Top companies, chief executives ranked by fund managers

Extel, formerly Institutional Investor Research, has unveiled its inaugural executive survey, spotlighting Australia and New Zealand's top-ranked companies and chief executives.

The survey gathered feedback from over 250 investors, fund managers, and analysts from 139 firms.

To determine the "most honoured company," organisations were assessed on their scores across categories: chief executive, chief financial officer, investor relations professionals, investor relations program, ESG, and company board.

BHP posted the highest overall weighted score for most honoured company, with Macquarie Group, Aristocrat Leisure and CSL tied in second place, followed by Goodman Group. Carsales.com, Medibank Private, Contact Energy, AGL Energy, and Rio Tinto rounding out the top 10.

To identify the best chief executives and chief financial officers in the region, voters rated these individuals on their credibility, leadership, and quality of communication.

The survey found the best chief executives to be: Mike Henry of BHP (Basic Materials), Damien Nicks of AGL (Utilities & Alternative Energy), Shemara Wikramanayake of Macquarie Group (Banks & Non-bank Finance), Matt Halliday of Ampol (Chemicals, Oil, and Gas), and Matt Halliday of Wesfarmers (Consumer Staples).

The survey also named the best chief financial officers: Vandita Pant of BHP (Basic Materials), Anthony Gianotti of Wesfarmers (Consumer Staples), Graham Tiver of Woodside Energy Group (Chemicals, Oil & Gas), Alex Harvey, chief data officer of Macquarie Group (Banks & Non-bank Finance), Gary Brown of AGL Energy (Utilities & Alternative Energy), and Joy Carolyn Linton of CSL (Healthcare, Pharma & Biotech).