The 2005 Awards
The 2005 Blake Medalist:
The 2005 Emerging Leader Awardees:
› Steven Carden
› Greg Fleming
› Neil Paviour-Smith
› Glen Sowry
› Samara Sutherland
› Mark Weldon
The 2005 Blake Medalist:
Sir John Anderson
Sir John Anderson is an outstanding leader by any measure. In the business sphere he has led and successfully built over many years one of New Zealand’s leading financial institutions. He has been able to provide a clear vision for the business with a strong set of values and principles that has created a very effective roadmap for his executives and staff.
Sir John has a distinctive approach to business leadership. He appoints the best person for the team and empowers them to get on with the job. He invests heavily in their personal development and is very caring. He also provides them opportunities in a way that builds intense loyalty and inspires them to follow their ambitions and dreams.
Sir John says, “A lot of chief executives are frightened to surround themselves with talented people because sometimes they perceive them as a threat. I perceive them to be an advantage.”
In the public sphere, and concurrent with his business achievements, he has made a significant contribution to New Zealand on various fronts.
He has been a personal advisor to Government and to industry on numerous occasions. The high regard with which his skills and talents are held in New Zealand is reflected by his knighthood and his numerous awards and fellowships.
Sir John has played a national and international leadership role in sport and the environment.
He is Chairman of New Zealand Cricket and represents New Zealand on the International Cricket Council Board. In following his own drive for excellence, he actively participated in the New Zealand Sports Foundation as Deputy Chairman and then Chairman.
He was Chairman of the World Wide Fund for Nature and also served on WWF’s international board in Switzerland.
Overall Sir John’s career and contributions in many fields, business, sport, environment and community, have demonstrated outstanding leadership for over 25 years. It has been based on believing in people, building teams and following the principles of quality and excellence, with a strong emphasis on values and integrity.
He has been an inspiration to a large number of New Zealanders, many of whom he has supported the development of, and provided the opportunities to become business and community leaders in their own right.
The 2005 Emerging Leader Awardees
The Emerging Leader Awardees for 2005 are:
After recognising the need to assist talented, but financially disadvantaged youth in reaching their potential, Steven founded the First Foundation in 1998. The Foundation partners these youth with New Zealand companies who provide assistance for tertiary education, work experience and links with a personal mentor. The First Foundation has grown into a significant non-profit organisation with operations in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
Since working in the United States as a McKinsey and Company engagement representative, Steven has established two other organisations: KEA Boston – a chapter of the Kiwi Expatriates Association, and Friends of CCE – a US based non-profit organisation raising funds to help rehabilitate inmates in Ecuadorian prisons (Steven worked there as a volunteer in 2003). In each of these instances, Steven demonstrated an ability to not only turn his vision into a reality, but has inspired others to join him in making it so.
Steven wants to continue developing his leadership potential and apply them for New Zealand’s benefit when he and his family return to settle here at the end of 2006.
Greg left the field of chartered accountancy in 1998 to address what he believed lay at the heart of New Zealand’s social disconnectedness: family fragmentation. Appointed General Manager of the non-profit organisation, Parenting With Confidence (now ‘Parents Inc’), Greg expanded the six-person, $500k charitable organisation to a staff of 20, and a budget of $2m p.a. in just four years.
During this time however, Greg recognised the need for an organisation which advocated for a conservative position on policy and encouraged political debate and engagement. In partnership with Bruce Logan, he founded The Maxim Institute.
Greg has attracted and retained a quality, full time team of 20. He places considerable trust in his staff, connects them with mentors, and warmly celebrates their successes – resulting in tremendous growth of the staff’s personal and professional confidence.
Greg is also identifying, training, and mentoring promising young leaders through the Institute’s internship programme. He regularly addresses youth leadership forums challenging them to live for a cause greater than themselves and spearheading constructive debate amongst youth (and others) regarding the future direction of New Zealand.
