The sixth annual Executive of the Year Awards, presented by The CEO Magazine, were held at Crown in Melbourne last night.
Taking out the CEO of the Year category was Michael Ebeid, CEO and managing director of SBS.
Ebeid was also awarded with the Media Executive of the Year Award.
The award comes during one of the busiest weeks of the year for Ebeid as he was at the helm of the broadcaster’s 2018 Upfront on Tuesday in Sydney.
Ebeid is also a Member of the Order of Australia for “significant service to broadcast media and multicultural affairs as an executive, innovator and business leader”.
Commenting on the award, Ebeid said: “I’m incredibly honoured to receive both the CEO of the Year and Media Executive of the Year Awards and would like to thank The CEO Magazine, the judges, and everyone at SBS, who inspire me every day.
“It’s an absolute privilege to lead an important organisation like SBS and as our nation’s cultural complexity continues to evolve, I’m proud of the increasingly important role that we play in helping Australians to understand each other better.’
In accepting his award, Ebeid also commented it was a great day for marriage equality and he hopes his partner of 14 years can one day become his husband.
Ebeid was presented with his award at the black-tie event held at Palladium, Crown Melbourne, in front of more than 550 guests.
The Awards were hosted by Eddie McGuire and judged by an expert panel of business professionals. These included Janine Allis, founder of Boost Juice and Retail Zoo, and an investor on Shark Tank Australia, and Libby Roy, VP and MD of PayPal Australia.
Meanwhile in the Sales Executive of the Year category there was a draw which resulted in the announcement of joint winners:
Steven Hoyle, commercial director, Employsure, and Andrea Ingham, director of sales ANZ, Spotify.