
| 2 |
| 9 |
| 22.2% |
| $1.60M |
| 4 | University of Technology Sydney | 1 | 5 | 20.0% | $500K |
| 5 | Queensland University | 1 | 5 | 20.0% | $1.00M |
| 6 | Victoria University of Wellington | 5 | 29 | 17.2% | $1.04M |
| 7 | University of Auckland | 14 | 90 | 15.6% | $1.09M |
| 8 | University of Melbourne | 2 | 18 | 11.1% | $4.95M |
| 9 | University of Technology | 1 | 9 | 11.1% | $1.00M |
| 10 | University of Canterbury | 5 | 48 | 10.4% | $1.24M |
| 11 | Massey University | 4 | 39 | 10.3% | $1.85M |
| 12 | University of Sydney | 1 | 10 | 10.0% | $224K |
| 13 | University of New South Wales | 1 | 10 | 10.0% | $117K |
| 14 | University of Otago | 3 | 33 | 9.1% | $653K |
| 15 | Queensland University of Technology | 1 | 11 | 9.1% | $1.00M |
| 48 |
| 7 |
| 4 |
| 12 |
| 16 |
| Massey University | 39 | 5 | 3 | - | 6 |
| Harvard University | 35 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 3 |
| University of Otago | 33 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 12 |
| Victoria University of Wellington | 29 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| University of Melbourne | 18 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| University of Waikato | 13 | 3 | 1 | - | 3 |
| Wharton School (UPenn) | 12 | 1 | 4 | - | 2 |
| Stanford University | 12 | - | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| University of Cambridge | 11 | 4 | 3 | - | 1 |
| Queensland University of Technology | 11 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Auckland University of Technology | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| University of Sydney | 10 | 1 | 1 | - | 2 |
| University of New South Wales | 10 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
University of Technology | 9 | - | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Deakin University | 9 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| INSEAD | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| University of Pennsylvania | 7 | - | 2 | - | - |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 6 | 2 | - | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 6 | 50.0% |
| 4 | University of Waikato | 13 | 46.2% |
| 5 | University of Sydney | 10 | 40.0% |
| 6 | Lincoln University | 5 | 40.0% |
| 7 | Victoria University of Wellington | 29 | 37.9% |
| 8 | Queensland University of Technology | 11 | 36.4% |
| 9 | Harvard University | 35 | 34.3% |
| 10 | University of Auckland | 90 | 33.3% |
| 11 | University of Technology | 9 | 33.3% |
| 12 | INSEAD | 8 | 25.0% |
| 13 | University of Melbourne | 18 | 22.2% |
| 14 | Deakin University | 9 | 22.2% |
| 15 | University of New South Wales | 10 | 20.0% |
| 16 | Queensland University | 5 | 20.0% |
| 17 | The University | 5 | 20.0% |
| 18 | University of Otago | 33 | 18.2% |
| 19 | Massey University | 39 | 17.9% |
| 20 | University of Canterbury | 48 | 16.7% |
| 21 | Wharton School (UPenn) | 12 | 16.7% |
| 22 | Macquarie University | 6 | 16.7% |
| 23 | University of Pennsylvania | 7 | 14.3% |
| 24 | Stanford University | 12 | 8.3% |
| 25 | University of Cambridge | 11 | 0.0% |
| 26 | University of Technology Sydney | 5 | 0.0% |
| 14 |
| $1.09M |
| +9% |
| 4 | Victoria University of Wellington | 6 | $1.02M | +2% |
| 5 | University of Canterbury | 6 | $949K | -5% |
| 6 | University of Otago | 4 | $854K | -15% |