Boyer took over the Airports role in October 2023, stepping into what she describes as a \u201cchallenging situation\u201d. The airline was emerging from its Covid recovery, but the operation faced significant headwinds. More than 50% of the workforce had been hired within the previous year and the airline had experienced considerable leadership instability.<\/p>\n
\u201cAirports is a very technical role,\u201d says Boyer. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of very heavy equipment and technical expertise required. It takes experience and care. When you have so many new people, and new people training new people in an environment where everything is moving very fast, you don\u2019t have that baseline teamwork and experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
She was the fifth general manager in just over three years. She came in as a young woman with a commercial and strategy background from Bain Consulting, but little operational experience. Trust and confidence were understandably low.<\/p>\n
Boyer chose to tackle this head-on. \u201cI believe that a high-trust team can balance one another, collectively delivering far better than any individual. I said to each person: \u2019I know what I bring and what I don\u2019t. I need your help, this is a partnership.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her immediate priority was resetting the safety culture. Just three weeks into the role, Airports experienced a spike in near-miss incidents involving employees getting dangerously close to active engines. This is one of the most serious risks in ground operations.<\/p>\n
\u201cLooking back, this was the most challenging period of my career to date,\u201d says Boyer. \u201cIt exposed my inexperience in operations and required decisive action when I was still brand-new.\u201d<\/p>\n
She sought guidance from mentors, including Air New Zealand\u2019s chief operating officer Alex Marren and, critically, spent time on the ramp at airports around the country speaking with frontline leaders. \u201cThe frontline [people] often hold the answers if you ask them.\u201d<\/p>\n
The structured response included new communication procedures, in-person training, regular monitoring and a clear awareness plan. The results speak for themselves: these serious incidents dropped 60% year-over-year, with total higher-risk incidents down 15%.<\/p>\n
Beyond safety, Boyer launched the Airport Champions Network. This is a programme of 40 highly engaged employees who bridge the gap between agile product development and day-to-day operations. Champions work directly with development teams, beta-testing new apps and processes before network-wide deployment.<\/p>\n
Over the past 12 months, the Network enabled deployment of nine major digital programmes. These included a new boarding app and automated rebooking platform, all without rollbacks. \u201cIt\u2019s now a blueprint for change delivery in operational areas at Air New Zealand,\u201d says Boyer.<\/p>\n
Boyer also drove a significant productivity programme. Through data-driven resourcing, structural redesign and modernised work allocation tools, the operation reduced overtime by 9%, increased productivity by 6% and achieved annualised labour savings exceeding $10 million. All this while employee engagement continued to improve.<\/p>\n
Boyer\u2019s leadership approach centres on visibility and partnership. She spends every other Saturday morning on the airport floor, working alongside her team. Together with her leadership group, she developed a framework based on four values: Responsiveness, Accountability, Visibility and Unity.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of it\u2019s just listening and spending time with people. Our team has such good ideas about what we can be doing better to look after our customers.\u201d<\/p>\n
The results validate this approach. Her direct team\u2019s engagement score sits approximately 10 points above the company average and every airport now authors its own quarterly plan aligned to what Boyer calls the \u201cfive pillars\u201d: Safety, Efficiency, On-Time, Customer and Team.<\/p>\n
Boyer is explicit about her ambitions and this caught the judge\u2019s attention. \u201cI want to work toward becoming CEO of a New Zealand company. I like transformation at scale, the long slog of enduring change. I\u2019m fascinated by organisational psychology and what it takes to evolve an enterprise.\u201d<\/p>\n
For now, she remains focused on embedding lessons from her current role. \u201cI\u2019m very ambitious, but I think performance without purpose isn\u2019t enough. My goal is to build my capability and credibility to lead at scale in New Zealand.\u201d<\/p>\n
The judges noted Boyer\u2019s executive maturity, particularly her ability to manage stress, maintain composure and present a calm leadership presence. They were impressed by her openness to feedback and willingness to be vulnerable when needed. The panel saw real merit in exploring her leadership style further, including how she works with her peers and drives large-scale change.<\/p>\n
They also noted her cultural awareness and understanding of workforce diversity, demonstrating strong empathy and cultural competence in leading a diverse, regionally spread team that is predominantly M\u0101ori and Pasifika. The judges believe she is clearly on the path to senior executive leadership.<\/p>\n
The Young Executive of the Year award is sponsored by Snowflake.<\/p>\n
Finalist: Anna Mitchell<\/p>\n
As Chorus executive general manager, Frontier, Anna Mitchell spent the last 18 months leading through a strategic reset that will take the network company through to 2030 as it becomes a simplified all-fibre operation.<\/p>\n
Anna Mitchell, Chorus executive general manager, Frontier.<\/p>\n
Part of the job was developing a strategy to retire the old copper phone network. She says, \u201cI viewed it as a real opportunity. How do you go from multiple networks down to a single network – and what are all the flow-on effects and implications of that? There are the corporate and the financial aspects. But what\u2019s hard to ignore is that the shutdown of the copper network is a massive kind of cultural and societal change. We need to take people with us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mitchell also worked to deliver the company\u2019s first commercial fibre build that did not include Government funding.<\/p>\n
