On 2 June, Telstra announced its newly launched awards program, the Telstra Best of Business Awards which aim to showcase and celebrate small and medium-sized businesses and exceptional leaders who are using innovation and expertise to help drive the nation forward.
Telstra Consumer and Small Business Group Executive Michael Ackland commented on Telstra’s opportunity to reflect and reimagine an awards program of the future.
We hope by creating this new program, we will lead a national conversation and shine a light on businesses that are making a meaningful contribution to Australia and provide them with the recognition they deserve.
Michael Ackland
The most significant change to the awards program is the introduction of a new, annually-changing awards category, Progressing Australia. The new category will highlight businesses that are best responding to the most pressing issues the nation faces.
Telstra will conduct extensive research each year with the Australian public and business experts to gain a pulse check of Australia and the issues that matter the most. The results of the research will be used to set the national agenda for the awards of that year.
This year’s focus is Local Leadership, targeting small businesses that are excelling in their role of building a thriving community of the future. This comes after this year’s research showing 96% of Australian consumers noted that small businesses are an important part of their community.
Another area that is at the heart of the revamped awards program is the Diversity and Inclusion category which features improved accessibility to the entry process and the creation of new categories.
This includes Indigenous Excellence for Indigenous-owned businesses, Accelerating Women for businesses challenging exclusion and inequality, and Building Communities for businesses working to make a positive impact on their communities.
We are committed to embedding diversity and inclusion and ensuring all business owners from a cross-section of industries, sizes, categories and locations are able to enter and are judged fairly.
We want to give everyone across Australia the opportunity to be on the main stage.
Michael Ackland, Telstra
All business under 200 employees are invited to nominate and enter across eight categories.
Entering the Telstra Best of Business Awards is about celebrating what you have done with your business, and winning some PR and attention while being ranked with your peers. The judging process will seek to identify those who are having most impact in the areas and industries most important to Australia’s growth.
Anyone can nominate a business, including your own, by heading to the website here.
