It’s pretty hard to argue with the Fortune magazine’s decision to chose Apple boss and all-round technology visionary Steve Jobs as its CEO of the decade.
As Fortune points out in this great article, Jobs has not only rescued the company from the big hole it found itself in the late 1980s (which, it should be said, was partly of his making) but he also managed to transform the tech, entertainment and telecommunications sectors with two groundbreaking products: the iPod and the iPhone.
Oh, and he’s also managed to some major health scares.
It’s difficult to think of an executive with Jobs’ vision, not just on the product side but also in terms of finance, operations, marketing and brand management. He is, quite simply, Apple – a fact that will undoubtedly be a challenge for the company when it comes to the point where succession becomes necessary.
The crowing of Jobs got me thinking – who would be Australia’s CEO of the decade?
It’s a tough question, made harder by the fact that the global financial crisis has taken the gloss off many likely candidates. For example, I’m a little ashamed to admit that three years ago I would have put ABC Learning’s Eddy Groves on my list, for the spectacularly (if controversial way) he transformed an industry.
From the retail sector, JB Hi-Fi chief Richard Uechtritz stands out for having taken his company from private business to a listed group and, along the way, making it into one of the world’s fastest growing retailers.
Myer chief Bernie Brooks might also get some nominations for turning around a struggling business.
Wesfarmers boss Michael Chaney (now retired) would also be a nomination. Wesfarmers is one of our last true conglomerates, with interests across everything from coal and energy to insurance and agribusiness. The exceptional returns delivered by this company and the way it has changed an entire sub-sector with Bunnings is impressive.
In the transport sector, Paul Little of Toll Holdings is a standout. The company has been a consistently strong performer in its sector and has also expanded overseas through some canny acquisitions. Perhaps smartest of all, Little managed to split Toll’s transport and logistics operations from its debt-laden port business (which would become Asciano) was very impressive.
In the financial services and tech sector, Chris Morris of Computershare deserves plaudits. His company is a true global competitor in the share registry services sector and has continued to grow strongly through economic cycles.
That’s just a short list with lots of names missing. Who are your choices? Let us know in the comments area below.
James was the editor and publisher of SmartCompany and LeadingCompany for five years. He is now the Australian Financial Review‘s companies & markets editor, and a former BRW editor.
