Embodied AI pioneer Alex Kendall and dynamic All Black back Damian McKenzie – two of the youngest Old Boys to be celebrated by Christ’s College – have been awarded their Senior Honours Ties.

On a fitting day, both have been acknowledged as Year 13 students experience a special rite of passage – the annual Founders Dinner in the Dining Hall.

Leaders and game changers in their fields, Alex, 33, and Damian, 31, have redefined their areas of excellence.

Alex, the co-founder of Wayve, has powered up his innovative artificial intelligence system for self-driving vehicles, raising $1.7 billion from high-profile investors, including Microsoft and Nvidia. Wayve has recently signed an agreement with the British Government to literally accelerate self‑driving through collaborative research – targeting a shift from prototype to large‑scale service.

A member of Harper House from 2006–2010, Alex gained a scholarship to study engineering at the University of Auckland before winning a prestigious Woolf Fisher Scholarship to Cambridge University, where he completed his PhD in deep learning for computer vision and robotics. He was elected as a Fellow of Trinity College and awarded top research prizes.

Describing his “exciting journey” in embodied AI to the boys at College, Alex adds that it has also been “one of adventure and challenge”.

“When I think back to my time at College, it was one that inspired me towards this in a way,” he says.

From sport to subjects, the challenges, and “all the things you pick up” along the way – such as public speaking and leadership – all found their way into his journey.

Meanwhile, Damian is now the all-time top points scorer for the Chiefs in Super Rugby, having made his debut in 2015 – only a year before his first game for the All Blacks.

A member of Flower’s House from 2009–2013, Damian was selected for the New Zealand Schools Barbarians in 2012 and New Zealand Secondary Schools in 2013. He made his provincial debut for Waikato in 2014. At 21, he made his All Blacks debut against Argentina. He continues to be a key player as a first five-eighth and fullback for the national team and the Chiefs.

“Humbled” to receive the recognition, Damian reflects on his time at College with “gratitude”, believing that “success off the field has helped me to succeed on the field”.

He cites the “resilience, discipline, consistency, and structure” of his Christ’s College time for playing a role in his remarkable career. Telling students to “always believe in yourself”, he has reminded the boys that “the harder you work, the luckier you get”.