Future Geelong awards: Inaugural event celebrates city leaders
The inaugural awards, launched in conjunction with the Committee for Geelong, are an extension of the Geelong Advertiser’s Future Geelong series.
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The wait is over – the finalists of the inaugural Future Geelong Leadership Awards have been revealed.
And now you get to decide who should be the winner of the people’s choice category.
The inaugural awards, launched in conjunction with the Committee for Geelong, are an extension of the Geelong Advertiser’s Future Geelong series.
They recognise the importance of effective leadership as the region strives to be the most livable in Australia, if not the world.
Leaders were nominated across six categories, including livability, workplace, connectivity and recreation and culture leaders – the main ingredients in creating liveable regions.
The awards also honour leaders under 25, a corporate citizen, a people’s choice winner and the Committee’s highly coveted, annual Frank Costa Award.
The selection of finalists across the different categories are a showcase of the calibre of people who drive this region forward.
Well-known Geelong identities including former Cats vice-president and businesswoman Diana Taylor, KPMG Geelong associate director Matthew Fletcher, and former MP and Barwon Health chairwoman Lisa Neville are among an expert panel of judges who will decide the winners of the awards.
The stringent judging process will begin this week to name Geelong’s community leaders for the awards.
From hospitality queens to tech innovators, the awards have unearthed a broad range of talent from our region.
Geelong Addy readers can now vote for the person they believe is the individual whose unwavering leadership is having the biggest positive impact on the future of Geelong.
Voting for the people’s choice will close on August 18.
Award winners will be announced at a cocktail event at 1915 in North Geelong on September 3.
See the finalists below and cast your vote for the people’s choice award.
Imogen discovers how leadership can make a difference
A Whittington teenager who stands up for marginalised communities has already had her voice heard in parliament.
Imogen O’Shannessy was on the Y Geelong team for the Victorian Youth parliament.
She said the team wrote a bill based on increasing disability education in the workplace.
“I helped write that bill and we got to debate it in Parliament House a couple of months ago,” she said.
“All the young people in the house said yes to the bill but two, and it got passed in parliament.
“It was really important to be able to bring a Geelong voice into a state initiative and writing that bill was so interesting to me.”
Imogen, who is 16, is a finalist in the Future Geelong leadership awards in the under-25 category.
She said she wasn’t expecting to be a finalist but it felt good to be recognised for the work she does.
Imogen is a member of the Rainbow Youth Advisory Group, the QHub Youth Advisory Committee and the FReeZA committee.
She said her volunteering roles came after she was a member of the Geelong Youth Council in 2022.
“I ended up joining the Rainbow Youth Advisory Group for their first year last year which is an advisory group for young LGBTIA+ people in Geelong,” Imogen said.
“We advise different organisations and the city on the best interests of queer young people and we have also run events.”
As a member of the FReeZA committee Imogen helped plan and run Geelong’s Battle of the Bands event last year.
In her role with the QHub she helps give the organisation ideas on how to make the space more accessible and better for queer young people of Geelong.
Imogen said she has learnt patience and resilience through her leadership roles.
“I find I have gained a lot of skills and qualities that I didn’t think I had and I think a big part of that is resilience and understanding not everything can happen immediately but I am still helping make change in Geelong,” she said.
How Mackenzie shows leadership in the health sector
A St Leonards teenager is using her lived experience with mental health to help support others through a range of advocacy work.
Mackenzie Sinclair, 19, is a finalist in the Future Geelong leadership awards in the under-25 category.
She volunteers at a Geelong hospital and has fundraised for multiple charities including The Smith Family and the Starlight Children’s Foundation.
Ms Sinclair said she currently worked with mental health organisation Batyr to speak about her mental health experience.
“I do a few media engagements and news articles to try and break the stigma of mental health to try and get some change happening,” she said.
“Professionally and personally I have seen experiences in health care systems can be quite challenging, they can be amazing too, but that's something I like to advocate for.
“I have also worked with the Push Up Challenge as a student and community ambassador.
“I helping in a volunteer way by assisting new, upcoming student ambassadors.
“They are year 10 to 12 students and they implement the Push Up Challenge in their schools and I help them get it up and running.”
Ms Sinclair said the three ways she would use to describe her leadership style were respect, compassion and valuing others and their uniqueness.
She said it was surreal to be a finalist in the leadership awards.
“All the other finalists do amazing work and I am grateful to have even been recognised by someone for what I do,” she said.
Ms Sinclair said she was previously deputy mayor of the Geelong Youth Council and that leadership role showed her she needed to use her position to speak to people about issues that directly affect the,
”So if it’s youth related speak to youth in the region and I use that initiative to make sure everyone, especially minorities, are heard,” she said.
“Being a leader has helped me become a lot more open-minded and understand that everyone is a leader.
“To be a leader you don’t have to be the main focus with only your ideas and you can do it in the background, you just have to make sure everyone feels valued, respected, and make sure everyone’s voices are heard.”
What leadership means to teen Thomas
An aspiring paramedic says his volunteering roles have taught him good communication skills and compassion.
Thomas Robinson, 16, is a finalist in the Future Geelong leadership awards in the under-25 category.
He volunteers for St John Ambulance and his school council as a student representative.
Thomas said he was recently promoted to senior member with the ambulance group, which came with more responsibilities.
“We go to weekly training meetings where they teach us about a specific subject, whether it is diabetes or trauma or any situation,” he said.
“Now I get harder scenarios when we practise what we’re taught.
“Also if people have questions they come to me and I help the junior members too.
