The stage was set for the best event on the Australian corporate calendar, and what an event it was…

Now in its 11th year, The CEO Magazine’s Executive of the Year Awards was ready for a shake-up and, at Flying Ruby Events, we knew exactly what was required. From the freshly shucked oysters and coconut margaritas on arrival, to the awe-inspiring keynote provided by James Castrission, and the perfect post-event dessert cocktail party – which was made for mingling – it really was a night like no other.

“It all came together brilliantly, and the new format we created added an extra element of excitement to the entire event,” explains Kelly Lewis, Flying Ruby Events’ Managing Director. “The feedback we’d received from previous years was that the guests really enjoyed the opportunity to network during pre-drinks, so we extended this from 6pm til 7.30pm, and we also integrated it into the post-awards portion of the evening. We created a jazz cocktail bar vibe at the end of the night, which felt quite different, and had standing canape-style desserts, with cocktails and affogatos. This allowed people to move around the room, network and congratulate all the winners. It worked brilliantly, and it might even be our new format going forward.”

No doubt, the 320 guests who descended on Doltone House in Sydney last night would agree. They walked the navy carpet before enjoying the likes of fresh prawns, kingfish tartare and Veuve Clicquot, with the beautiful Sydney Harbour as the backdrop. Once the main event began in the ballroom, radio veteran and comedian Merrick Watts took to the stage to MC the evening’s proceedings.

Chris Dutton, Founder of The CEO Magazine, kicked off the event, as usual, with his opening speech before turning the microphone over to James Castrission for an inspiring keynote. On the 26th January 2012, Cas made history by completing the longest unsupported polar expedition of all time, alongside his best mate Jonesy. In 100 years of polar exploration, no one had ever walked from the edge of Antarctica to the South Pole and back without assistance. Many had tried, no one had succeeded. After 89 gruelling days, they made it back to the coast after having skied 2,275 km with everything they needed to survive in the harshest environment on earth. James shared his incredible journey with the crowd, and they were spellbound.

If that wasn’t enough to engage guests, it was then Ronni Kahn’s (pictured above) turn to take to the stage to accept this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award. The South African-born Australian social entrepreneur who founded the food rescue charity OzHarvest is a passionate advocate and activist. She’s renowned for disrupting the food waste landscape in Australia.

“If I had to choose some of my highlights, Ronni Kahn and James Castrission would both be on the list,” says Kelly. “I was excited to listen to James’ keynote but it exceeded all my expectations. He really kicked off the night, talking about this incredible life of adventure. He also introduced our newest event project, The CEO Magazine Foundation event in the Blue Mountains next year. James really set the tone for the entire evening. Then, Ronni Kahn accepted her award, and she is just the most passionate, authentic and inspiring woman.”

As much as the entire crowd would agree, it was then time for the awards. Thanks to the hard work of the esteemed panel of judges, which included Chris Dutton, Anna Dutton, David Jepson, John Karagounis, Simone Tilley, Jannine Fraser and Shaun Bonétt, and the event’s major sponsor BMW, the moment had come to announce the winners.

Drumroll, please… First up, this year’s Young Executive of the Year Award was won by Ryan Terrey from The Entourage, while the winner of Start-up of the Year was Ephram Stephenson of Collar Group. The award for Not-For-Profit Executive of the Year went to Lance Kawaguchi from Cure Brain Cancer Foundation, Managing Director of the Year was Iris Du from You Want Group, and the hotly contested Entrepreneur of the Year Award was won by Ben Lipschitz of FoodByUs. As for the top awards of the year – CEO of the Year (A$0 – $100m turnover) and CEO of the Year ($100m+ turnover) – Jason Juretic of Stepping Stone House walked away with the former, while Nicky Sparshott (pictured below with her team) of Unilever won the latter. Congratulations to all the finalists and winners on the night.

“Due to the fact we had fewer awards than previous years, it gave us the room to really add some magic to proceedings,” explains Kelly. “There was more than $50,000 in lucky door prizes, from an incredible Maldives experience to a Matt Gillett artwork produced live on the night. There was also so much amazing entertainment, including electric harpist Jake Meadows and jazz vocalist Emma Pask. We were thrilled with how the entire event turned out, and judging by the smiles at the end of the night, so were all the guests.”

If you’d like Flying Ruby Events to create a bespoke event for your brand, contact us HERE.