The 2006 Alfred Stauder award for excellence

Colin Hughes, the chief executive of Snow Confectionery, has received the 2006 Alfred Stauder Award for Excellence.

The award is presented annually at the Confectionery Manufacturers of Australasia's (CMA) annual conference ConBiz. The award is in recognition of an individual's significant contribution to the development, growth and prestige of the Australasian confectionery industry.

Hughes was recognised for his 32 years of experience in the confectionery industry, including 23 years as the managing director of Snow Confectionery. He has been a pioneer in the area of sugar-free products, with his company the first to sell deposited sugar hard candy in a hang-sell bag. In 1982, Colin was one of the first manufacturers in Australia to use deposited technology to make caramels. This process revolutionised the market and resulted in a huge cost saving to businesses, opening up export opportunities. He was a director of the CMA Board from 1999 to 2005 and was a director of NZ Food Group Ltd from 1998 to 2002.

Hughes was one of four nominees for the Alfred Stauder Award for Excellence. The other nominees included:

• Professor David Buisson, Assistant Dean, External Relations Portfolio, Queensland University of Technology (formerly University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand).
• John Lee, consultant, Confectionery Consulting - Apercu Pty Ltd, Sydney, NSW.
• Frank Miller, retired director, Cadbury Schweppes Pty Ltd, Melbourne, Victoria.