Divya Dhar

She organised OXFAM’s Biggest Coffee Break at the University of Auckland to promote Fair Trade, where she was also behind the STAND UP: UN Millennium Campaign which broke a Guinness World Records as millions around the world stood together to show support for eradicating extreme poverty. During her medical elective, she built houses for Costa Rica’s poorest in a flood-ridden region and raised over $20,000 for the Accor Cure Kids Charity Race.

She is a campaigner for policy change, committed to bringing attention to social injustices and climate issues. She is a Fulbright Scholar who completed a Masters in Business Administration the Wharton Business School in 2014, part of a dual degree program where she earned a Master of Public Administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School. Dr. Dhar is also the co-founder and CEO of Seratis, a start-up in the area of healthcare information technology

She was awarded the inaugural Young New Zealander of the Year Award in 2010 and inaugural Indian New Zealander of the Year Award 2011.

On entering medical school, Divya founded HealtheX, a research group bringing together 250 presenters and participants to showcase their research on health and develop student and faculty camaraderie. In 2007, she was instrumental in sending the first New Zealand delegation to the International Federation of Medical Students’ Association, the only student organisation represented in the United Nations. Divya gave a presentation on climate change at the event and through her efforts New Zealand Medical Students' Association was the first New Zealand organisation to join the Climate and Health Council Coalition, seeking to put pressure on government leaders ahead of Copenhagen.

Divya has been a consultant and speaker to the Manukau Indian Association Youth Development Project. In her early university years, she headed the youth rotary club Rotaract and was 2005 District Rotaract Representative, where she inspired the inception of a national Rotaract charity ball.