We are proud to celebrate MajorDomo’s Managing Director, Fiona Stevens, who has been named a finalist for the Auckland Airport Tourism Industry Champion Award at the 2025 New Zealand Tourism Awards.
This award recognises an outstanding tourism professional with more than ten years in the industry. This year saw a record 150 entries, judged by a panel of 35 industry leaders who described the calibre of submissions as “exceptional.” Being recognised as a finalist amongst such a competitive field is an outstanding achievement, and reflects Fiona’s long-standing contribution to New Zealand’s tourism sector.
The judges described Fiona as someone who has been “quietly contributing to the growth of New Zealand’s luxury tourism industry for over 30 years,” and highlighted her as “a standout leader in New Zealand’s luxury tourism sector” with the “vision, resilience and commitment to excellence” that have shaped MajorDomo and the wider industry. They noted that her “strategic leadership and enduring contributions make her a remarkable figure in the industry.”
Fiona’s tourism career began in 1987 at Tourism New Zealand, followed by senior roles at Tourism Holdings, Destination Queenstown, ID Tours and Southern World Vacations during formative periods of industry growth, where she played a foundational role in building some of the industry’s core structures.
In 1992, she established the Queenstown Convention Bureau (QCB), introducing a membership-funded model that fundamentally strengthened Queenstown’s business events sector. By 1998, Fiona was leading New Zealand’s earliest cooperative offshore sales roadshows, uniting operators from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa to present a united voice in key US and UK markets. This collaborative mindset later led her to launch Leapfrog Services in 2001, New Zealand’s first company dedicated to organising cooperative domestic and offshore trade roadshows.
Since founding MajorDomo in 2013, Fiona has continued her pattern of firsts. Under her leadership, MajorDomo has scaled from a small Queenstown start-up into one of New Zealand’s most respected and extensive luxury villa portfolios, renowned for its quality and representing over 250 luxury homes across the country. Under the MajorDomo brand, she has also helped bring to life two of the country’s most celebrated luxury accommodations: The Lodge at The Hills, the New Zealand’s first ultra-luxury lodge to go to market at over $20,000 per night, and Mahu Whenua, a story of philanthropy, conservation and luxury that directly supports large-scale biodiversity conservation efforts. Both continue to set the benchmark for ultra-luxury travel in New Zealand.
Throughout her career, Fiona has been a strong advocate for industry collaboration, strategic alignment and shared learning. As an Executive Member of Luxury Lodges of New Zealand (2017–2021), she contributed to the organisation’s strategy, strengthened partnerships with key trade partners and reinforced New Zealand’s position as a luxury destination globally. She has consistently participated in major industry events, always with a focus on knowledge-sharing and promoting collective growth. Fiona has also mentored staff, colleagues and emerging industry leaders for decades, believing that the future strength of tourism in Aotearoa depends on investing in people.
Across all roles, Fiona’s leadership has been grounded in hard work, a commitment to excellence, and a determination to build sustainable, high-value tourism experiences – values which are central to MajorDomo’s ethos today.
We are proud to celebrate this recognition with Fiona, marking over 30 years of leadership, partnership-building and innovation. It also a reflects the values at the heart of MajorDomo, with Fiona’s vision continuing to drive the company’s evolution. Today, MajorDomo stands as a market-leading luxury tourism brand and a benchmark for quality, sustainability, and exceptional guest experiences across New Zealand. This nomination is a testament to both Fiona’s leadership and MajorDomo’s ongoing contribution to the country’s luxury tourism sector.
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