2025 marks the 27th year that Precedent Productions will honour the outstanding achievements and contributions of the Australian small business community.

With over 100 categories, this year’s awards will crown the nation’s Small Business Champions, with winners announced at two glittering red-carpet gala events at The Star Sydney on 28 and 29 March 2025.

The program is open to all industries and free to enter, with applications closing on 10 February 2025.

“Small businesses play a critical role in creating jobs and driving economic growth across a wide range of industries, often earning the title of the backbone of the national economy,” said Steve Loe, Founder and Managing Director of Precedent Productions. “The Australian Small Business Champion Awards provide an invaluable opportunity for operators to have their work evaluated by an expert panel, gain industry recognition, and benchmark themselves against the best in their field,” Mr. Loe added.

Among the program’s previous winners is Justin Vetsavong, CEO of Canberra-based Leaky Roof, who took home the 2024 Small Business Champion Entrepreneur Award. “This honour not only recognises my personal achievements but also shines a light on the incredible team behind me,” Justin shared, highlighting the transformative impact of the awards on his business.

Businesses from every corner of the nation – from regional hubs to capital cities – are encouraged to enter.

The Awards are proudly presented in partnership with NOVA Employment, Castaway Forecasting, BOA, VJB Group, Xcllusive Business Sales, and Big Clean.

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With a generous $60,000 prize pool, these Awards recognise the exceptional work being done in a range of settings across these four sectors that is positively impacting communities nationwide.

HESTA CEO Debby Blakey said HESTA was honoured to be able to help highlight outstanding achievements across these four critical sectors.

“The HESTA Excellence Awards are a wonderful opportunity to showcase excellence within the aged care, allied health, community services, and disability services sectors. Many of our members work in these sectors, and we are continually inspired by the dedication and innovation professionals demonstrate in these fields,” Ms Blakey said.

“We are incredibly grateful for the commitment these professionals bring to our community each day. I encourage people from around the country to make a nomination and help us celebrate and recognise the remarkable contribution these individuals have made.”

The HESTA Excellence Awards recognise individual excellence and highlight the collaborative team efforts that drive progress and innovation within these sectors.

Until midnight (AEST) Tuesday, April 8, employers, colleagues, and individuals from the aged care, allied health, community services and disability services sectors can nominate or be nominated for the Individual Leadership or Team Excellence categories.

Each category will have four winners, recognising excellence in each of the four health and community services sectors.

The eight winners will each receive $7500 – donated by longstanding Awards sponsor ME (a subsidiary of Bank of Queensland – BOQ). Prize money can go towards personal or professional development or the further development of processes or services in the workplace.

BOQ Group Executive of Retail Banking, Greg Boyle, commended the professionals in each sector for their dedication and hard work.

“These awards honour the tenacity and dedication of the frequently overlooked champions in our healthcare sector. Since 2007, ME has been awarding community grants to the victors of the HESTA Awards, and we take immense pride in observing their escalating importance year after year,” Mr Boyle said.

Finalists will be announced on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, ahead of the highly anticipated awards ceremony in Melbourne on Thursday, August 7, 2025.

For more information on how to nominate and details about the awards, visit https://www.hesta.com.au/awards/excellence-awards

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AdPha President Tom Simpson FANZCAP (Lead&Mgmt) says the atmosphere of inspiration and connection has been electric.
‘There is a reason this is Australia’s largest scientific pharmacy conference, and it is thanks to our members, delegates, supporters and everyone else who plays a role.
‘At its core, Medicines Management provides a platform for pharmacists and technicians from all areas of practice to learn about the latest developments in pharmacy and broader health care.
‘But the reality is more intangible: it is the buzz in the air, the relief of finding peers who
face similar problems, and the spark of an idea that leads to cross-country partnerships and friendships.’

Amid the celebration of outstanding achievement from emerging pharmacists, technicians and hospital teams, AdPha President Tom Simpson reflected on the seven inaugural Distinguished Fellowships, bestowed at the start of the blockbuster event.
‘The remarkable progress we have made this year, culminating in a triumphant conference upon our return to Adelaide, is possible because of the strong vision of our recent leaders.
‘On behalf of a grateful membership I warmly congratulate our 2024 Distinguished Fellows: Ron Batagol DFAdPha, Mel Davis DFAdPha, Professor Michael Dooley DFAdPha, Helen Dowling DFAdPha, Vaughn Eaton DFAdPha, Peter Fowler DFAdPha and Neil Keen DFAdPha.’

The inaugural 2024 AdPha Registrar of the Year is Sarah Risdale, a senior Infectious Diseases pharmacist at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital who played a key role in the hospital’s COVID-19 pandemic response and was an active contributor in education at local, state and national levels while completing the program.

The 2024 AdPha Resident of the Year is Alex Lotric, AdPha Resident Training Program candidate at Alfred Health in Victoria, for her research presentation: ‘Pharmacist in vascular outpatient clinic improves guideline adherent medication prescribing in patients with vascular disease’.

The 2024 AdPha Members’ Award winners are:
• The 2024 AdPha Early Career Pharmacist of the Year is Hana Amer (SA/NT), a PhD Candidate and Pharmacist at the University of SA and SA Pharmacy honoured for her significant contributions to advancing pharmacy practice through her leadership in the statewide evaluation of Partnered Pharmacist Medication Prescribing (PPMP).
• The 2024 AdPha Technician of the Year is Rhys Wright (SA/NT) who as the Project Office and Pharmacy Technician Lead for the SA Pharmacy Statewide Cancer Services Program, has played a pivotal role in enhancing cancer medication supply and improving patient safety.
• The 2024 AdPha Hospital Team Innovation of the Year is Remote Clinical Pharmacy Service (ACT) led by Monica Rayson, which has demonstrated innovation and collaboration by addressing workforce shortages through the recruitment of remote pharmacists.

