2016 Executive of the Year Awards: Winners
Twilight was slowly setting in as more than 500 well-dressed guests filed into the Grand Ballroom at the Four Points by Sheraton in Sydney’s Darling Harbour. The air was buzzing with anticipation, everyone excited to find out who would be crowned with the highly coveted title of CEO of the Year, as well as the winners of the other 23 award categories.
CEO of the Year – Winner
Stephen Cornelissen
Group CEO of Mercy Health
As well as being passionate about innovation and research, this CEO champions social equality and is an advocate for equal pay. They strive do the absolute best for their people and the community that they serve. A big success, with a big heart.
CEO of the Year – Runner-Up
Christine Holgate
CEO of Blackmores
This CEO has transformed the business, achieving enormous growth via new markets and new products, while still delivering strong returns for their shareholders.
CEO of the Year – Highly Commended
Nigel Garrard
CEO & MD of Orora
Innovate to lead, enhance the core, and invest to grow are the three strategic priorities driving this dynamic CEO on their mission to help its industry continue to thrive in Australia.
Managing Director of the Year – Winner
Nathan Cheong
MD of BioCeuticals
This Managing Director delivered double digit top line growth and ensured long-term success via investing heavily in research, education and new markets.
Managing Director of the Year – Runner-Up
Karen Stocks
Former MD of Twitter Australia
This MD’s focus has always been on strong connections, with their team, their customers and the community. They are rightfully proud of enabling global movements of unity and strength.
Chairperson of the Year – Winner
Tina West
Chairperson of Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council
This person has to manage the interests of many stakeholders within very tight legislation. ey do this by supplying detailed policies, sitting on all sub-committees and acting with extraordinary drive and passion.
Chairperson – Runner-Up
Rod Douglas
Chairperson of Mr Rental
A positive in uence in their industry, this person champions the professional chairperson role. roughout their career they have enabled businesses to centralise revenues and control, and have implemented and lead various successful strategies.
CFO of the Year – Winner
Michael Harvey
COO & CFO of Australian Radio Network
This person’s success stems from a passion to see the company grow and consolidate its position as a market leader. They are recognised tonight for their ability to balance leadership, creative vision and operations, with sound nancial strategy.
CFO of the Year – Runner-Up
Aaron Canning
CFO of Blackmores
For this CFO, the past 12 months were all about delivering on improvment initiatives, assessing and making acquistion recommendations, and deepening the nancial capabilities within the team.
CIO of the Year – Winner
William Confalonier
Chief Digital Officer, CIO & VP of Deakin University
This person’s achievements in successfully leading a complex digital transformation of the business and repositioning it as a digital leader in the sector have turned the heads of global digital heavyweights.
CIO of the Year – Runner-Up
Simon Raik-Allen
Chief Technical Advisor of MYOB
Passionate about bridging the gap between technology and business, this executive has researched and overseen the implementation of numerous innovative processes.
HR Executive of the Year – Winner
Linda Redfearn
Head of HR of Blackmores
This person has been instrumental in maintaining extremely high engagement levels among staff and a low turnover rate, while the company has grown exponentially over the past few years.
Marketing Executive of the Year – Winner
John Arnott
Executive Director Customer of ING Direct
For this person, last year was all about helping their company to transition towards being an advocacy-led organisation, and they achieved great results by investing the marketing budget carefully to generate positive returns.
Sales Executive of the Year – Winner
Suzy Nicoletti
Head of Online Sales (now Managing Director) of Twitter
This executive has played a critical role in creating and maintaining a cross-functional sales team that provides exceptional customer service.
Young Executive of the Year – Winner
David Rohrsheim
General Manager ANZ of Uber
The scope of this young executive’s role has expanded dramatically in the last few years and they have gone on to inspire a bevy of leaders to act courageously and take risks in their own roles.
Start-Up Executive of the Year – Winner
Lincoln Easton
CEO of Progressclaim.com
This person is passionate about the cause to introduce productivity-enhancing technology to workplaces, and, as a result, spearheaded a multi-tier sales system to target numerous and diverse customer demographics.
Executive Assistant Executive of the Year – Winner
Larissa Auditore
EA to CEO & MD of Insurance and Care NSW
Having established a network to foster professional development and mentoring for others in their field, this person has strong experience and a positive outlook in the face of technological change.
Sport and Recreation Executive of the Year – Winner
Marne Fechner
CEO Netball World Cup 2015 of Netball Australia
This passionate CEO successfully executed a professional series of events while inspiring others with their leadership, commitment and capability.
Professional Services Executive of the Year – Winner
Murray Hunter
Founder of Design + Industry
We have a tie. There are two very deserving winners of this award in 2016: A high achiever who has increased influence, their firm’s capabilities and broadened horizons internationally.
Professional Services Executive of the Year – Winner
Tim Orton
MD of Nous Group
We have a tie. There are two very deserving winners of this award in 2016: A creative mastermind who has grown their consultancy into the largest and most awarded in Australia.
Hospitality and Tourism Executive of the Year
Karin Sheppard
COO Australasia & Japan of IHG
This executive has international experience across a variety of industries. Today they are dedicated to growing the hospitality and tourism sector both at home and abroad, and are proud to be working in a company that fosters an open culture of discussion.
Energy and Resources Executive of the Year
Dhruv Deepak Saxena
MD of Riverina Oils & Bio Energy
This inspiring individual is behind one of the largest value-added agricultural investments in NSW and Australia more broadly.
Manufacturing Executive of the Year
Nigel Garrard
CEO & MD of Orora
This customer-focused executive is embracing technology and innovation while also promoting manufacturing here in Australia, and future-proofing ng the industry for years to come.
Building and Construction Executive of the Year
Danny Assabgy
CEO of Hudson Homes
This competitive forward thinker engages with local communities to create high-quality and demographically-suited products. Under this person’s guidance, their company has experienced significant growth.
Health and Pharmaceutical Executive of the Year
Stephen Cornelissen
Group CEO of Mercy Health
This passionate executive leads a diverse team who tirelessly advocate for advances in their sector.
IT and Telecommunications Executive of the Year
Tim Reed
CEO of MYOB
This individual is dynamic and high achieving. Focussed on innovation, the success of their business also ensures the success of various businesses across Australasia.
Transport and Logistics Executive of the Year
Gary Edstein
CEO Oceania of DHL Express
This executive works tirelessly to develop their greatest assets; their employees. With a focus on operational excellence, they have overseen their company through a period of tremendous growth.
Media Executive of the Year
Jason Dooris
CEO of Atomic 212° Group
This CEO has led their company to become one of the largest independent media agencies in Australia. They have significantly raised company revenue, improved the staff retention rate, and pushed for gender equality in the workplace.