2021 Northland Business Excellence Awards Judges

2021 BUSINESS AWARDS TOOK TIME, ‘LIKE FINE WINE’.

Greg Atkins is a Director at BDO Northland Limited, Chartered Accountants. He has been Convenor of Judges for the Northland Business Excellence Awards. for the past nine years. As a Chartered Accountant he is focused on helping businesses and their teams grow and be successful. Outside work, Greg is a Board Trustee at Whangarei Boys’ High School and has held previous Trustee, Board member and honorary positions in the community. Greg offers up a few thoughts on the 2021 Awards process which was impacted by the restrictions governing gatherings and events owing to Covid-19.

“They say with cheese (and fine wine) good things take time, and I believe the same can be said for the 2021 Northland Business Excellence Awards process, we are well into February 2022 and they have finally concluded this month. I apologise for the added suspense of having to wait so long for the results but acknowledge the need to celebrate our winners as best we could. In 2021 we returned to judging based on the “Business Excellence” format, with the key requirement of having physical visits at entrant’s premises. Being able to see business owners face to face, meet a team and view a workplace provides much more insight than what can be seen in a written entry. 2021 provided a fine crop of entrants over the various categories, displaying a high standard of business excellence in some very trying times. To the business owners and their amazing teams – thank you for entering and we wish you the best for the future. To the well-deserving finalists and winners, congratulations, be proud of what you have achieved and celebrate! As always, a huge thank you to my fellow judges who generously offer up their time and experience to visit entrants and provide feedback.’ Greg Atkins is a Director at BDO Northland Limited, Chartered Accountants. He has been Convenor of Judges for the Northland Business Excellence Awards. for the past nine years.

 

MEET SOME OF THE JUDGES OF THE BUSINESS CATEGORIES

Karen Amos is Portfolio Manager at Westpac Bank where she has worked for 11 years. She is currently a People Leader responsible for coaching and developing a group of Credit Analysts. Previously Karen was the Area Manager responsible for the Commercial and Agri business teams and has also had experience as a Relationship Manager where she managed a portfolio of clients across a wide range of industries. She has been a judge for the Business Awards for the past six years

 

Sarah Greener is Managing Director at The Rock Adventure Cruise and Founder at The Human-Centred Business Blueprint. Sarah is a Business Coach who helps business owners build sustainable businesses through The Power Hour™, The Success Map™ and The People Advantage™ giving them back control of their time and the space to enjoy life. 2021 was her first time judging in the Northland Business Excellence Awards.

 

Bruce Larsen is an owner, director and the GM of Northpine Ltd. He has worked in various companies, both corporates and SME’s within the forest industry for 40 years. Bruce has been a judge in the Awards since 2015. Outside work Bruce is Chairman of Promote Waipu, is a trustee for Waipu 2000 Community Chest and is active in many Bream Bay community events.

 

Ken Wilson is a 5th generation Northlander, based in Whangarei and trading as GT Advantage, a specialist role within Gilmore Taylor Associates. He has over 30 years Operations and General Management experience across a broad range of sectors throughout New Zealand. He is and associate member of NZIM, a member of the Institute of Directors (IOD), and a judge for the Northland Business Excellence Awards. He also sits on many Advisory Boards for Northland Businesses

 

Mike Lindsay is Manging Director of Building and Fire Services (2008) Limited. He has worked as a professional in the Fire, Safety, and Building Compliance field for over 24 years delivering professional advice and solutions on all aspects of fire safety, speciality health and safety compliance and emergency training across all industry sectors. He is passionate about, and wholly committed to, educating New Zealanders about how to protect people and property. He has been a judge for the Business Excellence Awards for four years

 

Cushla Donnelly has been a regular judge for the Business Excellence Awards for several years. She has experience in strategic planning and project management. She also has experience assessing and implementing business excellence in diverse businesses and environments, including the Middle East. Cushla is currently the Programme Manager, Partnerships & Equity, Te Pūkenga.

 

Pauline Rose has judged Business Excellence Awards for 19 years. She has private sector experience in strategic planning, marketing and communication management with large NZ corporates as well as project management, stakeholder management and business improvement experience in local government. She now works for local broadband provider Uber Group and is co-owner of Land of the Lotus Watergardens and Banana Park. She has been president of the Public Relations Institute of NZ and is a regular judge at their annual awards

 

 

 

Specialist category judges are chosen for their experience and knowledge in the specific category they are assessing and incorporate the Sponsor of the category and a panel of stakeholders that bring industry knowledge. 2021 specialist category Judges include the following; Creative Northland Creative Industries – Hinurewa Te Hau, Northland Inc. Innovate Northland – Sophie Wiltshier, Jules Smith and Jeroen Jongejans, EMA Not For Profit and NorthChamber Judges Choice, – Business Judges panel, Vodafone Digital Transformation – Pauline Rose, Te Mana Oranga Workplace Diversity and Inclusion– Reg Peterson, Rachel Peterson and Richard Bell, Northland Regional Council Environmental – Kim Wall, ACC Workplace Health and Safety – Pete Oxley and Phillip Tana and The Northern Advocate Hall of Fame – panel including Greg Alexander, Rachel Ward, Tim Robinson, Steve Smith and Eru Lyndon