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.