Jim Delegat has been in the wine industry all of his working life. Photo / Richard Robinson
A counter-cyclical approach to acquisitions and expanding offshore with its own "on the ground" sales force is paying dividends for winemaker Delegat Group, the judges said.
The Auckland-based firm, whose brands include Oyster Bay, took out the Best Growth Strategy award.
Delegat, founded in 1947, is New Zealand's fourth largest winemaker in terms of wine sold and the country's largest listed wine business.
The judges said executive chairman Jim Delegat had been involved in the wine industry all of his working life. "He is in his own way a strategy guy," they said. "He's just picked off one country after another by sticking to very basic stuff and putting a substantial investment into training and developing an old fashioned skilled dedicated sales force."
The judges said this approach had been "a strategic winner" for the company.
"They are continuing to put runs on the board."
In April Delegat, the New Zealand-born son of Croatian migrants, stepped down from running the winemaker's daily operations to focus on the firm's strategic direction, taking up the role of executive chairman. Graeme Lord took over as managing director.
Jim's sister Rose also sits of Delegat's board and the brother and sister team own a substantial shareholding in the company.
The firm is on a strategic push to create a global "super premium" wine business. It owns the Oyster Bay and Delegat's brands, while also holding a more than 30 per cent stake in NZAX-listed Oyster Bay Marlborough Vineyards.
Shares in Delegat, which listed in 2006 at an issue price of $1.40 apiece, hit a record close of $5 in September and have gained more than 33 per cent this year.
In August the company reported full-year case sales of more than 2 million -- a record -- while operating profit also hit an all-time high of $31.4 million, despite the challenges posed by the strong New Zealand dollar to the exporter whose largest market is North America.
Announcing its annual result, the company said it intended to invest $86 million over the coming year into supporting future sales growth and achieving competitive advantages in terms of quality and supply. The company said it was looking to establish an in-market sales operation in China.
Delegat bought the assets of Australia's Barossa Valley Estate out of receivership for A$24.7 million in April 2013, just two months after snapping up the distressed vineyard and winery assets of New Zealand's Matariki Wines and Stony Bay Wines.
Delegat is in the process of constructing a new winery complex in Hawkes Bay, while the company said in August that new vineyard development was also set to get under way in Marlborough and the Barossa Valley.
Jim Delegat said last year that the group was intent on continuing to grow long-term demand for its wines and the purchase of top quality vineyards would ensure supply.
Green Cross Health has a strong focus. It has rebranded its business and built a strong position in the sector, judges noted.
Green Cross is chasing growth through acquisitions in the primary healthcare sector, and bought a 50 per cent share of Total Care Health Services in March, its first expansion into community healthcare.
Before the name change in March, Green Cross had largely been seen as a retail pharmacy operating the Unichem, Amcal, Life Pharmacy, Radius and Care Chemist brands and running medical centres.
The company has consolidated its five pharmacy brands down to Life Pharmacy and Unichem, and relaunched its reward programme, Living Rewards, which it wants to expand across all business units.
Last month it announced it had had bought medical centre operator Peak Primary, which owns 11 medical centres. Radius Medical, a Green Cross subsidiary, will take over the business.
Infrastructure investor Infratil, whose "long track record of growth makes it a company that is hard to ignore" was a finalist in the best growth strategy category of the Deloitte Top 200 Awards .
Infratil had made some "excellent" investments and recycled capital into new acquisitions such as with Z Energy and Metlifecare, the judges said.
The 20-year-old company owns energy, transport and social infrastructure with the objective of providing its shareholders above average returns.
Earlier this month Intratil said it had $600 million in the bank and that it would return $120 million to investors via a special dividend and share buyback; and its shares have been trading at their highest in seven years. The capital return follows the sale of its Australian energy assets for a net $670 million.
The company also posted a 73 per cent rise in first-half earnings to $398.8 million following the sale of its European airports, its PayGlobal investment in August and the IEA Group in September of this year.
Wellington-based Infratil expects full-year earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation and asset valuation changes of $475 million to $500 million.