Uluomato’otua Saulaulu Aiono received an Honorary Doctor of Commerce from the University of Otago at last weekend’s graduation ceremony.
Ulu was New Zealand’s first Pasifika person to earn a Master of Business Administration (MBA), graduating from Otago in 1986.
He is the founder of COGITA®, a software technologies company that initially specialised in resource planning software for blue-chip manufacturing and distribution companies. These days, COGITA is an investment and holding company. It is the angel investor for a Kiwi biotech startup in the field of continuous non-invasive blood glucose measurement which if solved would help millions of diabetics.
He was shocked to learn about his honorary degree and kept thinking “but I haven’t done anything”.
“Another thought that crossed my mind was ‘I hope they’ve got the right person’,” he says.
Otago Vice-Chancellor Grant Robertson says Mr Aiono has created an impressive legacy in both business and philanthropy.
“Not only has he founded and run an internationally successful business, but he continues to use his knowledge for the betterment of the community. He has paved the way for so many people.”
Ulu, who is of Samoan heritage, graduated from Otago with a Bachelor of Science in 1981, becoming New Zealand’s first Pasifika Computer Science graduate.
He returned in 1984 to begin his MBA studies, during which time he founded COGITA, making him New Zealand’s first Pasifika person to start a high technology enterprise.
