Since 1970, Range Rover has led by example through originality, exemplary design and a refusal to follow. Five decades on, it remains the benchmark for the luxury SUV, never out of place and never out of step.

That same instinct defines the leaders recognised in the BusinessDesk CEO Index, which returns for a second year in partnership with Range Rover.

The BusinessDesk CEO Index ranks the 25 New Zealand chief executives making the greatest impact on the country's business landscape.

An independent panel of judges, with experience across the spectrum of business and government have ranked CEOs against five values: vision, impact, innovation, resilience and influence. The criteria, inspired by Range Rover's brand belief to Lead by Example, allows the judges to evaluate the attributes that make a leader genuinely great and an example to others.

The categories:

• Listed Companies: chief executives of NZX-listed businesses.
• Private Companies: leaders of privately held New Zealand firms.
• Public Sector: chief executives whose decisions carry economic weight comparable to any listed company.
• Startups: founders and chief executives building the next generation.
• Professional Services (new for 2026): finance, insurance and business services, a sector accounting for roughly 30 per cent of national GDP.
• Judges' Choice (new for 2026): latitude to recognise a single leader whose contribution sits outside a scorecard.
  
  

The independent panel is convened by BusinessDesk editor Victoria Young, joined by Air NZ chair Dame Therese Walsh, Jarden co-head of investment banking Silvana Schenone, and director Fraser Whineray.