With the deadline for nominations and entries to the InnovationAus Awards for Excellence just one week away, we are delighted to announced that Australia’s Chief Scientist Cathy Foley and eminent business leader David Thodey have returned in 2023 to joint role of Patrons.
The entry deadline for this prestigious awards program is midnight on Friday June 2. The entry and nomination process is straight-forward, so get cracking. If you have any questions or experience difficulties meeting the deadline, please contact awards@innovationaus.com.
Our goal is to get as many entrepreneurs and innovators into this program as possible – and to profile as many as we can on this website in the coming months.
Returning for their third tour of duty as Patrons of the InnovationAus Awards for Excellence, Dr Foley and Mr Thodey don’t need any introduction to readers of InnovationAus.com – they are both greatly respected figures and hugely influential across the Australian research, business and government landscapes.
InnovationAus.com is very grateful for the ongoing support – and the generosity of spirit (and time!) that Dr Foley and Mr Thodey have shown in meeting with our finalists each year. And for their continued attendance at the black-tie Awards dinner (this year being held a the Hordern Pavilion on Wednesday November 1.)
“New science and technology is set to transform the economy, the work we do and the way we live our lives,” Dr Foley told InnovationAus.com. “The work of Australian innovators is so important to this transformation – they bring discoveries to impact, and help science to make a difference in so many sectors.
“Innovation isn’t easy. It needs fresh thinking, willingness to take a risk, and a lot of hard work to bring all the pieces of the puzzle and different areas of expertise together. Real transformative change takes place when people are willing to challenge the status quo and habits of thought,” she said.
“I look forward to seeing the nominations for these awards every year. I always find the achievements and inventiveness of Australian innovators incredibly inspiring.”
Dr Cathy Foley has been Australia’s chief scientist since January 2021, a role she was appointed to after 14 years at the CSIRO, where she finished as the chief scientist at the national science agency.
“New science and technology is set to transform the economy, the work we do and the way we live our lives,” Dr Foley said. “The work of Australian innovators is so important to this transformation – they bring discoveries to impact, and help science to make a difference in so many sectors.
“Innovation isn’t easy. It needs fresh thinking, willingness to take a risk, and a lot of hard work to bring all the pieces of the puzzle and different areas of expertise together. Real transformative change takes place when people are willing to challenge the status quo and habits of thought.
“I look forward to seeing the nominations for these awards every year. I always find the achievements and inventiveness of Australian innovators incredibly inspiring.”
Dr Foley is a physicist whose pioneering work on geomagnetic sensing led to commercial products that assisted in the discovery of billions of dollars in ore deposits in the resources sector.
David Thodey is a former CEO of IBM Australia and Telstra. He is current chairperson of Tyro Payments and Xero, and is on the global board of Vodafone.
Mr Thodey conducted the last in-depth review of the Australian Public Service in 2019, and earlier this year handed government the influential audit of the myGov digital platform.
“We are living through an incredibly vibrant technological era across the world right now. There are great opportunities for Australian innovators and entrepreneurs to create new products and services, and to build new companies,” Mr Thodey said. “Australia needs a vibrant and growing technology sector to create new jobs and support industry transformations.”
“It is important that we celebrate these talented people and their efforts. We need to champion their achievements. It is always inspiring and uplifting to watch these research and commercialisation stars being recognised for their success.
“I am pleased to be a Patron of these Awards and wish every nominee all the best. It takes courage to build new things, and all of these individuals and companies deserve to be commended.”
The Awards for Excellence Categories in 2023 are:
- The Paul Shetler Disrupter of the Year Award
- Innovation Leadership Award
- Creative Technology and Software
- Cybersecurity
- Defence, Dual-Use Technology and Space
- Energy & Renewables
- Food & AgriTech
- GovTech Project, Product or Service
- HealthTech
- Industry 4.0
- Manufacturing Innovation
- Software Innovation
- Translation Hero Award
- People’s Choice Award
- Australian Hero Award
For further details of categories and judging criteria, please go to the InnovationAus Awards for Excellence website. You can get in touch with the organisers at awards@innovationaus.com. The online entry process is not onerous. All judging is carried out by a panel of expert peers independent of InnovationAus.
Good luck!
Do you know more? Contact James Riley via Email.