Calling her the "Stand out" candidate is a deliberate and stupid insult to anyone else who might have applied for the job. The insinuation implied is that they will die before they are ever promoted and should therefore leave Qantas.
To put it another way; LS has just told any competitors or colleagues of the lady to "eff off and die."
The usual formulation is that "there was a very strong field of candidates, and....."