Alan Harris, Len and Ann Malaghan’s former accountant, joined the Malaghan Institute Trust Board in 1986 to represent the interests of Ann Malaghan when the Wellington Medical and Cancer Institute’s name was changed to the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research.
In 1988 he was elected Chairman, at a time when the Institute was on the verge of insolvency on the back of the 1987 share market crash. With Graham Malaghan and John Beattie, Alan helped construct a rescue package designed to financially underpin the Institute and widen its support in the community. Under a new Trust Deed a new Board was formed, chaired by Graham Malaghan, which Alan and John joined.
Alan served on the Governance Group and chaired both the Risk and Audit Committee and the Investment Committee until his retirement in 2005. He was recognised as a Distinguished Trustee in 2021.