Seeley International Founder and Chairman, Mr Frank Seeley AM has emerged victorious from a strong field of national contenders, and has been crowned the Innovation and Design Executive of the Year at the fourth annual Executive of the Year Awards.
The 2015 awards program saw more than 600 contenders considered across 22 categories, and are designed to identify the achievements of aspiring and established leaders. Winners were judged on their personal achievements, the contribution and differences the individual has made to their company, financial highlights, and new initiatives that they have established.
Mr Seeley said it was an honour to have received this prestigious award, which he accepted on behalf of the entire Seeley International team.
“Seeley International’s envied reputation for innovation has been achieved through the ongoing contribution and tireless commitment of an outstanding team of experts, and we have brought together the best minds in the industry to set new industry benchmarks and achieve world firsts as the standard way we do business,” Mr Seeley said.
“This innovation accolade tops off another outstanding year for Seeley International, during which we have unveiled a number of world firsts – including our range of high performance inverter axial coolers, the 7-star equivalent* super energy-efficient ducted gas heater, and next-generation Braemar and Breezair evaporative air conditioners, including the game-changing Braemar SuperStealth® series,” he said.
“This level of sustained success doesn’t happen by accident, and I encourage other business leaders to push boundaries, question the status quo, and draw on their entrepreneurial spirit, as secrets to achieving similar global success.”
“Our commitment to innovation is reflected in the many awards that we have received for our ranges of heaters and evaporative air conditioners throughout the year – including a win in the 2015 Good Design Australia awards, and Best New Product in The Australian Business Awards for our energy-efficient 7-star equivalent Braemar ducted gas heater.”
This has also been a highly-successful year on a personal level for Mr Seeley as well, receiving a number of additional awards in recognition of his leadership and entrepreneurial spirit – including being the inaugural Hall of Fame recipient in the IMPACT Awards, as well as the first ever winner of the CCN HVACR Leader of the Year Award in August.
Another highlight of 2015 was Seeley International’s acquisition of Coolerado Corporation, a Denver-based manufacturer of innovative, award-winning, air conditioning systems for commercial, industrial, government, and military use.
“Manufacturers must embrace two key things: they must innovate like there is no tomorrow, and also to automate, automate, automate – if they want to create a sustainable manufacturing base that delivers market-leading products to the rest of the world,” he said.
Mr Seeley was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2001 and won South Australian Entrepreneur of the Year in 2005. In addition to being state winner of the coveted Jason Lea Award by Family Business Australia in 2010, in 2011 he was named South Australian of the Year, was awarded the Ernst and Young Champion of Entrepreneurship in 2013 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Manufacturers Monthly in 2012.
*Star rating equivalent. Based on Australian Gas Association’s calculated tests.