Naomi Ballantyne, Rosanne Meo among seven named as Business Hall of Fame Laureates

Source: Radio New Zealand

Seven business leaders who have made a significant and lasting impact on the economic and social development of New Zealand will be inducted into the Business Hall of Fame Laureates this year.

“The Hall of Fame exists to recognise individuals whose impact through business has helped shape our nation, while also showcasing role models who inspire the next generation of leaders we engage with every day,” Young Enterprise Trust* interim co-chief executive Abbie McKoy said.

The following laureates had demonstrated enterprise, dedication, and success across their careers, serving as an inspiration to emerging business leaders, she said.

• Carmel Fisher CNZM – a pioneering figure in the investment landscape, recognised for building Fisher Funds into a leading fund manager
• David Irving ONZM – a remarkable career across business, education, and entrepreneurship, with a lasting impact on the commercial landscape
• Dame Rosanne Meo – a business leader with more than three decades of board leadership across the corporate, public and community sectors
• Sir Robert McLeod – a distinguished tax practitioner and governance leader who has played a significant role in shaping New Zealand’s economic policy and commercial landscape
• Sir Michael Daniell KNZM – an electrical engineer, business leader, and director who has played a pivotal role in shaping New Zealand’s medical technology sector, with a career spanning nearly five decades at Fisher & Paykel Healthcare
• Tom Sturgess – Nelson-based businessman and philanthropist, involved in leadership roles in agribusiness, manufacturing, distribution and venture capital with a focus on regenerative and climate friendly business practices
• Naomi Ballantyne ONZM – a pioneering leader in life insurance industry and became the first female founder in New Zealand to sell a start-up for more than $1 billion

Naomi Ballantyne

Ballanytne has been a leading figure in the life insurance industry for more than 40 years, and established a number of companies, including one that was sold for a billion dollars.

She said the induction into the hall of fame was a big honour for her and recognition of what she had achieved.

“But I think more than what it means to me is what it means to other people who aspire to take that risk and make that mark,” she said.

Sir Michael Daniell

Former managing director and still company director of Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, as well as a number of other leading New Zealand technology companies, Sir Michael said the tech sector was tracking in the right direction, though would still need more people to realise its growth potential.

“I’m an optimist about New Zealand’s opportunities, particularly in the broader tech sector. And over the past few years, there’s been quite a lot of progress. We have a number of companies now that are quite substantial.

“We’re based here in New Zealand, but generating a lot of their revenue from outside New Zealand.”

He said his success in business had been a team effort.

“The reality is success is due to the capabilities and efforts of a huge number of people, and ongoing success will be the same.

“It’s important, of course, that we we have capable people who are able to to drive that progress and ongoing investment in education in particular.”

*About the Business Hall of Fame

The Business Hall of Fame was established in 1994 by Young Enterprise, an entrepreneurial education charity, that honours lifetime achievement in business and celebrates those who have shaped New Zealand’s commercial landscape.

In keeping with Young Enterprise’s mission, each Laureate was paired with a YES (Young Enterprise Scheme) student who will host them at the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame annual black-tie gala on 6 August 2026.

The ceremony would conclude with a student speaker, which was a tradition seen as a symbolic passing of the baton.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand