Top 100 CEO Interviews
Issue No. 37 - October/November 2007
Stable T100 reflects good management
It could be said the past financial year has been the Dickensian best and worst of times.
While SA’s manufacturing sector is under increasing pressure generally, building and construction remains strong and defence work is ramping up. Drought is an ever-present threat to regional prosperity but SA’s mining industry is taking off and accelerating the state’s infrastructure renewal program.
And the latest international financial meltdown adds yet another dimension for our CEOs to be
wary of.
The Top 100 SA 2007 Company Index of the state’s biggest locally owned enterprises shows the pillars of our business community are standing up well to interesting times.
BankSA General Manager - Commercial and Rural Business Banking, Lindsay Hick, believes the Top 100’s solid performance reflects consistent management.
He notes the “bias to certain industries” that have continued performing to the level of previous years, notably the construction sector.
Most remarkably, big agri-business seems unaffected by drought conditions, but Lindsay says regional businesses see the big dry as a serious threat.
“All businesses in regional SA can potentially feel the effects of drought and restricted water allocations - it’s a significant challenge to businesses, not only those directly affected but those in the supply chain and within dependent communities,” Lindsay says.
“They are all thinking very, very carefully about the implementation of water strategies and business plans to maintain the viability of businesses in the months and years ahead.”
Water is also among the concerns facing the T100 companies engaged in the economy’s boom sectors. Lindsay believes T100 class companies expect growth conditions to endure through the longer term off the back of resource development and defence work.
Top-of-mind issues are funding expansion, amassing resources to service demand a...
