Ernst &Young >About us>2011 Independent Judging Panel - Ernst & Young - New Zealand

David Johnson
Trends Publishing International
Winner 1998 Entrepreneur Of The Year
World Entrepreneur Of The Year Judge 2000

David has a passion for entrepreneurs and their creations that is legendary.  As one of the country’s leading media entrepreneurs he has the uncanny ability to literally spot trends before they become mainstream. Consequently he has parlayed this power into what is now a global multimedia company publishing magazines and setting the benchmark in style around the world.

Bill Day
Seaworks Limited
Winner 2000 Entrepreneur Of The Year
World Entrepreneur Of The Year Judge 2002

When Stephen Spielberg and Peter Jackson want to get their feet wet, Bill Day is their first port of call.  Anything to do with being at one with the sea is his domain. From movie marine management through to aquatic robots for exploration under the waves, if it needs to work at sea anyone else but Bill will only be making waves.

Greg Cross
Cross Ventures, PowerbyProxi and PureBlack Racing

Greg is a serial entrepreneur who spends most of his time working with his wireless power company PowerbyProxi and New Zealand’s first professional cycling team PureBlack Racing which has just successfully completed its first season on the international stage in the US. Whether its building a global tech company or taking PureBlack Racing to the Tour de France, building international teams which deliver against their vision is in his DNA. Greg is also Chairman of the ICEHOUSE which recently launched www.3000.org.nz as a target for NZ's economic growth over the next 10 years.

John Hynds
Hynds Pipes Limited
Winner Entrepenuer Of The Year 1999

Who would have thought retaining walls were so significant? The answer is John Hynds. John had his first foray into the industry 38 years ago by undertaking a contract to build a retaining wall on Auckland’s southern motorway. Today he is the Chairman of the company he founded and can claim thirty nationwide sales centres in New Zealand & three in Australia, ten concrete factories, a foundry, and a plastic pipes plant, which are collectively staffed by over 600 employees.

Diane Forman
Emerald Group
Winner Entrepenuer Of The Year 2009
World Entrepreneur Of The Year Judge 2011

At first glance you might think Diane Foreman’s business successes are built on a random gathering of potential, but closer analysis reveals a natural entrepreneur who is astute, tireless, deliberate and planned in her approach.

Diane’s holding company, Emerald Group, has three main businesses; Healthcare Holdings, Emerald Foods and Emergent Recruitment. These businesses employ 4,110 people and have a global reach that spans 32 countries. As the winner of the 2009 New Zealand Entrepreneur Of The Year award, Diane went on to impress the judges at the world event and has been invited back to sit on the judging panel in Monte Carlo in June 2011.