Wollongong green hydrogen start-up Hysata has taken out the Illawarra's top business award at this year's IMB Bank Illawarra Business Awards.
The global leader in green hydrogen technology began as a piece of Illawarra ingenuity, spun out of research at the University of Wollongong.
"I'd like to dedicate this to our amazing team, who are doing incredibly innovative work in our Port Kembla facility, and we're exporting that technology to the world," Hysata CEO Paul Barrett told the audience.
In addition to the Business of the Year award, Hysata also took home the Excellence in Tech and Excellence in Innovation categories, showcasing how leading Illawarra businesses are high-tech, forward looking enterprises.
In a first, Greenacres Disability Services received a highly commended for Business of the Year. The judges highlighted Greenacres's commitment to innovation, continuous improvement and adaptation as worthy of recognition.
Adam Zarth, executive director of Business Illawarra said the awards highlighted the breadth and depth of the Illawarra business community.
More than ever before, our region's prospects across an expanding range of sectors - and in small and medium enterprise particularly - are thriving, and tonight's winners are a showcase of the many businesses grasping those opportunities.
Individuals recognised on the business community's night of nights included Jemma Tribe, representing Nowra Community, honoured as the region's Outstanding Business Leader. Christine Cross of The Cram Foundation took out the Outstanding Employee award and Jane Curran from Curran Plumbing and Electrical was recognised as Outstanding Young Business Leader.
"Our local businesses have shown once again how fortunate we all are to have such a talented pool of individuals driving the fortunes of our local economy forward," Mr Zarth said.
The full list of award winners:
- Excellence in Customer Service - Highlands Drivesafe
- Excellence in Tech - Hysata
- Highly Commended - Sicona Battery Technologies
- Excellence in Tourism & Hospitality - Jamberoo Action Park
- Highly Commended - Cupitt's Estate
- Excellence in Workplace Culture - IPAR Rehabilitation
- Excellence in Innovation - Hysata
- Excellence in Sustainability - The Illawarra Hotel
- Excellence in International Business - Sicona Battery Technologies
- Outstanding Employee - Christine Cross, The Cram Foundation
- Outstanding Young Business Leader - Jane Curran, Curran Plumbing and Electrical
- Highly Commended - Rachelle Crilly, IPAR Rehabilitation
- Outstanding Business Leader - Jemma Tribe, Nowra Community
- Highly Commended - Amy Hall, Banksia Support Services
- Highly Commended - Chris Christodoulou, Greenacres Disability Services Outstanding Community Organisation - Greenacres Disability Services
- Outstanding Start-up - Green Gravity
- Excellence in Micro Business - Aquilla Fishing Charters
- Excellence in Small Business - Sprout Scientific
- Excellence in Large Business - Symbio Wildlife Park
- Highly Commended - RMB Lawyers
- 2023 IMB Bank Business of the Year - Hysata
- Highly commended - Greenacres Disability Services
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