SIA is 17th in Fortunes' list of most admired companies
Airline only one of four non-US firms in ranking; it beats
ExxonMobil, Boeing
By VEN SREENIVASAN
(SINGAPORE) Singapore Airlines is flying dizzyingly high - among
the world's most admired companies, it has been ranked 17th by
Fortune magazine, beating the likes of ExxonMobil and Boeing of the
US.
The airline is only one of four non-US companies in Fortune All
Star List 2007. It was also the only South-east Asian company in
the list, which appears in the March 19 issue of the international
magazine. It was also the only airline listed in the top 50
rankings.
Leading the rankings are General Electric, the 7th time in a decade
the US powerhouse has led the All Stars rankings. In second place
was Toyota Motors, followed by Procter & Gamble, Johnson &
Johnson and Apple, in that order.
SIA actually moved up two notches on the rankings from 19th
position last year. Fortune cited SIA and other All Stars for their
ability to steer through turbulent and unpredictable market
conditions which it said was achieved as a result of strong
strategies, sound management, attractive products, strong financial
positions and committed employees.
SIA beat giant notables like ExxonMobil, Boeing, Citigroup and
Coca-Cola in the standings.
Fortune commissioned Hay Group to survey 1,506 executives, analysts
and directors in 347 companies from 26 countries worldwide for the
ranking.
Companies ranked were those with revenues of more than US$8
billion. Respondents were asked to rate companies in their
industries on nine attributes using a 10-point scale, with 10 being
the highest score.
The latest recognition is just another of a long list of accolades
the airline has won over the past four decades - from investors,
industry groups and financial market observers.
SIA's standing is such that a recent search for a new advertising
account resulted in a high-flying dogfight among the world's
leading creative agencies.
After a two-month search, SIA shortlisted DDB, Publicis and TBWA
for the final stage of evaluation. The hotly contested race began
in January with about 15 agencies vying for the job which had been
held by Batey Ads.
Batey had run the account since the airline was founded in 1972,
and developed the iconic Singapore Girl for SIA.