The CommBank SmallBiz Week made its return for the third year at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre last week, with the support of Salesforce, Nine Ad Manager, Cisco and Optus as official partners.
CommBank SmallBiz Week connects small business owners and leaders with industry suppliers through workshops and live stages, to learn about the latest products, services, and technologies. Delegates heard from over 100 thought leaders, business leaders, and industry experts covering topics directly affecting small businesses.
The CommBank Live Stage covered topics relating to the latest AI technologies, operations, human resources, and marketing.
The CommBank Young Hero Awards dinner kicked the week off on Tuesday 28 May at The Langham Hotel hosted by actor, Tony Nikolakopoulos.
Winners of the sponsored Awards included:
- STRONG Pilates co-founder, Michael Ramsey: CommBank Entrepreneur of the Year
- Slick Hair founder, Mia Plecic: Nine Ad Manager Rising Star Award
- Great Wrap co-founder, Julia Kay: Optus Sustainable Entrepreneur Award
- Alinga Energy Consulting director, Ruby Heard: Salesforce Indigenous Entrepreneur of the Year
Photo Credit: Zena Photography.
Other award winners included:
- Esper Satellite Imagery CEO, Shoaib Iqbal: Innovator of the Year
- Consent Labs co-founder, CEO and executive director, Angelique Wan: Social Impact Entrepreneur of the Year
- THDR Group founder, Timothy Aquino: Startup of the Year
- Blitz Bar co-founder, Brandon Efron: Excellence in Marketing
- Black Diamond Agency CEO, Tamara Haddow: Best Place to Work
- Aceso Group CEO, Joe Zhou: Outstanding Growth Award
- Vively co-founder and CEO, Tim Veron: Most Innovative Product
- Meke Baby founder, Elysia Krstevski: Most Innovative Product
A press conference was held on Wednesday 29 May from 9.30am with morning tea and short presentation offering the opportunity to hear from sponsors and exhibitors.
The CommBank Business Leaders Breakfast held on Thursday 30 May was designed for curious small business owners and decision-makers who want to stay ahead of the curve with a focus on AI and tech. Keynote speakers included newly appointed Australian government head of cybersecurity Lieutenant General, Michelle McGuinness and CommBank executive general manager of small business banking, Rebecca Warren.