That concludes the Awards ceremony - now it's time to hit the dance floor!
Congratulations to all the finalists and winners of the 2005 Queensland Management Excellence Awards - you are truly inspiring.
Thank you for joining us on the Black Tie Blog. Check back for more photos and additional updates.
Good night!
And the winner is...
Ray Johnston
Principal, Tannum Sands State High School
Gladstone Region
Ray's personal leadership values are service, inspiration and empowerment. He believes in what some may view as an old fashioned notion of leadership – that a leader who sees themselves as the servant of others can always focus on everyone else in the organization achieving their goals.
Appointed the youngest deputy principal in Queensland – Ray enjoys leading an innovative, values driven organisation.
He revels in the challenges that come with managing teaching staff, 950 students and, of course, their parents.
Congratulations, Ray.
The Professional Manager of the Year category is sponsored by the Commonwealth Bank.
The Regional Finalists are:
And the winner is...
Glen Richards
Managing Director, Greencross Vets
Townsville Region
Greencross Vets has grown from one vet and three nurses in one location, to ten vets, 25 support staff and five locations plus a mobile service in Townsville.
Greencross Vets is now the largest veterinary group in Townsville and one of the largest group practices in Queensland.
Glen successfully runs the business with a culture that encourages all staff to take ownership over the business – the scorecards, reward programs and long-term strategies are evolving to nurture this philosophy.
Congratulations, Glen.
The Owner Manager of the Year category is sponsored by Corporate Express.
The Regional Finalists are:
And the winner is...
Steven Cleggett
B Squadron Technical Support Troop Commander, RAAF Townsville
Townsville Region
Steven believes it is essential that the Technical Support Troops are led by an effective commander. The environments that the team may deploy into are often less than ideal – the bush, in the desert, on a naval vessel and anywhere around the world at times under fire – it is the commander’s responsibility to ensure they are physically and mentally prepared.
Steven’s main focus is the welfare of his soldiers, and sustaining realistic training – this means that when they are required to operate in poor conditions they are well equipped and have the skills to complete the job.
Congratulations, Steven.
The Young Manager of the Year category is sponsored by Griffith University.
The Regional Finalists are:
And the winner is...
Ann Radke
Owner/Manager, Yuruga Nursery
Cairns Region
Ann and her husband established Yuruga Nursery in 1985 and have managed the operation on a full time basis since 1987.
The Nursery was built from scratch and within five years was employing six people full time… it is now one of the largest private employers on the Atherton Tablelands.
In years past, the nursery has achieved Best Practice Accreditation and was awarded grower of the year by the Nursery and Garden Industry Queensland.
Congratulations, Ann!
The Rural/Remote Manager of the Year category is sponsored by the Department of Primary Industries & Fisheries.
The Regional Finalists are:
Is everyone enjoying their dinner?
Don't forget to check out this blog after the event. :-) Visit www.managementawards.com.au
We're going to take a break for dinner now - the Awards will continue in 20 minutes. with the announcement of the Rural/Remote Manager of the Year.
The audience is enjoying Jim's presentation - especially the stories of his days playing AFL for the Melbourne Football Club. Jim won the 1991 Brownlow Medal and was named the club's Best and Fairest four times.
He has also explained the background of the Reach foundation which Jim co-founded with film maker Paul Currie.
Each year AIM presents fresh, savvy and talented speakers as the backdrop to acknowledging the state's finest managers... this year is no exception.
Born in Dublin, Jim Stynes was brought from Ireland to Australia as part of a Ron Barrassi inspired experiment in the mid 1980s to recruit Irish footballers for the Melbourne Football Club.
Jim has devoted his life off the football field to helping Victorian youth. In 1993 he made an even bigger commitment to Australia's future, co-founding Reach with film director Paul Currie, a charity organisation that provides a platform for young people to support other young people.
Reach creates a "safe space" for groups of young people to develop trust, openness and the freedom to express their concerns, perceptions, fears and aspirations and to recognise that they are not alone.
In 2001 and 2003 Jim won the Victorian of The Year Award and in 2004 he earned Entrepreneur of the Year – Social Category for the Southern Region.
In 1997 he participated in the Victorian Government Suicide Task Force and currently sits on the Federal Minister for Youth's Youth Advisory Consultative Forum Committee.
The audience now welcomes to the stage Mr Jim Stynes.
Mark Henry founded Füritechnics in Brisbane, Australia, in 1996 to provide a vehicle for the commercialisation of his 'innovations for serious cooks'.
As Managing Director, Mark took Füritechnics from foundation to its current multi-million dollar turnover, developing the products and marketing strategy that has established Füri as a leading professional brand in Australia and generated significant worldwide exports and recognition.
The success of Füri knives and chefs accessories is based on their performance, after years of fundamental re-engineering. Mark takes old concepts and, with chefs, researches the real functions that cooks require to make their working life faster/easier/safer/cleaner.
Mark consulted with chefs to design the one-piece stainless steel alloy Füri knife range in the early 1990s: simply to solve problems professional chefs had with traditional knives.
After four years on the market, Füri become the leading brand in Australia, and is now regarded as the new standard in performance by many top chefs around the world.
Now for the first award for the evening...
The brainchild of the AIM Board, the Fisher & Paykel Medal for Management Innovation honours a Queensland identity who has developed a concept or practice that has significantly, and proactively improved the industry in which they work.
Management Innovation is the determined rather than serendipitous creation of a culture where new ideas are generated, valued, rigorously evaluated and supported. It is about institutionalising innovation so that innovation becomes a hallmark of the organisation itself and the how that organisation brings its goods and services to market.
This year's recipient is announced by Marion Barron, Learning & Development Manager (Sales & Marketing) from Fisher & Paykel.
