CNZM for Campbell, Carter
SkyCity chairman Rob Campbell says in the next decade businesses must move away from a ‘‘winner takes all’’ attitude.
Campbell, a former trade unionist who rose to become one of New Zealand’s leading professional directors, was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) in the New Year Honours 2020 list for his services to business. Fisher and Paykel chairman Tony Carter was also awarded the honour.
Campbell said the most frustrating thing about business was powerful people refusing to give up privilege, even if it was the right thing to do for society and business.
‘‘Business is a power structure with a few people who have a lot of power and a lot of people who have little power. A lot of power gives privilege and money and those things aren’t necessarily distributed in the most sufficient
way to promote the business or a better society,’’ he said.
Campbell said with global crises such as climate change and inequality, businesses needed to weigh up their positive and negative impacts on society.
‘‘It’s a problem that business has been run by people who have had a very selfish, winner takes all view. At the end of the day the winner doesn’t take all – nobody gets anything, which is what we’re seeing in the planet today.’’
Campbell was a union leader in the 1970s and 80s, and said that experience gave him a different perspective on how businesses operated.
‘‘I guess many people thought when I moved from a prominent union position into business governance roles that I had somehow swapped sides. I never saw it that way. I saw it as doing the best thing I could in a different environment.’’ Campbell said.
He said over the course of his career the one unexpected change he saw in society was the acknowledgement of diversity.
Also awarded the CNZM honour for contribution to business was one of New Zealand’s most experienced directors, Fisher and Paykel Healthcare chairman Tony Carter. Carter has held several governance and senior leadership roles including directorships at Vector and ANZ New Zealand.
In 2019 he resigned as chairman of Air New Zealand, and as a director of Fletcher Building.
Carter said he generally gave himself about three years on a board to allow for change and diversity in leadership.
‘‘It’s a problem that business has been run by people who have had a very selfish, winner takes all view.’’
Rob Campbell