Citation read by Professor Paul Moughan on the occasion of the visit to Massey University by Merrill Fernando, the Founder of Dilmah Tea.
It is my very great pleasure to deliver a citation, for the award of an Honorary Doctor of Science, to Merrill Joseph Fernando. An honorary DSc is regarded as one of the University’s highest honours. Such awards are given sparingly, and primarily to recognise the exceptional achievements of an individual. There is also, however, an element of offering a role model for our cohort of graduates.
Dear Graduates and Graduands, I can think of no better role model for you and your awakening careers, than Merrill Fernando. I urge you all to reflect upon this man’s prowess, draw from it, and go forward from today adopting his ethos in developing your own professional lives.
Merrill Fernando is the Founder of Dilmah Tea, a Sri Lankan based company, that has become a world leader in tea production and marketing, quite against the odds I might add, and competing with the world’s food conglomerates.
Merrill is well known to New Zealanders, with his now famous television ad for Dilmah tea: “Do Try It”, and “his” is a familiar face in all New Zealand living rooms. He has been a great supporter of New Zealand business, and New Zealand science, having generously funded work at Massey University into the anti-oxidant and health properties of tea.
Merrill Fernando was born in 1930 into humble beginnings in the country then known as Ceylon. His first job was within an American Petroleum Company but soon he moved on to London, where at Mincing Lane, he would learn the art of tea tasting and selection. Following this, Merrill returned to Ceylon and joined AF Jones and Company, a British tea business. He quickly made his way up to the position of Company Director, and eventually bought out the British shareholders to form his own company that would become Dilmah Tea. The story of his rise has been well documented, and the global brand, Dilmah, will be a lasting legacy.
In developing his company, however, Merrill became acutely aware of the gross exploitation of tea growers and workers in Sri Lanka, and how a premium food product was treated as a commodity by overseas buyers. He set about to rectify this, which is perhaps his greatest achievement. Merrill and Dilmah were using the terms “fair trade” and “ethical production”, years before they became mainstream. His business has become an international exemplar.
But Merrill went further, and once “on his feet”, established the MJF Charitable Foundation which diverts ten percent of Dilmah’s pre-tax profit to charitable aid. It also aids in both environmental and cultural preservation in Sri Lanka. The Foundation touches 10,000 people every year.
Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to paraphrase a quote from Merrill:
“We come into this world with nothing, we leave with nothing. The wealth some of us acquire is owed to the efforts of others. Let us, therefore, share the wealth so that goodwill and contentment may make our world a happier place”.
Quite understandably, Merrill has received many international accolades, including:
⏹ The Oslo Business for Peace Award
⏹ Sri Lankan of the Year
⏹ The FIRST Award for Responsible Capitalism (other recipients of this prestigious award have been the Santander Bank, Unilever and Glaxo Smith Kline).
⏹ And along with the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, recognition as one of the three most admired leaders in his country.
In short, ladies and gentleman, Merrill Fernando is an astute, humble, just, and philanthropic leader. He is a wonderful role model for all of us.