Over the past 14 years, the DHL/SCMP Hong Kong Business Awards have recognised excellence under the categories: Business Person of the Year, Executive Award, Owner-Operator Award, Young Entrepreneur Award, International Award and Enterprise Award. Ahead of the presentation for this year's winners on December 2, every Monday we will speak to one of last year's winners and see how each has fared in the past 12 months.
For the past eight years, Cathay Pacific Airways chief David Turnbull has navigated the airline through some of its most turbulent times - the Asian crisis, moving from Kai Tak to Chek Lap Kok, industrial disputes, the fallout from September 11 and the Sars epidemic.
So Mr Turnbull - who won last year's Executive Award - was hoping for some respite this year. 'We thought this year we might have a quiet year. Of course now we have been hit by a huge fuel price.'
The airline has been helped through each crisis by what he describes as the firm's conservative management.
'Have money in the bank for a rainy day - that's the way we operate,' Mr Turnbull said.
'It's not very fashionable with business school - gear up, get return on equity blah, blah, blah. But actually it's a better way to run a company, I think.'
Such an approach ensured no staff had to be laid off during Sars last year when Cathay even considered grounding the entire fleet.