The Award judges say they enjoyed Mitchell\u2019s video submission, where she clearly articulated her points. They were impressed by her depth of capability, which they say, \u201cClearly extends beyond her current GM role.\u201d<\/p>\n
They found that she \u201cthrives on solving complex problems and is energised by being at the executive table, positioning herself as a strategic partner. Her ability to move between political and corporate spheres adds to her versatility, and her purpose-led approach, particularly her advocacy for rural connectivity is a standout.\u201d<\/p>\n
They note that her leadership style is values-driven and grounded in empathy, with a strong grasp of risk and a preference for thoughtful decision-making.<\/p>\n
Judges found her incredibly professional and articulate, with a demonstrated ability to make tough calls. \u201cWhile her vision may not yet match her full potential, her talent is undeniable. Her adaptability through multiple CEO transitions and her early exposure to leadership through her mother\u2019s not-for-profit work further reinforce her readiness for broader executive responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finalist: Boyd Scirkovich<\/p>\n
Boyd Scirkovich serves as Pou Ohanga (chief financial officer) at Te R\u016bnanga o Toa Rangatira (Ng\u0101ti Toa). He is responsible for economic development at one of New Zealand\u2019s prominent iwi organisations with 450 employees and oversight of $1.2 billion in assets.<\/p>\n
Since assuming his role in 2023, Scirkovich has led the organisation through expansion, growing the iwi asset base from $494 million to over $1.2 billion, more than doubling its value in under two years.<\/p>\n
Boyd Scirkovich, Pou Ohanga (chief financial officer) at Te R\u016bnanga o Toa Rangatira (Ng\u0101ti Toa).<\/p>\n
\u201cThe portfolio that I\u2019m responsible for now oversees more than $1.1 billion in assets on behalf of our iwi,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s diverse, a vertically integrated group of subsidiaries, joint ventures, commercial partnerships and managed funds, along with a broad range of property, fisheries and forestry assets.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the last year, our commercial arm executed a number of significant investment activities that have driven the growth of our balance sheet into uncharted territory. It\u2019s quite a unique achievement in the M\u0101ori economy. In particular, we purchased 27 schools in the Wellington region.\u201d<\/p>\n
That acquisition made Ng\u0101ti Toa the largest landlord to the Ministry of Education, with 67 Wellington schools now held through a sale-and-leaseback model. The portfolio also includes New Zealand\u2019s largest community housing programme with 1000 homes and 120 commercial properties.<\/p>\n
Scirkovich spearheaded the development and launch of He K\u0101inga Ururua, the iwi\u2019s first comprehensive economic and investment strategy. This blueprint addresses challenges including climate change, digital disruption, housing insecurity and global volatility while staying anchored in iwi values and self-determination. His bold vision targets $20 billion in assets by 2040.<\/p>\n
His leadership philosophy centres on what he calls servant leadership. \u201cIt\u2019s leading by example and not being afraid to get in and amongst the things that I expect of my team to execute on,\u201d he explains. \u201cI\u2019m willing to go into those same spaces and roll up my sleeves and stand in behind what we\u2019re doing, walking alongside the people that I work with to achieve the outcomes we need to achieve.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not just setting the direction and saying a whole bunch of bumper sticker phrases to try and motivate a team. It\u2019s being willing to get amongst them and understand the challenges, the risks and the decisions that need to be made. At the end of the day, our work is not about an individual; it\u2019s about a collective outcome. We\u2019re providing social outcomes and impacts into our community and our iwi, so we need to always come from our iwi members\u2019 perspective, from the beneficiaries\u2019 perspective, not from some sort of egotistical point of view.\u201d<\/p>\n
Strategic investments in water infrastructure and the alternative share trading platform Sharesies reflect Scirkovich\u2019s ambition to provide a prosperous and sustainable future for Ng\u0101ti Toa, operating with a \u201cprofit for purpose\u201d mantra that balances environmental, social, cultural and commercial outcomes.<\/p>\n
Award judge Liam Dann says Scirkovich\u2019s interview left a lasting impression on the judging panel: \u201cNot only for his financial acumen but for his deeply values-driven leadership.\u201d The panel found him to be \u201ca humble and impressive leader \u2014 quietly spoken while delivering material impact in terms of commercial and social outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Judges were particularly moved by his comprehensive corporate governance framework and his clear understanding of the economic ripple effect the \u201cToa GDP\u201d has on Wellington and the upper South Island. As one judge noted: \u201cWe need more Boyds.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Boyer took over the Airports role in October 2023, stepping into what she describes as a \u201cchallenging situation\u201d.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":167990,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[78777,836,68,6224,10779,109259,2035,3938,2517,10136,117,111,43,139,69,1118,223,3010,379,4741,80,2963],"class_list":["post-167989","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-78777","tag-836","tag-air","tag-airports","tag-awards","tag-boyer","tag-deloitte","tag-executive","tag-kate","tag-named","tag-new","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-of","tag-the","tag-top","tag-year","tag-young","tag-zealand","tag-zealands"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167989","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=167989"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167989\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/167990"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=167989"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=167989"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=167989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}