Steve Jobs a Finalist in 'CEO of the Year'


24/7 Wall Street has nominated Apple CEO Steve Jobs as one of the finalists for 'CEO of the Year'. Jobs is ranked alongside Rupert Murdoch (News Corp), Lloyd Blankfein of Goldman Sachs, Alan Lafley of Proctor and Gamble, and Charles Schwab.

The article notes that if the award were based upon stock performance alone, the result would be a no-brainer: AAPL shares have risen 160% in the last two years, while profit has grown from $57 million in fiscal 2003 to $3.5 billion in fiscal 2007. Meanwhile, the companies revenues have quadrupled, from $6 billion to $24 billion.

Part of the selection criteria is the competitive environment in which the firm operates; Apple has taken on Dell and HP in PCs, shipping 7 million Macs in fiscal 2007, with unit growth well ahead of its rivals. With the iPhone, Apple faces well-established giants Nokia and Motorola.

But there can only be one winner. To save you looking, it's Ivan Seidenberg of Verizon.