Air New Zealand's Rob Fyfe named Executive of the Year; Abano Healthcare takes top honours as Company of the Year

Inspirational leadership through a period of extraordinary economic turbulence has seen Air New Zealand CEO, Rob Fyfe named as the country’s top business executive for 2009. 

Fyfe was last night named the Deloitte/Management magazine Executive of the Year at the annual Top 200 Company Awards, now in their 20th year of acknowledging and celebrating business and leadership achievement. 

The Air New Zealand high-flyer took the title ahead of fierce competition from two other outstanding business leaders, Jim Delegat, managing director, Delegat’s Group and Transpower New Zealand chief executive, Patrick Strange. 

Judges said Fyfe’s open and very personal style of leadership has been inspirational for the airline. He has shown the ability to front-up in the toughest of times, make the hardest of decisions and still take the hearts and minds of his staff – and the travelling public – along with him. 

His sensitive handling of the Airbus crash off the coast of France is an illustration of his personal management style and is considered now as something of a ‘blueprint’ for how to handle stressful personal and organisational tragedies. 

Equally though, judges said Fyfe has demonstrated a keen sense of strategy in repositioning the Air New Zealand brand to best suit today’s marketplace. It presents the image of a smart company from a small country that’s prepared to be innovative, is service and performance driven, and able to have a bit of fun. In doing so, it has carved out a unique Kiwi-style niche in an increasingly competitive and ruthless global market. 

Judges said Fyfe’s influence has had a dramatic and positive effect on the operational performance of the company and its people despite an extraordinarily difficult operating environment. 

Deloitte/Management magazine Company of the Year:

Abano Healthcare Group

Outstanding operational performance, financial results and shareholder returns by healthcare company, Abano Healthcare Group, sees it claim top honours as the 2009 Deloitte/Management magazine Company of the Year. 

Formerly a successful aged-care manager and operator group, Abano Healthcare has grown to become New Zealand's largest private specialist medical and healthcare organisation, growing its revenue 50.7 percent and its profitability 31.5 percent. 

Having successfully faced down two unwelcome takeover offers, the company sold its Bay Audiology operations, leaving it cashed-up and able to continue investment in its existing growth business, and strategically enter both the Australian dental market and the Asian audiology market. 

Judges said Abano's meticulously executed strategies and highly competent governance and management leadership means that this company not only deserves to be acknowledged as the Deloitte/Management magazine Top 200 Company of the Year, but that it is also a home-grown enterprise worth emulating.

Competing with Abano Healthcare Group for this Award were Delegat’s Group and Ebos Group. 

Other key Awards presented last night were: 

The Deloitte/Management magazine Chief Executive of the Decade:

Ralph Norris 

QBE Insurance Chairperson of the Year:

John Palmer, chair of Air New Zealand and Solid Energy 

Marsh Most Improved Performance Award:

Delegat’s Group 

Mediaweb Best Growth Strategy Award:

Datacom Group 

Kensington Swan Ethical Governance Award:

New Zealand Aluminium Smelters 

NZIM/Eagle Technology Young Executive of the Year Award:

David Larsen, Sales & Marketing Manager, RayGlass Boats