Nick Mowbray
{{Short description|New Zealand businessman}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Nick Mowbray
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name = Nicholas James Mowbray
| birth_date = {{Birth-date|March 1985}}{{Cite web |title=Zuru UK Limited |url= https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/10372750/officers |access-date=6 September 2022 |publisher=Companies House}}
| birth_place = New Zealand
| death_date =
| death_place =
| other_names =
| relations = Anna Mowbray (sister)
| occupation = Entrepreneur
| years_active = 2003–present
| known_for = Co-founder of toy manufacturer Zuru
Co-owner of Coatesville mansion
| notable_works =
}}
Nicholas James Mowbray (born March 1985) is a New Zealand entrepreneur and businessman. Together with his brother Mat, he is the co-founder of toy and consumer products manufacturer Zuru.
Early life
Mowbray grew up in Cambridge, New Zealand, and was educated at St Peter's School.{{cite news |last1=Wilson |first1=Libby |title=Balloon festival's new backer |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/64681689/balloon-festivals-new-backer |access-date=9 April 2021 |work=Waikato Times |date=5 January 2015}} His parents owned a dairy farm and Matangi dairy factory.{{Cite web |date=2020-01-13 |title=Waikato’s own toy story and AGM – presentation {{!}} IoD NZ |url=https://www.iod.org.nz/all-events/waikato-branch-event/waikatos-own-toy-story-and-agm/ |access-date=2023-12-30 |website=The Institute of Directors |language=en}} As a teenager, he helped his elder brother Mat to manufacture hot air balloons from Coke cans and plastic bags. After school, he started a law degree but dropped out in his first year.
Zuru
In 2003, when the brothers were 18 and 22, they moved to Hong Kong to set up a toy factory. With a loan from their parents, they purchased an injection molding machine and started a company in Guangzhou, China. The Mowbrays regard their entrance into the business world as naïve, as they had no experience, could not speak the local language, and had no knowledge of intellectual property legislation. In 2005, the brothers were joined by their sister Anna in their business.{{cite news |last1=Harrison |first1=Virginia |title=How a university dropout built a toy empire |url= https://www.bbc.com/news/business-50469922 |access-date=5 April 2021 |work=BBC News |date=16 December 2019}}
The initial name of their company was Guru and this was changed to Zuru as Guru had been trademarked by another company. According to Mowbray, by the end of 2020 Zuru employed 8500 people, had 26 offices, and a turnover of over $1 billion.{{cite news |title=The man who wouldn't stop – and nearly died |url= https://www.nzherald.co.nz/brand-insight/the-man-who-wouldnt-stop-and-nearly-died/P55WIF2QT62T2MDPJGKUXSPE6I/ |access-date=5 April 2021 |work=The New Zealand Herald |date=13 December 2020}} Successful toys were Robo Fish (the world's fastest selling toy in 2013) and Bunch O Balloons (the top selling toy in the United States for three months in 2016).{{cite news |last1=Ryan |first1=Holly |title=Kiwi water balloon toy number one in US |url= https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/kiwi-water-balloon-toy-number-one-in-us/QAWBGNNVKXGU4WLLJCP4BMYKDI/ |access-date=5 April 2021 |work= The New Zealand Herald |date=15 June 2016}} In 2018, Mowbray was awarded New Zealand Entrepreneur Of The Year by multinational professional services network Ernst & Young.{{cite news |last1=Reidy |first1=Madison |title=Toy mogul takes out top entrepreneur award |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/367482/toy-mogul-takes-out-top-entrepreneur-award |access-date=5 April 2021 |work=Radio New Zealand |date=28 September 2018}}
Personal
Aged 26, Mowbray developed Crohn's disease. In his early 30s, he moved back to New Zealand to undergo operations after he was told that without treatment, he only had a few years to live.
The siblings bought Coatesville mansion in Coatesville in 2017 for NZ$32.5 million when they were in their early 30s.{{cite news |last1=Wynn |first1=Kirsty |title=New owners of Kim Dotcom mansion promise good times ahead |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/new-owners-of-kim-dotcom-mansion-promise-good-times-ahead/BVMUNZC75CMSRHQ7D3N4X2N55Y/ |access-date=5 April 2021 |work=The New Zealand Herald |date=22 October 2016}} The mansion is one of New Zealand's most expensive homes and is famous for the January 2012 raid when Kim Dotcom lived there. According to the National Business Review, the net worth of the siblings is NZ$3bn. In late 2020, Mowbray bought a {{convert|40|m|adj=on}} yacht for NZ$21m.{{cite news |title=America's Cup partygoers slammed for 'cultural appropriation' in mock haka video |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/americas-cup-partygoers-slammed-for-cultural-appropriation-in-mock-haka-video/KFC5BTCLOSJKIGSHEKW7JLYMPI/ |access-date=4 April 2021 |work=The New Zealand Herald |date=18 March 2021}}
References
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Category:New Zealand manufacturing businesspeople
Category:New Zealand billionaires