Quality leadership wins award for Refinery

Award - 1
8 December 2012

Quality leadership wins award for Refinery

Refining NZ, operator of New Zealand’s only oil refinery, has been recognised as an Aon Hewitt Top Company for Leaders in a global business study. It was the only New Zealand company recognized in the 2011 list that is produced every two years by leading human resource consultancy Aon Hewitt, in partnership with Fortune Magazine and the RBL Group.

The study involved 900 executive interviews and explored how organisations assess, select, develop and reward their leaders. Receiving an award in Mumbai last week, Refining NZ Chief Executive Ken Rivers said it was great to be recognised in 2011 as the business was currently celebrating 50 years of refining.

“For 50 years we’ve been busy getting on with producing the vital fuel products that keep the New Zealand economy and millions of New Zealanders on the move.

“Looking to the future we know that New Zealand faces many energy issues and our challenge is to help the country manage the growing demand for transport fuels over the next 20-30 years. For that we need our business to be sustainable and that requires a focus on leadership in the here and now, as well as building a ‘pipeline’ of talented leaders for the future,” he said.

Refining NZ was recognised for a range of leadership practices including the ‘first team’ approach taken by the CEO and senior managers. Special note was given to the practice of determining senior managers’ individual performance factors though group discussion and agreement, and mentoring of first team members and key leadership talent by Board directors.

Refining NZ’s People and Environment Manager Anna Meyer said identifying and nurturing leaders was crucial to lifting performance right across the business.

“There is definitely a ripple effect from our leadership focus. When we invest in developing leaders we see an improvement in the quality of discussions we have, and we’re better able to make good decisions and quickly,” she said.

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Award - 2

“Leadership doesn’t just reside with the Chief Executive or leadership team, and for some years now we’ve been tapping potential through our talent and leadership development programme, and by continually providing talented individuals workplace challenge or ‘stretch’.

“The end result is motivated individuals who carry forward the vision for our business, inspire others to perform to their potential and improve the bottom line. Everybody wins from a focus on leadership development, and it’s extremely gratifying for Refining NZ to be recognised for leadership on an international stage”.

Refining NZ was the smallest company as well as the only New Zealand-based business named in the 2011 Asia Pacific Top Companies for Leaders list. Aon Hewitt noted that Refining NZ’s inclusion in the list is unique given its size and location, and the business will be used as a case study with Aon Hewitt clients in Asia Pacific. The list included many of India’s largest companies, as well as Chinese and Malaysian firms and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA).

This is the second leadership award for the refiner, which was also named a Top Company for Leaders in 2009.

ENDS

Refining NZ operates New Zealand’s only oil refinery at Marsden Point near Whangarei. The refinery is the nation’s leading supplier of refined petroleum products. Oil companies BP, Chevron, Mobil and Z Energy are significant shareholders and customers. Refining NZ is listed on the New Zealand Stock Exchange as The New Zealand Refining Company Ltd (NZR).

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