Dr. Matt Bolger

Biography

Matt served as Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Waikato Management School from 2020 to 2024, during which time he helped the school achieve Triple Crown international accreditations, launched a range of innovative new educational programs, and established the New Zealand Economics Forum. The Waikato Management School consistently ranks among New Zealand's top business schools in global rankings. Prior to joining the university, Matt held various senior roles at Fonterra, New Zealand's largest company and a multinational dairy co-operative. His work at Fonterra included corporate strategy, financial structuring, and global sales. He also led teams focused on grassroots environmental agritech programs in New Zealand. Additionally, he chaired the Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand from 2022 to 2024. After finishing his term as Pro Vice-Chancellor in 2025, he returned to Fonterra as Managing Director of Cooperative Affairs but remains connected to the Waikato Management School, where he was appointed Senior Fellow in early 2025. He completed a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at Georgetown University, focusing on International Business with minors in English and Japanese, and also studied at Victoria University of Wellington and Sophia University in Tokyo. Throughout his career, he participated in executive education programs at Columbia University in New York and the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland.