Deloitte crowns best in leadership
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare has been crowned Company of the Year with leader Lewis Gradon also named Chief Executive of the Year at the prestigious Deloitte Top 200 Awards.
Ian Taylor, founder of Animation Research which made America’s Cup sailing exciting, received the Visionary Leader of the Year award.
Among other winners, Liz Coutts was named Chairperson of the Year and Mainfreight’s Tim Williams won Chief Financial Officer of the Year.
The awards event, held in Auckland yesterday, acknowledged business excellence and leadership across 10 award categories.
At a time when the impact of Covid-19 has challenged even the strongest of businesses, this year’s winners were recognised for their outstanding leadership, commercial strength, and agility.
Judging panel convener, New Zealand Media and Entertainment head of business Fran O’Sullivan, said the organisations and individuals receiving awards had demonstrated their resilience, commitment to business and the drive to succeed.
“Today’s winners . . . have shown exceptional leadership and astute business prowess to deliver a strong performance even in difficult times,” O’Sullivan said.
F&P Healthcare was recognised for its outstanding response to the Covid19 pandemic, ramping up production quickly to meet external demand and deliver products to the market at a crucial time.
Chief Executive of the Year Gradon’s “wide knowledge of the company and his insightful Covid-19 business decisions gave him the edge to take out the title for 2020,” judge Ross George commented.
Commenting on the Visionary Leader award, Judges described Taylor as a remarkable New Zealand entrepreneur whose pioneering work in the field of computer animation is internationally renowned.
Deloitte chief executive Thomas Pippos said “we are always inspired by the high calibre of the Top 200 winners. This is especially so in 2020, with these individuals and organisations rising to the challenge of operating in a Covid-19 world.”