Telstra Best of Business Awards 2023: Finalists in Professional Services
Telstra has revealed its finalists for this year’s Best of Business Awards, with over two dozen small to mid-sized professional services and consulting firms making the shortlist.
The Best of Business Awards program, which is now closing in on thirty years of celebrating the nation’s small and medium-sized business achievements, altogether received over 20,000 nominations, with less than 250 of those selected as finalists.
“SMEs play a unique and essential role as the foundation for Australia’s financial, cultural and social prosperity,” the competition states. “Our goal is to recognise and reward businesses moving Australia forward and inspiring the next generation through their ingenuity and resilience. In business, change occurs at the speed oflight. Australia’s best SMEs are those able to change gears and respond, both to their own and their community needs.”
The awards cover seven individual categories: Outstanding Growth, Accelerating Women, Building Communities, Championing Health, Embracing Innovation, Indigenous Excellence, and Promoting Sustainability. State winners will be announced over the next two months, with national winners chosen in late March.
The professional services and consulting firms named finalists represent a range of categories and states:
Outstanding Growth
Proximity (ACT)
Proximity is a provider of integrated consulting, legal and commercial services to government and large organisations. The firm collaborates with clients to overcome challenges and are passionate about achieving excellent outcomes. Proximity also supports the local community through pro bono services, sponsorships and volunteering.
Promoting Sustainability
Rennie (Qld)
By pairing strategic, considered and insightful advice with a collaborative way of working, Rennie helps organisations confidently and optimistically map the future of their venture. Rennie is committed to supporting businesses navigate their transition to a net-zero, sustainable future. The team uphold values of authenticity, excellence, and resilience.
Indigenous Excellence
IPS Management Consultants (WA)
IPS Management Consultants provide innovative and focused consulting services to clients from government departments and corporates, to local businesses around Australia. The team is made up of strong directors and experienced project managers with diverse skills who are committed to navigating client requirements. They embrace opportunities to create meaningful pathways for Indigenous communities and businesses.
Kristal Kinsela Consulting (NSW)
Kristal Kinsela works closely with corporate and government leaders to articulate their diversity vision, change organisational culture, develop procurement policies, action their plans and connect with talented Indigenous businesses. From consultancy and work-shopping to coaching and individual training, its mission is to connect people and move them into action.
Murawin (Qld)
Murawin is a highly experienced and accredited consultancy, owned and operated by First Nations people. They're dedicated to creating impact by breaking cycles of disadvantage and amplifying initiatives that contribute to improved futures for Indigenous Australians and other marginalised groups. With staff operating nationally, each team member brings unique strengths to their projects, clients and communities.
Rainy Day Recruitment (SA)
Rainy Day Recruitment is a specialist recruiting and advisory business, promoting employment across STEM, Professional Services and Government roles in South Australia. Director Kristi McMillan and her team make recruitment easy by matching their services to the specific needs of customers.
Winyama Digital Solutions (WA)
Winyama is an Indigenous owned and operated business specialising in Geographic Information Systems and Cloud solutions. The business works with commercial, public sector and First Nations organisations to create digital solutions that optimises the management of the Indigenous land estate in Australia.
Accelerating Women
House Digital (WA)
House Digital delivers bespoke digital solutions to companies and organisations that don't fit a traditional SME business mould, such as social enterprises, non-profits, non-governmental organisations and industry bodies. Led by co-founders Jo and Ross Minney, the team is passionate about user experience, data-driven decision making and empowering their clients to solve problems using cutting-edge technology.
Barker Ryan Stewart (NSW)
Barker Ryan Stewart is a property and infrastructure consultancy that helps create better communities and deliver high-quality infrastructure. Barker Ryan Stuart works closely with clients to plan, manage and design better solutions, with a collaborative approach that provides a better solution, every time.
Soco (Qld)
Soco is a information technology consultancy that does something special - places people first and technology second. In partnership with clients, Soco delivers transformative business outcomes with the intelligent and human-centered use of information technology. Solutions align to several categories including content and collaboration, business applications, strategy and architecture, data analytics, and finance.
