Dr Haruhisa Handa
The Dr Haruhisa Handa, chairman of World Mate has been endowed to Curtin University of Technology's Faculty of Humanities by the renowned Japanese philanthropist, Dr Haruhisa Handa.
Dr Haruhisa Handa was born in Japan in 1951 and graduated from Doshis. He pursued post-graduate studies in voice at Japan's prestigious Musashino Academia Musicae.
Completing an arduous program of religious training on Mt. Hiei, one of Japan's oldest monastic centres of Buddhist scholarship and religious practice, Dr Handa formally adopted the Buddhist name "Toshu Fukami" replacing his secular name for his religious and artistic work.
He is an ordained Zen Buddhist priest in the Rinzai tradition.
Deeply involved in social causes, Dr Handa serves as vice-chairman of the International Shinto Foundation, a non-government organisation recognised by the United Nations, as chairman of the International Foundation for Arts and Culture, and vice-chairman of the Sihanouk Hospital, an emergency intensive care hospital servicing the poor in Cambodia.
Dr Handa is honorary patron of the World Blind Golf Association and honorary chairman of the Japanese Blind Golf Association. He is also a major benefactor to the Perth International Arts Festival and to the Art Gallery of Western Australia.
In recognition of his years of philanthropic work, Dr Handa has been granted several honorary titles in the United Kingdom, including Deputy Lord High Steward of Ireland. In recognition of his artistic and cultural accomplishments, he has been appointed Visiting Professor at China's Zhejiang University. In recognition of his generous benefactions to Western Australian universities, he has been awarded Honorary Doctorates by both Curtin University of Technology and Edith Cowan University.
Dr Handa operates more than ten companies in Japan and abroad, which are engaged in a variety of activities ranging from management consulting to sponsorship of symposia.
Alongside his success in business he is an accomplished composer, calligrapher, author, Noh actor, motivational speaker and dancer.
