SA Business Chamber launches SA Premier’s Business and Export Awards
Entries are now open for this year’s SA Premier’s Business and Export Awards, with previous winners proving how SA firms continue to punch above their weight.
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Last week when we released our latest SA Business Chamber/William Buck Survey of Business Expectations, it was with mixed feelings. It’s important to share what businesses are saying, but when the news is bleak, we can feel like the purveyors of doom. That’s not a mantle we want to carry, as there are plenty of South Australian businesses who are excelling both here and overseas.
That’s why turning our attention to the launch of the 2025 SA Premier’s Business and Export Awards was a welcome respite. Now in their third year, these awards and the grand event that celebrates them have made their mark in the local business community.
Businesses who enter and are selected as finalists are in excellent company. Redarc, Fleet Space Technologies, Mumamoo, ASC, MaxMine and Rising Sun Pictures are just some of the winners to grace the stage.
Two lesser-known winners have been in the headlines in recent weeks for quite different reasons.
Last year’s overall winner for Best Business, QuantX Labs was not well known outside its sector – despite producing the world’s most accurate clock – and the awards shone a light on their excellence in innovation. Now they are gearing up for a major milestone, preparing to launch their leading-edge technology into space. In concert with French space logistics company Exotrail, QuantX will launch a key component of its atomic clock technology, TEMPO, hosted on the spacevanTM vehicle departing on a SpaceX mission.
A few weeks ago, I was at the opening of MyVenue’s offices in Lot 14, as the 2023 winner of the Small Business Export Award expanded its local base. MyVenue was relatively unknown back in 2023, but last week the five-year-old business landed a nice payday when US venture capital firm Greater Sum Ventures (GSV), took a majority stake for a multi-million-dollar sum.
I can’t guarantee all our finalists and winners will enjoy this level of success, but there is no doubt businesses looking to expand, gain recognition, and strengthen their reputation both locally and internationally should seriously consider entering the awards.
The categories are many and varied and go beyond pure financial performance. For businesses
looking to be judged outside of the usual measures, last year we introduced the Governor’s Award for Business Achievement for Gender Equity and this year there is a new category that acknowledges Workplace Culture and Wellbeing. This award was inspired by one of our members who commented that nearly all the winner’s had talked about the importance of culture in their business, yet we did not recognise it formally with an award.
Finalists and winners use the achievements to their advantage for marketing and PR purposes. It’s not just a stamp of credibility when opening new markets or creating fresh partnerships, it also helps build trust with customers, suppliers, and investors.
The gala ceremony will be held on Friday August 29 this year and will be attended by the Premier, key members of his Cabinet, senior government department heads and members of the Opposition. It’s an excellent platform for the business community to network and celebrate, while for staff it is a wonderful opportunity to bond and feel part of something special, which is so important as businesses look to build staff morale and retention.
For those businesses that don’t atain finalist status, nominating is still time well spent. As one
business owner told me, it forces you to reflect and take stock of what you have achieved in the past 12 months. It can highlight where the gaps are and where you should be doubling down to reinforce your successes.
Importantly, these awards send a strong message to our political leaders of the contribution that business makes to the South Australian economy. The federal election bus may have driven straight past the business stop, but with our state election less than a year away, the Premier’s Business and Export Awards is a timely reminder of the role that local businesses play in shaping the state’s economic future.
To enter, head to sabusinesschamber.com.au/awards/home
To book for the gala awards: Eventbrite booking site
Andrew Kay is chief executive of the South Australian Business Chamber
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