Deloitte/Management magazine
Executive of the Year
Winner
Evan Davies
Managing Director, Sky City
The directors of Auckland-based tourism icon, Sky City, really hit the jackpot when they took gamble on the bright young project manager of the original casino development. Today, 40-year old Evan Davies is managing director of the most successful casino complex in Australasia. Davies, said the judges, is “natural chief executive”. He has turned from project management specialist to all-round, top-performing executive and team leader. Davies has clear vision of the company’s direction and is committed to creating top performing tourist industry enterprise.
FINALISTS
Bruce Plested
Managing Director, Mainfreight
Bruce Plested is an outstanding leader and role model of managerial excellence. He has charted and steered the tricky route from thriving, privately-owned business to successful public company. Along the way he has established New Zealand’s leading fully integrated freight services operation. Plested is modest and private person with an outstanding reputation as manager committed to performance excellence and as an individual committed to New Zealand, his employees and to community involvement, particularly in the field of education. He has involved Mainfreight in important initiatives such as the “Books in Homes” programme.
Stephen Tindall
Managing Director, The Warehouse
Stephen Tindall’s reappearance as finalist again this year was no surprise to the judges. Despite difficult economic times and flat economy, The Warehouse has continued to perform outstandingly well under Tindall’s visionary leadership. Stephen Tindall successfully combines his corporate management role with genuine commitment to community involvement and responsibility. He is stakeholder focused, people oriented and determined to succeed. He is an outstanding chief executive, business leader and community role model.
Deloitte/Management magazine
Company of the Year
Winner
The Warehouse Group
The Warehouse Group has been nominated as finalist for this award three years in row. This year made it third time lucky. Nothing lucky about it really. The company deserved its nomination every time and this year it proved beyond any doubt that, as the judges put it, The Warehouse is currently New Zealand’s most outstanding enterprise. The company’s all-round and consistent trading performance is so good that overseas investors are now taking an interest. New Zealand’s economy might be lacklustre but The Warehouse keeps ringing up the sales. The company has exploited the opportunities presented by parallel importing and just keeps returning healthy dividends to its shareholders and its employees.
FINALISTS
Fisher & Paykel
Fisher & Paykel is one of New Zealand’s most outstandingly innovative companies. Its whiteware and healthcare products are world class. And this year management has pulled the company’s financial performance back on track ensuring it place as finalist for the accolade of Deloitte/Management magazine Company of Year. According to the judges: “this year’s performance showed just how successful the company’s turnaround and restructuring strategy has been – with record profits and record growth”. Fisher & Paykel is playing to its strengths. Those strengths are its innovative use of software technology, unparalleled engineering skills and commitment to excellent employee relations.
Sky City
Some critics suggest that running casino is licence to print money. But Sky City is more than casino. It is now focused tourist and entertainment enterprise that operates effectively in difficult regulatory market place. The company also takes its social responsibilities seriously and supports range of important community programmes. Every year for the past four years this vibrant New Zealand tourism and entertainment business has increased its revenue, its net earnings and its profitability, returning excellent dividends to its shareholders.
SAP
Best Corporate Strategy Award
Winner
Baycorp Holdings
Baycorp was last year’s Top 200 Company of the Year. This year the company has again turned in an excellent financial performance which, in the opinion of the judges, is the direct result of Baycorp’s commitment to well thought through and enlightened corporate strategy. Baycorp has embraced e-business technology and turned it to account. By using the latest internet-related technologies Baycorp has “evolved from domestic credit services provider into regional technology solutions and business intelligence company”. An excellent corporate and e-business strategy meticulously and effectively implemented.
FINALISTS
Ryman Healthcare
At 188 on the Deloitte/Management magazine Top 200 list, Ryman Healthcare is the smallest company in this year’s list of finalists and winners. But when it comes to managing the increasingly important business of retirement services and health care, this recently listed public company can show most larger organisations how to go about it.
Ryman is succeeding where others have frequently failed. The company’s strategy is to “keep it simple”, to concentrate on its core business and to do it supremely well. Ryman is dedicated to delivering high quality care and accommodation services to growing percentage of the New Zealand public – the nation’s retirees.
Watercare Services
Controversy and restrictive regulations originally muddied the waters for Auckland’s local authority owned trading enterprise. Now the storm has abated and startlingly clear and well-conceived corporate strategy has been revealed. Watercare Services is mandated to improve the quality and secure the supply of Auckland’s water and to manage the region’s wastewater. Now it is doing just that while simultaneously recognising the importance of being economically viable, environmentally sound and socially responsible. Watercare wants to be “the leader in its field” and has set vision and strategy for realising its clearly stated vision.
QBE Insurance
Chairperson of the Year
Winner
Douglas Myers
Douglas Myers, as chief executive of Lion Nathan in 1990, was the first Deloitte/Management magazine Top 200 Executive of the Year. decade on he is our QBE Insurance Chairperson of the Year.
Myers is visionary who first as chief executive and now as chairman built and directed one of New Zealand’s outstanding businesses successfully taking it through to international enterprise status.
The judges said Myers has successfully made the transition from chief executive to chairman and shown his skills in the role equally at Lion Nathan and the Business Roundtable. Myers is committed to the highest standards and processes of corporate governance and has consistently fostered the development of top performing young executives, many of whom now hold senior posts in New Zealand and offshore companies.
FINALISTs
bill Falconer
As chairman of number of New Zealand’s leading enterprises and organisations, Bill Falconer is recognised for his consummate leadership and skill as professional director. He is focused on the importance of good corporate governance and on the need for high personal performance standards by boards and directors.
Falconer has often had to balance the difficult corporate governance issues on boards with the sometimes conflicting interests of large and small shareholders and of local and international ownership.
In the judges’ opinion his record of professionalism and adept chairmanship, particularly in the energy sector, is outstanding.
Peter Masfen
As executive chairman of Corporate Investments and now Montana Group, Peter Masfen has played critical role in the directio