Marion Barron:
If there is one common driver shared by both Fisher & Paykel and the Australian Institute of Management, it's our joint commitment to, and recognition of, innovation.
In previous years the Medal has been awarded to innovators who have worked harder, smarter and fearlessly to reach a position of market dominance in their field – Brett Godfrey from Virgin Airlines, John Stainton, Steve Irwin's producer, and Graeme Wood from wotif.com.
It is fitting to have an award for innovation sponsored by Fisher and Paykel, a company who has created a culture where people and innovation can flourish... people and their ideas are the key to the success of Fisher & Paykel.
The recipient of the 2005 Medal for Management Innovation is...
Mark Henry
Managing Director and Design engineer, Furitechnics
It's time to get a bit silly... the event icebreaker! 500 business leaders are running around the room to find nine others with a coloured cube that matches theirs....
The prize? A bottle of Moet et Chandon each for the lucky winners!
Nanette Carroll: Good evening, what a stunning looking audience!
Welcome also to our finalists, their supporters, and our regional representatives. I also acknowledge guest speaker Jim Stynes. Jim, I've heard you speak before and I can guarantee everyone will be mesmerised.
We could not ask for better sponsors... you partner with us because AIM's reputation in the management, leadership and innovation space is unmatched, and we choose you as leaders in your respective industries because you reflect the values and behaviours that need to be always shown by practising managers. I would like to acknowledge you one by one and in no particular order...
Fisher & Paykel
Commonwealth Bank
Corporate Express
Griffith University
Department of Primary Industries & Fisheries
KPMG
WIN TV
Bartercard
CPX – Printing & Logistics
The focus of tonight is the acknowledgment, recognition and celebration of individuals. But more than that, it's the Australian Institute of Management's tribute to aspirants and leaders who lend credibility and integrity to management as a profession.
It's about skilled professionals who navigate the highs and lows, the successes and failures that go hand in hand with management.
I'd like to begin this evening by briefing you on the Australian Institute of Management.
Simply put…AIM is 'in the business of enhancing careers'. This gives us amazing scope to help people at all levels enhance their skills, plan their careers and climb to as high as they choose to go.
Every year tens of thousands of people in this state and hundreds of thousands of people Australia-wide make use of our network services.
Few people realise the depth and breadth of AIM's operations and our fierce commercial resolve, which in turn underpins investment in a range of innovative programs and services… many unique to our organisation.
Perhaps I could share with you some milestones from 2005:
On International Women's Day Debate over 1000 women, and a few brave men, celebrated the centenary of suffrage in Queensland. Six ordinary women treated us to an extraordinary debate, 'that after 100 years a woman’s vote still doesn't count'.
AIM's online learning company, TheCyberInstitute, continues to break new ground in the digital learning solutions space with the release of Rapid Deploy, a cutting edge e-content communications package now offered throughout Australia.
This year we secured a ground breaking nine book deal with John Wiley & Sons to bring management, leadership, innovation and strategy books to life. These will be released from March 2006 and available in good bookstores. Look for them at your airport bookstore, they'll make great plane reading.
Finally, the Institute's Graduate Studies Centre graduated its hundredth student this year... Not bad for an independent learning organisation outside of the university system.
Next year Authentic Happiness guru and renowned psychologist Dr Martin Seligman will make his long awaited return to Australia in an AIM exclusive. He will present at both an extended breakfast and MasterClass on Wednesday 22 February 2006, so mark it in your diaries now. I can assure you that Dr Seligman will be the first in an amazing line up of international speakers to hit our shores.
And now to the reason why we are all here...
From the launch of the 2005 program earlier in the year to tonight's festivities and another sell-out event, we have witnessed shining moments in our search for Queensland's best managers. It began with the call for nominations, the submission of applications, short listing of applicants, reference checking, judging, and events held in eight cities throughout regional Queensland.
Tonight finalists will contend for Professional Manager of the Year, Owner Manager of the Year, Young Manager of the Year and Rural/Remote Manager of the Year.
I know each of you have experienced an amazing journey this year. Within this illustrious group you are all stand out individuals regardless of the outcome. For many of you this has been a rare opportunity to reflect on your achievements... and tonight is all about you. On behalf of the Institute and the Awards sponsors, congratulations and good luck this evening.
To set the scene for the evening, Nanette Carroll, Chair of the Management Excellence Awards program and member of the AIM Board, is making her way to the stage to kick off proceedings.
The MC for the evening is Heather Foord from Channel Nine, looking radient in a red gown. Heather has just welcomed everyone to this year's Gala Dinner where the winners of the 2005 Queensland Management Excellence Awards are announced.
Heather reminds us that the Awards program, which touches all regions of Queensland, is a vehicle for supporting and encouraging managers to excel in the way they work with others, each and every day.
The evening begins with musical numbers from The Blenders - 90 handsome men in black tie singing in accompanied four-part harmony and one amazing woman, Rose McGee, to conduct them.
You may have seen the Gold Coast-based group perform on 'The X Factor' last year. Their renditions of Shout! and Only You certainly got the audience's toes tapping!
The doors have opened and the 500 strong crowd is spilling in...
Welcome to Queensland Management's most anticipated celebration... the 2005 Management Excellence Awards Final hosted by the Australian Institute of Management - Qld & NT.
Prepare yourself for an evening of wonderful entertainment, recognition of Queensland's finest managers and pure unbridled fun!
We're minutes away from the start of the 2005 Management Excellence Awards Gala Dinner...
Photos from the evening will be added to the photo gallery to the right, so if you're joining us on this blog 'live' on the night keep refreshing your browser for updates!
Enjoy the evening, where ever you are!
