Deloitte: Top 200 Awards finalists show home-grown strength

7 November 2011

Top 200 Awards finalists highlight home-grown strength

The global potential of home-grown talent is the key theme among contenders in the 2011 Deloitte/Management magazine Top 200 Awards categories, with Kathmandu, Mainfreight, and Port of Tauranga named as this year's finalists for the prestigious Company of the Year title.

The blue riband winner will be announced at a gala dinner in Auckland on 24 November, alongside other awards including the country's top executive, most improved company, best growth strategy, chairperson of the year, Young Executive of the Year and most responsibly governed enterprise.

Most finalists are found from NZ Management magazine's annual listing of New Zealand's largest corporations, and selected by a panel of independent judges.

Judging convenor Reg Birchfield says the emergence of incredibly capable Kiwi managers at the helm of globally competitive companies has been a pleasing trend in recent awards, and is particularly noticeable this year.

"The judges believe New Zealand business as a whole has grown up. There is now no sense of inferior capability. The evidence suggests we don't need to look overseas to fill key executive roles. The judges indentified many examples of world-class Kiwi managers and company performance that is up to international standards."

The finalists for the coveted title of Deloitte/Management magazine Executive of the Year are Don Braid (Mainfreight), Nigel Morrison (SkyCity) and John Williamson (Hellaby Holdings).

Mr Birchfield says the judges had their work cut out choosing just three from a strong and diverse field.

"The individual finalists are smart, experienced and know their industries. They are examples of the kinds of leaders we need to keep raising the bar in New Zealand business to make us globally competitive. Confident and competent leadership is key to us being competitive internationally, and the judges are delighted to see this happening."

The other category finalists are:

• QBE Chairperson of the Year: Ted van Arkel, Wayne Boyd, Joan Withers.

• Workbase Best Growth Strategy: Port of Tauranga, Ryman Healthcare, SkyCity.

• Marsh Most Improved Performance: Ballance Agri-Nutrients, Hellaby Holdings, Kathmandu.

Other special awards - Designworks Visionary Leader, Responsible Governance Award, and Young Executive of the Year - will be made on the night.

For more details about the 2010 Deloitte/Management magazine Top 200 Awards, please see www.management.co.nz/top200/.

About the Top 200 Awards
The Deloitte/Management magazine Top 200 Awards were established in 1990 and are run annually to recognise and applaud outstanding individual and management team performances among New Zealand's largest public and private companies and trading organisations. They are presented in late November/early December each year in association with NZ Management magazine's special issue of New Zealand business rankings.To be eligible for inclusion in the Top 200 by turnover, companies must provide an audited set of accounts.

ENDS

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