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John KeyPrime Minister of New Zealand
Date of Birth: 09.08.1961
Country:  New Zealand |
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Biography of John Key
John Key, the thirty-eighth Prime Minister of New Zealand and leader of the National Party, is a prominent New Zealand politician. Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Key was raised by his mother and two sisters after his father passed away in 1967. He attended Canterbury University, where he earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a specialization in Accounting. While he attended management courses at Harvard, he did not earn any degrees there.
During his time at Burnside High School, Key met his future wife, Bronagh, who is also a Bachelor of Commerce graduate and a former personal financial consultant. They got married in 1984 and have two children, Stephanie and Max.
Professional Career
Key's first job was as an auditor at "McCulloch Menzies" in 1982. He then became a project manager at the Lane Walker Rudkin clothing manufacturing company, which was founded by a Christian church. He later specialized in foreign exchange trading at "Elders Finance" in Wellington, where he quickly rose to the position of head of the foreign exchange department. In 1988, he was transferred to the trust company "Bankers Trust" in Auckland.
In 1995, Key joined Merrill Lynch as the head of Asian foreign exchange trading. Later that year, he was promoted to the head of global foreign exchange trading, based in London. In this position, Key earned approximately 2.25 million US dollars or 5 million New Zealand dollars. Despite the mass layoffs that occurred during his time at Merrill Lynch, Key was known for his constant cheerful demeanor, earning him the nickname "the smiling assassin" among his colleagues.
Political Career
In 2001, Key began his serious political career, running for a seat in Parliament and defeating Brian Neeson. In 2002, he took his seat with a majority of 1,705, surpassing Labour candidate Gary Russell (Neeson finished third). In 2004, the opposition nominated Key for the position of Speaker, and in 2006, the leader of the National Party, Don Brash, resigned and Key took his place. In the 2008 elections, the National Party emerged victorious with 45% of the votes, and Key, as its leader, became the Prime Minister.