Neil Paviour-Smith
(35 years old)
Neil is currently the Managing Director of nationwide sharebroking and investment house Forsyth Barr. Over recent years he has overseen the transformation and growth of the company, from a staff number of 85 to 180, into a widely diversified business covering the full range of private client and institutional broking, funds management and investment banking services. He is a director of NZ Exchange Ltd, Global Equities Market Securities Ltd and Global Corporate Credit Ltd. He was Chairman of the NZ Society of Investment Analysts (1998 – 2001).
Neil has maintained a strong conviction for a clearly defined vision, with the determination to turn that vision into a reality. He believes respect for leaders develops by demonstrating a willingness to take a view, making the necessary decisions, including the tough ones, and working hard. Achieving the goals he has set has ultimately been realised by enjoying what he does.
Glen was selected for Sir Peter Blake’s 1985/86 Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race campaign onboard Lion New Zealand. Subsequently, Glen sailed onboard the victorious Steinlager 2, helmed the back up boat for the New Zealand Challenge for the America’s Cup in 1991/92 and was then selected as a watch captain by Grant Dalton for the 1993/94 Whitbread onboard New Zealand Endeavour.
During these campaigns Glen took the initiative to write a number of columns for newspapers and magazines. This led to co-authoring two best selling books on the Whitbread. He also helped write and produce television documentaries on sailing as well as the ‘This Is Your Life’ programme for Sir Peter Blake.
Since making the transition from professional sailing to business, Glen has managed public affairs for Telecom, TVNZ and Air New Zealand. In all of these roles he has shown an outstanding ability to build teams and contribute to the success of each organisation. This has recently seen him promoted to an important leadership role within Air New Zealand, managing the airline’s operations.
Glen served on the Yachting New Zealand High Performance Committee and was an Olympic Selector for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. He was also a member of the 2000 New Zealand Olympic Sailing Team.
Samara Sutherland
(25 years old)
A marine education advocate, Samara Sutherland established the ‘Experiencing Marine Reserves’ programme in Northland in 2002. She is a member of a variety of local marine conservation groups including the Nga Maunga kite Moana Conservation Trust, the Moureeses Bay Coastal Environment Protection Society and has also coordinated a number of special events with a focus on marine conservation.
These events have included a role as the Northland Coordinator for the national ‘Seaweek’ (a marine awareness week), leading a marine conservation open day and founding and organising a ‘Celebrate the Sea’ event at the Poor Knights Island’s Marine Reserve.
She has written and published a range of educational material including the ‘Experiencing Marine Reserves’ DVD/CD-ROM that has exposed thousands of people to the issues of marine conservation and marine reserves. Samara’s outstanding work in this area was recognised by her being awarded the Whangarei Young Person of the Year in 2004.
Mark has been CEO of New Zealand Exchange since June 2002. In that time he has led it through its transformation from a mutual to a listed company, launched a new market – the AX market tailored for smaller New Zealand companies, changed the exchange’s overall approach, and brought home the role and relevance of capital markets to New Zealand’s future into both public and government.
Prior to returning to New Zealand, Mark spent nine years in New York. There, he worked for McKinsey & Company as a senior adviser to CEOs to a number of Fortune 500 companies. Prior to that Mark was an attorney with a leading New York law firm Skadden, Arps, working on securities laws and mergers and acquisitions.
Academically Mark has a Juris Doctor degree from Columbia University, New York, a Diploma in International Law (hons) also from Columbia, a Masters degree (1 st Class honours) in Economics, and Bachelor degree in Commerce and Arts from the University of Auckland.
He was an Olympic swimmer, having competed for New Zealand at, among other things, the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. He is Board member of the New Zealand Olympic Committee.
Sir Peter Blake
"Having vision is not enough. Change comes through realising the vision and turning it into a reality. It is easy to espouse worthy goals, values and policies; the hard part is implementation."
Learn about Sir Peter Blake and his journeys around the globe