2019

Tim Brown is the co-founder and co-CEO of Allbirds, a footwear brand that specialises in manufacturing eco-friendly wool shoes. Its first product, the Wool Runner was dubbed “the world’s most comfortable shoe” by TIME Magazine.

Tim started direct-to-consumer brand Allbirds alongside Joey Zwillinger in 2016. Allbirds sold more than a million pairs of shoes in its first two years of business, earning the recognition of “the fastest growing shoe company in the world.”

Tim is credited as the creative vision behind Allbirds, with an eye for all things design. Allbirds has raised U.S. $77.5 million in five funding rounds from investors including T. Rowe Price, and Tiger Global Management. Its most recent round was a $50 million Series C in October 2018.

The company is headquartered in San Francisco where Tim leads a team of 50 employees, as well as 40 employees at a Nashville warehouse and 350 contractors in a factory in South Korea. Since the Wool Runner, Allbirds has expanded its product range to include loungers and boat shoes, as well as runners made from eucalyptus tree fibres and flip-flops made from sugar cane. The brand has also released a children’s line, ‘Smallbirds’.

Allbirds has gained huge popularity among celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio (an investor), Cindy Crawford, Hilary Duff, Mila Kunis, Jennifer Garner, Jessica Alba, Mathew McConaughey and Ben Affleck.

A former professional athlete, Tim served as Vice Captain of the New Zealand All Whites for a number of years, including at the FIFA World Cup, before retiring from the soccer field in 2010. His experience as a World Cup soccer player for New Zealand led him to think about things on a grand scale, whether that be crafting shoes or running a business. He’s constantly driven by the desire to do things better. For him, it’s not about the specific product or sport, it’s about the meaning and intention behind it.

Watch Tim Brown accept his award here.

Peter Gordon was born in Castlecliff, Whanganui in 1963 and collated his first cookbook aged just four. He moved to Melbourne in 1981 and completed a four-year chef apprenticeship, graduating as top Theory Student. His spirit of adventure and culinary curiosity then led him to travel through Asia for a year, from Indonesia to India, a life-changing experience and major influence on his culinary style.

In 1986 he set up the kitchen and was Head Chef at the original The Sugar Club restaurant in Wellington, a role that would make his name as a chef. In 1989 Peter moved to London where he gradually introduced his eclectic cooking style to four restaurants – Launceston Place, Frith St, First Floor and Green St. Peter then won wide acclaim at two further The Sugar Clubs in Notting Hill and Soho. By the early 1990’s his bold approach, combining flavours and textures from throughout the world on a single plate, had become known globally as Fusion Cuisine.

Peter has restaurants in London (The Providores and Tapa Room in Marylebone) and Auckland (Bellota and The Sugar Club – the fourth incarnation of this iconic restaurant brand). Peter has written eight cookbooks and is also a co-founder of London’s rapidly growing sourdough-based Crosstown Doughnuts, which makes over 7,000 artisan treats daily.

In 1999, Peter was the first person to receive the New Zealander of the Year Award from the New Zealand Society in London. In 2009, he was awarded an ONZM at Windsor Castle by HM The Queen for his services to the food industry.

Peter has assisted multiple charitable, arts, culture, and nationally significant causes in NZ and the UK. Over two decades ago he conceived an annual culinary event “Who’s Cooking dinner?” to raise funds for Leukaemia research. That, and its Auckland equivalent “Dining For a Difference” have since raised over NZ$16m in NZ and the UK.

In 2017 he prepared dinner for exhibiting artist, Lisa Reihana, the NZ Governor General, and 300 guests on a Venetian Island during official events for NZ at the Venice Art Biennale.

In 2018 Peter designed and cooked a Gala dinner for 900 in Auckland to honour former President Obama’s inaugural visit to New Zealand, and in 2019 he cooked lunch for two Prime Ministers – of the UK and New Zealand – at No.10 Downing Street.

Watch Peter Gordon accept his award here.