Struber (Qld)
Struber believe in building a better, brighter future through infrastructure. Their professional services have supported infrastructure projects across government, independent, national and international organisations. The team of specialists have the skills and expertise to provide practical and innovative services, who are passionate about projects that define our future.
Torode Solutions (ACT)
Torode Solutions is a professional services consultancy providing services to defence and other public and private sectors. The Torode Solutions team assist people, first responders and Australian Defence Force Veterans transition to positions with purpose. They offer project management, commercial procurement, and integrated logistics support.
Embracing Innovation
ADAPT by Design (WA)
ADAPT By Design has a vision to build incredible communities by empowering small and medium businesses, globally, and to address the staggering failure rates of Australian SMEs. The business works towards this goal by empowering high performing leaders and teams, to ensure businesses are set up to scale sustainably and profitably.
Bluerydge (ACT)
Bluerydge is an Australian owned and operated cyber security and technology firm, focused on providing solutions, quality outcomes and premium customer service. Their identity is built on the vision to generate local contributions to Australia's national security landscape.
Liberate Learning (Vic)
Liberate Learning is one of the fastest growing and most respected digital and blended learning services providers in Australia. The team advise and equip clients with digital learning strategies, apps, learning platforms, technology, eLearning, and blended learning solutions.
Lime Intelligence (Qld)
With more than 150 years of experience in a team of qualified business and IT professionals, Lime Intelligence combines knowing what people need from a business perspective with cutting edge cloud based technology to give tailored solutions. With a vision to revolutionise the way business intelligence is delivered from traditional analysis on the desktops of a select few to a pivotal tool used across all teams in a self-service and mobile-accessible model, Lime is driving a change in the way people are doing business.
MI Academy (Vic)
MI Academy is a team training and consultancy provider, giving retailers the confidence and capabilities needed to drive enhanced marketing performance, customer experience, design thinking and organisational change. Unlike an agency, they believe in skills for life, not just for the life of one campaign.
Pursuit Technology (ACT)
Pursuit Technology helps business leaders use data to prove their strategic impact through a distinct technology setup that combines digitised capability mapping with learning management, experience and analytics. Their work is underpinned by their values of innovation, impact, empathy, courage, and transparency.
Building Communities
Anywise (Vic)
Anywise is a purpose driven consulting company that's driven by more than just profit, committing a portion of its profit to philanthropic pursuits that align with the passion of its staff. Anywise believes companies should be a force for good and make a difference to the communities they operate in and the planet.
CLUBMAP (Vic)
CLUBMAP is an innovative community club support business delivering on its stated purpose of creating healthy clubs for connected communities. Beginning as a passion project for its five founders, CLUBMAP has become a growing online business supporting metro, regional and remote community sporting clubs across Australia.
Division 5 (Qld)
Division 5 is an Australian cyber security consultancy on a mission to prepare businesses for cyber attacks before they happen. They offer expert advice, testing and attack simulation to make meaningful improvements to their clients' cyber security risk. As the need for Australian cyber security is consistently growing, Division 5 is proud to be part of the solution.
Eyre Business (SA)
Launched in 2020 to create work opportunities for rural Australians, Eyre Business has built a reputation for professional administration services and corporate experience, aligned with strong social benefit. The committed, friendly team provides tailored, cost-effective virtual office support while helping rural economies to become more resilient among ongoing challenges of drought, floods, fires and Covid-19.
Honeycomb.Design (SA)
Honeycomb.Design is a group of creative and tech savvy individuals with a wide range of skills and knowledge in graphic and web design, online technologies and cross-platform solutions, content creation, business development and tech trends. The team is driven by the need to give wings to a business' ideas and help them reach their goals.
Just Gold Digital Agency (Vic)
Just Gold is a full-service consultancy and creative agency with offices in Melbourne and Sydney. The business is also an accredited social enterprise and offers pro bono or low bono services via its impact program.
Torode Solutions (ACT)
Torode Solutions is a professional services consultancy providing services to Defence and other public and private sectors. The Torode Solutions team assist people, first responders and Australian Defence Force Veterans transition to positions with purpose. They offer project management, commercial procurement, and integrated logistics support.
