“These awards are a chance to celebrate the standout leaders across New Zealand business and the public service, and to give the next generation something to aim for.”

The CEO Index process began with a longlist of 110 leaders, compiled by BusinessDesk’s editorial team and assessed against five criteria: vision, impact, innovation, resilience and influence.

An independent panel – company directors Therese Walsh and Fraser Whineray, Barrenjoey’s Silvana Schenone and start-up investor Suse Reynolds – reviewed the internal judging before finalists and winners were confirmed.

This year’s winners:

To summarise the ambition of some of these leaders, Levi Fawcett, of Partly, puts it well when asked how he influences his team to excel.

“I set extremely high expectations and really push everyone quite intensely to achieve goals they don’t believe they can achieve.

“But when they achieve them, I make it very clear to the whole company, especially to the staff member, that they have done a heroic thing.”

The CEO Index award winners agreed that infrastructure and energy were key issues for the country to address, and as pioneering leaders were happy to offer concrete ideas.

Amelia Linzey, Beca Group CEO, said: “The areas of greatest urgency are developing New Zealand’s abundant water and renewable energy resources in the mission to decarbonise and to electrify our transport, industrial and agricultural systems.”

“This is a decade-long endeavour, and it’s imperative that we get going at scale and with speed rather than taking incremental steps.

BusinessDesk thanks agency partner Special and event sponsor Range Rover for their support of the 2026 Index.