Thunderbird School of Global Management President Ángel Cabrera will award Merle A. Hinrichs, chairman and CEO of Global Sources, an honorary Doctor of International Law during Thunderbird’s graduation ceremony April 30 in Glendale, Arizona. Mr. Hinrichs, who is a class of 1965 alumnus of Thunderbird, will also deliver the commencement address. He has been a Thunderbird Board of Trustees member since 1991.

In its 62 year history, Thunderbird has bestowed just 37 honorary degrees. This rare acknowledgement has been awarded to such international figures as: Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Douglas Daft – the former chairman and CEO of  Coca-Cola, Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater, Vaclav Havel – the first president of the Czech Republic, U.S. Ambassador to Finland Barbara Barrett and Steve Forbes, chairman and CEO of Forbes and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Magazine.

“Those who have been awarded with an honorary degree from Thunderbird have been selected because they exemplify the ethos of Thunderbird – an abiding respect and understanding of other cultures, high ethical standards, and a belief that business can be a powerful force for creating sustainable prosperity,” Cabrera said.

Merle A. Hinrichs is chairman and CEO of Global Sources, Asia’s leading business-to-business media company focused on global trade. He founded the company in 1970 with the firm conviction that free and mutually beneficial trade between east and west would help drive global economic prosperity, and ultimately, world peace.

To that end, the Company’s mission is to help remove the uncertainty inherent in cross-border trade between buyers and suppliers by providing the most reliable information possible on new products, quality manufacturers and supply market conditions in support of two-way trade with Greater China, Asia and the world. Today, Global Sources’ network covers more than 60 cities worldwide and assists over 888,000 buyers in over 240 countries and territories.

Mr. Hinrichs received his Master’s Degree in International Trade from Thunderbird in 1965. He merged his passion for higher education, information and technology by spearheading the creation of a state-of-the-art library at Thunderbird, which opened in 1994. Mr. Hinrichs is now leading the effort of restoring the Thunderbird Tower – a project that has once again called on Mr. Hinrichs’ passion to improve the Thunderbird experience.