KEY POINTS:
As Microsoft's chief financial officer, Chris Liddell might be one of the most powerful executives in the world but he is also the dad rooting for his sons on the sideline of the American football pitch, and the Kiwi working to open the Hauraki Gulf's Rotoroa Island to the public.
Liddell enjoys the rush of crunching numbers at one of the world's largest companies but he also loves giving back to the country where he started his career.
This week he returned to New Zealand from Seattle to carry out his role as patron to the University of Auckland's new philanthropic campaign.
Liddell, one of the university's former students, is rallying for others to give back to the campus and invest in New Zealand's future.
The campaign, which was launched yesterday, aims to raise $100 million to create a genuinely world-class university that will benefit New Zealanders in areas such as economic development through excellence in business education.
More than $48 million has already been raised in gifts and pledges.
Liddell admits by American standards the $100 million figure is "fairly modest" - he cites the likes of Yale and Harvard universities, both of which raise tens of billions through their endowment programmes.
But he says the campaign is a very important step for New Zealand, and not just in terms of money.
As far as Liddell is concerned, it is the concept of getting alumni invested in the university in a business sense that is more significant.
"New Zealanders have a generous nature, but they just don't have structured programmes in the way the United States does," he says.
Liddell boasts an impressive curriculum vitae spanning engineering, territorial army, investment banking and leading Carter Holt Harvey and International Paper.
But he also has a number of philanthropic feats alongside his name.
While at Carter Holt Harvey he worked on pohutukawa protection trust Project Crimson and supported the Books in Homes programmes as a book "hero" to Auckland's Glen Innes Primary.
As well as speaking at functions and lectures, Liddell sits on the board of business think tank the New Zealand Institute and carries out philanthropic work for a New Zealand private trust - one of the projects involves freeing up the Salvation Army's Rotoroa Island to the public.
How does he fit it all in and still manage to make the most acquisitions Microsoft has seen since he joined the company?
"If you're interested you make time. I don't work every hour of my waking life so it's just a matter of saying it's important enough to spend time on. I'm doing what I can, where I can and I think the concept I talked to the [University of Auckland] alumni about was it's not just money, it's time that's important," Liddell says.
Microsoft gives several million to philanthropic causes each year and it encourages all staff to get involved with the community part of Bill Gates' personal commitment to giving which permeates the whole organisation. The company has just celebrated its "Giving Campaign" a month of the year dedicated to giving back. Everyone around 100,000 employees is encouraged to give time and money to a cause and Microsoft matches those contributions.
"Gates is one of the greatest people of our time making a huge amount of money through being great at business and then retiring from Microsoft when he was 50 and young enough to still do something significant for the world and contribute his financial wealth and time to it."
That's one of the reasons Liddell loves living in America: the barriers to being successful are as low as possible but part of reaching success is that you give back, he says.
What he loves about New Zealand is that it is "small, agile and youthful" and a relatively small number of people who are enthusiastic about something can make a difference.
"[The university's campaign] is a great example. In a relatively short period of time with a small number of people who are enthusiastic about this programme, we managed to raise half the budget," he says.
New Zealand's size and "agility" will hold it in good stead during the economic crisis, Liddell says.
In the week that he has been back he has noted the situation is milder than in America.
"It doesn't appear to be the same headline-grabbing news here as it is in the United States. [Over there] it is a crisis and every day you are focused on some aspect of it."
Microsoft is also well-positioned to ride out the economic downturn.
Liddell describes it as a very "acquisitive company", helped by its cash base of around $25 billion and no debt.
"The current environment, ironically, is a good one for us to buy companies because they are cheaper."
He will not speak about Microsoft's failed takeover of Yahoo - a deal which US media have called him the architect of. "The chances of us doing a full acquisition are essentially negligible now."
Liddell says he would rather speak about the endowment scheme he is here for and what it means to him.
America suits him right now, so he will not be returning any time soon, but he will continue to work with the university when he returns to Seattle and he hopes to help to build an endowment structure that will survive.
"One of the great things about this is that it's not an obligation or a burden, it's a pleasure. It's one of the great things about being a human being on this planet I love my day job, I love being involved there, I love achieving but I want to be involved in something like this as well."
CHRIS LIDDELL
Chief financial officer, Microsoft
Age: 50.
Born in Matamata.
Lives in Seattle.
Education: Edendale Primary School, Mt Albert Grammar School, Engineering degree from University of Auckland, Master of Philosophy degree from Oxford University.
Career: Chief financial officer at Microsoft (2005-present). Senior vice-president and chief financial officer at International Paper (2003-2005); chief financial officer, chief executive wood products group Carter Holt Harvey (1995-2000); analyst, associate director, director, managing director (investment) and joint chief executive for CS First Boston (1983-1995).
Children: Two sons; Sergei 15, Andre 19.
