John Bongard
John Bongard, of Takanini, received the Insignia of an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business. Mr Bongard worked in various capacities with Fisher & Paykel for more than 35 years. He started his career with the company as a purchasing cadet and became Chief Executive in 2001, after holding a number of positions at Fisher and Paykel. As Head of Marketing he was responsible for the launch of the F&P into the Australian market in 1988, and later progressed to be Head of the Appliance Division. He was appointed Managing Director of the Appliance Division in 1973 when the company was split into the appliance and healthcare business streams.