2020 CEO Of The Year

Louise Adams Chief Executive – Australia and New Zealand, Aurecon

- Saskia Tillers

When Louise Adams found out that she had won the prestigious title of CEO of the Year at The CEO Magazine’s virtual Executive of the Year Awards on 12 November 2020, the news came as a total shock.

“I’m a bit gobsmacked, to be honest,” she told The CEO Magazine at the time. “I’m blown away! It’s quite humbling and very exciting. I was honoured enough to be shortlisted!”

Louise added that she found the actual process of applying to be incredibly rewarding and encouraged others thinking about throwing their hat in the ring for 2021 to just “have a go and put yourself up for it”. In particular, she said she enjoyed being forced to pause and reflect on her achievements: “Most of the time you don’t get the chance to do that.”

As part of her acceptance speech on the evening of the event, Louise concluded that the Executive of the Year Awards has proved to be a positive opportunity to reflect on the past and prepare for a better future amid a climate of “disruption, uncertainty and, for some, sadly, despair”.

“With everything that is going on in the world, we need to recognise and celebrate good leadership when we see it, and I want to thank The CEO Magazine for enabling this to happen,” she said. “The role that business leaders are going to have to play in creating a better world moving forward is considerable. We often see what poor leadership looks like; however, we don’t often celebrate what good looks like, especially at an individual level. Now, more than ever, we need it.”