“We can volunteer to go to events like AFL games, concerts in Melbourne or all around Victoria that we want to go to and we provide first aid to people who need it there.”
The Grovedale resident said he provided a voice for students at his school.
“On the school council I work closely with teachers and the principal team,” he said.
“We make decisions for the school like uniform and what money can go towards in budgeting.”
Thomas said the leadership skills he had learnt through these roles included good communication, taking people’s thoughts and ideas on board and being compassionate.
“The volunteering roles have helped me put myself out there instead of just staying home too,” he said.
“A good leader is someone who can communicate well and someone who can admit they have made a mistake,” he said.
“Nothing is perfect and a good leader knows how to recognise and solve issues and always try their hardest.”
Thomas said he was happy and excited to find out he was a finalist in the inaugural awards.
Celebrating Geelong’s leaders
Committee for Geelong chief executive Michael Johnston said the committee was excited to partner with the Geelong Advertiser in celebrating Geelong’s leaders.
“We have recognised outstanding community leadership through our annual Frank Costa Award since 2010, and it is fantastic to further expand on this by creating categories that really speak to what makes a strong, vibrant city of the future,” he said.
“We have a history of great community leaders in this city and the opportunity to showcase that is something we are really excited about.
Mr Johnston said community leadership was a point of difference for Geelong.
“For good growth to happen, it requires everyone to play their role, understand the issues, and be willing to step up,” he said.
“The reason the Committee of Geelong exists is to bring together like-minded leaders in Geelong to design its best future.”
Winners will be revealed at a cocktail event at 1915 in North Geelong on September 3.
Good leaders have the ability to empower others to lead – that’s what Geelong’s next generation of leaders says.
Junior mayor Hteemoo Yohellaymusaw said a good leader motivated and challenged others to speak up, participate and collaborate.
“A good leader understands when it is important to lead and when to step down and allow others to assume leadership,” she said.
“Through leadership we can create an environment where others feel empowered to succeed and become leaders themselves and as a result, achieve results that would have not been possible without the power of teamwork.”
The inaugural Geelong Economic Blueprint, released last November by big four consultancy firm KPMG, identified the importance of leadership as one of five key measures of success for the region.
The report said it was essential to have “altruistic, ambitious and cooperative leadership” for a collaborative approach to succeed.
“Leadership is required for a collaborative effort to succeed,” the report said.
Bisinella Developments director Richard Bisinella whose Lara-based company is the main sponsor behind the awards said effective leadership was not always about doing or saying the most.
“Leadership is doing the right thing when no one is watching,” he said.
“Sometimes leadership is being quiet and letting things play out if that’s the best option for achieving an outcome.
“It is about being goal-orientated for the greater good and having that as the primary focus and often sacrificing one’s self.
“Leaders can show others what can be achieved when you believe in yourself.
“By believing in yourself and what you can do then other people will also have that confidence to achieve their objectives which will hopefully be beneficial to the community.”
Geelong deputy junior mayor Mercy Antanasio said a good leader listened actively, inspired others, and lead by example.
“They are empathetic, open-minded, and adaptable, making decisions that consider everyone’s perspectives,” she said. “A great leader values the voices of the youth, recognising our fresh perspectives and energy.
“Leadership means guiding and inspiring others towards a common goal while respecting each individual’s contributions.”
Future Geelong highlighted last year the region’s ambition to become the most liveable region in Australia, if not the world.
The awards will recognise leaders according to the live-work-play concept that forms the foundation for most liveable cities.
They will also reward leaders under 25, a corporate citizen, a people’s choice winner and the committee’s highly coveted annual Frank Costa Award.
Committee for Geelong chief executive Michael Johnston said the committee was excited to partner with the Geelong Advertiser in celebrating Geelong’s leaders.
“We have recognised outstanding community leadership through our annual Frank Costa Award since 2010, and it is fantastic to further expand on this by creating categories that really speak to what makes a strong, vibrant city of the future,” Mr Johnston said.
“We have a history of great community leaders in this city and the opportunity to showcase that is something we are really excited about.
He said community leadership was a point of difference for Geelong.
“For good growth to happen, it requires everyone to play their role, understand the issues, and be willing to step up,” he said.
“The reason the Committee of Geelong exists is to bring together like-minded leaders in Geelong to design its best future.”
Well-known panel to judge awards
Well-known Geelong identities including former Cats vice-president and businesswoman Diana Taylor, KPMG Geelong associate director Matthew Fletcher and former MP and Barwon Health chairwoman Lisa Neville are among an expert panel of judges for the Future Geelong awards.
A stringent judging process will begin next week to name Geelong’s community leaders for the inaugural awards.
Five judges have been selected for each category, with representatives from the Committee for Geelong and the Geelong Advertiser joined by leadership alumni, an industry expert and a Frank Costa award recipient.
The judges will determine the top three finalists in six categories.
Their main focus will be choosing people who are leaders in Geelong’s communities and inspire others to contribute positively to the region’s bright future.
The panel also includes G21 Geelong Region Alliance chief executive Giulia Baggio, Committee for Geelong chief executive Michael Johnston and Addy news director Tamara McDonald.
Nominations for the Future Geelong awards close on July 29 at midnight.
The awards, launched in conjunction with the Committee for Geelong, are an extension of the Geelong Advertiser’s Future Geelong series.
They recognise the importance of effective leadership as the region experiences unprecedented growth. The community can vote for its people’s choice from the list of nominees from August 5-18.
Award winners will be announced at a cocktail event at 1915 in North Geelong on September 3.
Originally published as Future Geelong awards: Inaugural event celebrates city leaders
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