Diana Harrington, formerly Diane Foreman, was recently named Lifetime Achievement winner at the NEXT Woman of the Year Awards, for her work in paving the way for women in business.
It was the latest recognition for someone widely regarded as one of New Zealand's most successful businesswomen.
Harrington is the chief executive of Emerald Group, which has investments in New Zealand healthcare, manufacturing in New Zealand and America, high-level recruitment and a boutique hotel on Auckland's North Shore.
She is also a former deputy chair of the Business Roundtable and has also worked with a number of charities. She was the 2009 New Zealand EY Entrepreneur of the Year and in 2014 was named by Forbes magazine as one of the most powerful women in Asia.
Harrington has many years’ experience running and growing successful businesses in health, property, recruitment, and of course, award-winning ice cream, in the form of New Zealand Natural, which she sold to a Hong Kong-based company in 2015 for an undisclosed sum.
Her remaining business interests include the Chelsea Group, which renovates and on-sells upmarket homes.
She is a director and holds a 40% stake in Auckland-based recruitment company Emergent, founded in 2002 by Carmen Bailey.
Harrington is also working on a book with EY on 14 of the global and country winners of the annual Entrepreneur of the Year competition, which is due out this year.
2018: $200 million