Inbox: Young exec’s talent shines through

A strong ability to articulate vision and get people on board with what she needs them to do has helped drive Glenys Powell’s selection as this year’s Wellington Central NZIM Young Executive of the Year.
For many years now, these awards have applauded and rewarded the talents of New Zealand’s executives aged 35 and under.
Powell is general manager – sales and marketing at Medical Assurance Society New Zealand (MAS) where she is part of the senior leadership team and reports directly to CEO Martin Stokes.
When nominating Powell for the award, Stokes commended her structured approach to planning which results in staff having clear direction and understanding of what is expected of them in their roles.
“She is very responsive to new ideas and requests, and always aims to deliver within expected timeframes.
“Glenys has made an enormous contribution in the short amount of time she has been here, leading, managing and embedding some overdue changes which will benefit MAS for some time to come,” said Stokes.
“She has shown maturity beyond her years in going about this challenging task and has worked collaboratively at all times to ensure success.”
Powell has direct responsibility for MAS’ new business generation, all elements of marketing and product management. There are 10 direct reports to the position and 69 indirect reports.
Prior to her appointment, the sales and marketing functions had been led by two separate executive level managers.
Stokes praised Powell for her outstanding work in combining the two roles. “The two areas now work much more closely together, planning is better co-ordinated, and resourcing is more efficient.”
Guy Spence, manager – Gisborne office at Opus International Consultants, was selected as finalist for the Wellington Central NZIM Young Executive of the Year.
The judges commended him as highly skilled and passionate young executive, and an excellent team leader who has real passion for change in his environment.
In his short time in his new role as manager, Spence has had significant influence on the performance of Opus in the area, the performance of the local businesses, and further enhanced relationships between Opus and clients.
A letter nominating Spence for the award says that, since his appointment, he has gained the trust and respect of staff across all age groups and disciplines. He has also built, through clear communication and influence, support and commitment from staff for the vision and direction he has developed for the Gisborne office.
“As result, the office is undergoing quite cultural shift, resulting in renewed sense of urgency and empowerment within the team, and changing behaviours which support high performance for existing clients and align the team with the expectations and values of the medium- to long-term opportunities he foresees.
“To date, this cultural shift along with strong focus on project management and better alignment of staff roles within project teams, enabled profitability of the office to catch up then exceed expected business revenue and profit targets by four percent and 25 percent respectively by the end of the year, within significantly declining local work base from our traditional sources due to the current economic climate.
“Overall, Guy has demonstrated leadership, professionalism, developed and communicated strategic vision, introduced change management and mentoring processes, provided valuable input to our larger Central North Island business and has always represented Opus in positive professional manner.”
Glenys Powell will now go forward to the final nationwide selections where she will pitch up against other NZIM regional winners to determine who will be this year’s NZIM/Eagle Technology Young Executive of the Year.
Those results will be announced at the Deloitte/Management magazine Top 200 Awards on Thursday 29 November. See www.management.co.nz/top200 for more information. M