Congratulations Diane Foreman, Emerald Group Limited
The 2009 New Zealand Ernst &Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Diane Foreman, Emerald Group Limited, was named the New Zealand Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year for 2009 at a glittering award ceremony at the Langham Hotel Auckland, Thursday 22nd October. Diane will represent New Zealand at the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards in Monte Carlo in May 2010.
Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards Director Jon Hooper congratulated all finalists.
"The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards is a unique opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate talented and dynamic people who are contributing to our economy and to society in so many ways,” says Hooper.
“Diane managed to differentiate herself even in this year’s stellar line up of entrepreneurs. It takes a great deal of passion, drive and perseverance to be chosen to represent your country on the world stage. Diane has all of this in spades, as well as the qualities of leadership and innovation the judges of the World Entrepreneur Of The Year in Monte Carlo expect to see," says Hooper.
Diane Foreman, Emerald Group
A Non-Vanilla World
In business terms, Diane Foreman’s world is clearly not vanilla. Not even hokey-pokey. In fact, in ice cream terms, it would be near impossible to pick a flavour that captured the diversity of her Emerald Group.
Nevertheless, ice cream is an important part of her empire. Purchased as a failing business Diane saw its potential. She implemented a new management team and a changed strategy that has seen it become New Zealand’s largest franchise business. Under a number of high profile brands—most notably ‘New Zealand Natural’—a range of tasty treats are shipped from Auckland to almost 700 own franchised stores in 21 countries. Being part of one of New Zealand’s prime industries, dairying, gives Diane immense satisfaction.
She’s also involved in health care with an aptly named Healthcare Holdings (23% owned by Emerald) providing private hospital and clinic facilities and owning 100% of the MercyAscot Group). Diane’s most proud of ensuring private radiography is now an option for New Zealanders.
Broadening the sweet and surgery base, Emerald Group is involved in hospitality and tourism via the boutique, Auckland-based Emerald Inn; a 50% holding in specialist, high level recruitment and contracting company Emergent Limited provides a good investment as well as a source for key talent to help manage her Group.
As is the case with many entrepreneurs, Diane didn’t have much of a taste for education leaving school at 15 with no tertiary qualification. She trained as a typist and in her early 20s became a medical secretary.
When former husband Bill Foreman came to the practice one day, a strong business and marriage partnership began. A major stroke in 1990 prompted Bill to promote Dianne to board status of his Trigon Holdings in order to learn the business as well as manage family interests.
Eventually becoming CEO, she single-handedly negotiated the sale of Trigon to US interests at a purchase price of NZ$130 million.
Post deal, Diane continued to create success on her own terms. Today her four ‘gems’ of completely different heritage directly, or through shareholding, employs over 4,000 people and has interests in 29 countries.
