Anthony Edwin Falkenstein ONZM is a New Zealand-based entrepreneur, author, and philanthropist.[1][2][3] He is the founder and CEO of the publicly listed Just Life Group. Falkenstein is an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for his services to Business, a Kea World Class New Zealand award winner, and an inductee of the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame.[4][5] He also serves on the board of directors for Pure SEO, About Health, and Melambra Gold.[6][7][8][9]
Tony Falkenstein | |
|---|---|
Falkenstein in 2010 | |
| Born | Anthony Edwin Falkenstein |
| Nationality | New Zealander |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, Author and Philanthropist |
| Website | justlifegroup |
Early life and education
editFalkenstein completed his high school education at Onehunga High School in 1965.[10] Soon after that, he enrolled at the University of Auckland to pursue a Bachelor of Commerce degree majoring in marketing and accounting.[11]
Career
editFalkenstein started his career in 1972 as an administration manager for the Madison Square Gardens Corporation, where he worked for two years. In 1974, Falkenstein became the general manager of Polaroid Corporation, where he served for seven years, and then joined OHL Corporation in a similar position, where he worked for four years.[12][13]
In 1987, Falkenstein founded Just Life Group Limited with the aim to offer drinking water and water-related services across New Zealand. He currently serves as the CEO, along with being the director of Pure SEO and Melambra Gold, shares of which he acquired in 2014.[14]
Falkenstein is also an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) and a member of the New Zealand Asian Leaders Organization and YPO.[15] He has been a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma Society since 2012[16] and was the first New Zealander to be inducted into the international society.[17]
Falkenstein has appeared and been featured in media outlets including TVNZ's There's No Silver Bullet, National Business Review, the New Zealand Herald, Stuff, Radio New Zealand, the Collective 54 Event, RobettLIVE, Better Business, the EO Entrepreneurs Organisation Podcast for APAC, the GroundBreaking Podcast, Talking Business, NBR Radio, and others.[18]
Books
editFalkenstein is the author of The ABC's of Business: Never Hire a Person Who Walks Slowly, which was published in 2015 by Advantage Media Group.[19][20]
Awards and recognition
editIn 2008, Falkenstein was inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame.[21]
In the 2010 New Year Honours, Falkenstein was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to business.[22] He received the World Class New Zealand award for New Thinking in 2012 and also was listed as a Distinguished Alumni of the University of Auckland a year later. In 2014, he was honoured with the Alpha, Beta Gamma distinction.[23]
Philanthropy
editFalkenstein is an avid philanthropist and has been reported to have donated to various causes which including:
- $1 million to the Owen Glenn building for University of Auckland[24]
- $600,000 to the University of Auckland Business School to fund up to 14 top students to travel to Silicon Valley[25]
- $500,000 to support the University of Waikato's[26][27]
- $3 million to Business Educators - The University of Auckland Business School, the Unitec School of Management and Entrepreneurship, and Onehunga High Business School[28]
References
edit- ^ "Riches to rags - and back again". NZ Herald. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ "It's not Just Water: How ex Rich Lister Tony Falkenstein plans to hit a $100m turnover". NZ Herald. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ "Philanthropist encourages future entrepreneurs - The University of Auckland". www.auckland.ac.nz. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ "Falkenstein, Anthony Edwin » Business Hall of Fame". www.businesshalloffame.co.nz. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ "#robettLIVE w/ NZ Business Hall of Fame, Tony Falkenstein by #robettLIVE • A podcast on Anchor". Anchor. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ "Making it - and giving it away". NZ Herald. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ "Pure SEO a $200 start-up". NZ Herald. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ "Just Life to buy supplements provider About Health for $17m". NZ Herald. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ "JLG.NZ | Just Life Group Ltd. Company Profile & Executives - WSJ". www.wsj.com. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ "Falkenstein, Tony Edwin - The Business Hall of Fame | infonews.co.nz New Zealand News". www.infonews.co.nz. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ "Lessons from an entrepreneurial veteran: Tony Falkenstein". EO New Zealand. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ "My Net Worth: Tony Falkenstein, entrepreneur and CEO of Just Water". businessdesk.co.nz. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ "Tony Falkenstein's top tips for business success". Stuff. 27 October 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ "JLG to acquire business of About Health and raise capital - NZX, New Zealand's Exchange". www.nzx.com. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ "New Year Honours List 2010". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ "WMS Business Advisory Board - Waikato Management School: University of Waikato". www.management.ac.nz. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ "Tony Falkenstein, Just Life Group Ltd: Profile and Biography". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ "Tony Falkenstein: Sugar tax best way to fight obesity". NZ Herald. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ Falkenstein, Tony (12 November 2015). The ABC's of Business: Never Hire a Person Who Walks Slowly. Advantage Media Group. ISBN 978-1-59932-670-2. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ "State of the Arts". Stuff. 20 December 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ "Past laureates". Business Hall of Fame. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- ^ "New Year honours list 2010". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 2009. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
- ^ "Entrepreneur Interview: Tony Falkenstein". NZ Entrepreneur Magazine. 8 October 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ "Thank you to our donors - The University of Auckland". www.auckland.ac.nz. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ "Philanthropist encourages future entrepreneurs - The University of Auckland". www.auckland.ac.nz. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ "Just Water founder gives university $500,000 for student global business travel experience". NZ Herald. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ "Business leader gifts $500K to support Waikato's premier business degree". www.waikato.ac.nz. 17 January 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ "$3 million gift announced for business educators | Scoop News". www.scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 15 September 2021.