The MM2024 Conference Award winners are:
• Best overall oral presentation: Emma Whitney (ACT)
• Best first-time oral presentation: Sarah Risdale (Qld)
• Best original research oral presentation: Kate Ziser (Qld)
• Best case report oral presentation: Ngoc Hoan Dang (Vic.)
• Best pharmacy practice oral presentation: Sarah Linton (Vic.)
• Best technician oral presentation: Lara Tully (NSW)
• Best student or intern oral presentation: Suwasthigan Suganthan (NSW)
• Best overall poster: Jeffrey Wang (NSW)
• Best original research poster: Jessica Rogers (Vic.)
• Best case report poster: Khanh Thu Truong (Vic.)
• Best pharmacy practice poster: Cara Kolopelnyk (SA)
• Best technician poster: Mardi Simmons (Vic.)
• Best student or intern poster: Deanna O’Kelly (ACT)
• People’s choice poster: Annie Sharp (Vic.)

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The PSA Victorian branch presented the following awards:

• Victorian Pharmacist of the Year awarded to Brian Meier MPS
• Victorian Early Career Pharmacist of the Year awarded to Dr Kate Wang MPS
• Victorian Lifetime Achievement Award presented to Professor Colin Chapman FPS

The PSA Victorian Gold Medal, acknowledging grass roots contributions of the profession’s quiet achievers, was also awarded to husband-and-wife duo Michael Khoo MPS and Kimberly Tran MPS who own and operate the Belgrave South Community Pharmacy in Melbourne’s east. Both are very active in their community, but it is their combined dedication to the health and welfare of their community that earned them the PSA Victorian Gold Medal.

Kimberly Tran needs 24-hour oxygen to assist her breathing with a rare, chronic degenerative lung disease called lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). She works full-time supporting her husband Michael Khoo’s front-facing role in the pharmacy they have owned for 2 decades. Mostly working together and focusing on traditional services delivered as best practice, they can take more time to intervene and counsel, making a difference to the level of care for patients.

PSA Victoria President Dr Amy Page FPS congratulated the award winners, recognising their longstanding dedication to the pharmacy profession and their patients.

 “Each of our award winners demonstrates an exceptional level of passion and professionalism in their roles, their contributions not only elevating the pharmacy practice but also enhancing the health of their patients. We are incredibly proud of their achievements and grateful for the positive impact they continue to make in the lives of so many.”

“The dedication and compassion shown by our award winners serve as a powerful reminder of the critical role pharmacists play in the health care system. They are truly the heart of our profession, and we celebrate their remarkable achievements today.”

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The PSA Queensland branch presented the following awards:

• Queensland Pharmacist of the Year awarded to Associate Professor Esther Lau MPS
• Queensland Early Career Pharmacist of the Year awarded to James Buckley MPS
• Queensland Intern Pharmacist of the Year awarded to Antonia Hurd
• Queensland Lifetime Achievement Award presented to Professor Beverley Glass FPS

The annual Professor James Dare Pharmacy Graduate of the Year was also awarded to James Cook University student Shylee-Jade Hadar-Pagliari.

PSA Queensland President Shane MacDonald MPS acknowledged the achievements of the award winners as well as the continued dedication of pharmacists practising throughout the state.

“It’s an inspiration to see the amazing work pharmacists are doing in communities across Queensland, and a great privilege to recognise them for their dedication in advancing the profession.

“On behalf of the PSA I congratulate the outstanding pharmacists presented with awards and thank them for their commitment to bettering the health of Queenslanders.”

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Pharmacy representatives from every DDS store across the country attended the conference and a host of suppliers and special guests.

Sigma Healthcare CEO Vikesh Ramsunder presented the keynote address on Friday where he emphasised the importance of the DDS brand and Sigma’s commitment to grow the number of stores across Australia.

“Sigma is very committed to enhancing the DDS brand and has set a target of 150 DDS stores in the medium term. We have strengthened our retail team and are implementing best-in-class retail management practices to support our DDS pharmacies.  Over the next six months, we will launch over 220 private and exclusive label products into our DDS stores, offering customers even greater value, and a fantastic product range’’ he said.

“The theme of this year’s conference was Solid Ground and that’s a great description of where we have progressed the DDS brand in recent years. We have now built a solid foundation for future growth as we continue to support our pharmacies to achieve retail excellence,” he said.

Award Winners
DDS Pharmacy Awards
At Saturday night’s Gala Event, the annual DDS awards were announced in the following categories.

• Marketing: Deception Bay Discount Drug Store
• Professional Services: Thornton Discount Drug Store
• Community Engagement: Balwyn North Discount Drug Store
• Pharmacy Assistant of the Year: Renee Hand, Thornton Discount Drug Store
• Retail Manager of the Year: Shannon Greer, Thornton Discount Drug Store
• Business Development Manager of the Year: Megan Gardiner, Sigma HealthcareState Store of the Year winners:

• Queensland: Scenic Rim Discount Drug Store
• NSW/ACT: Thornton Discount Drug Store
• Victoria/Tasmania/South Australia: Balwyn North Discount Drug Store
• Western Australia: Albany Plaza Discount Drug Store
• Overall National winner: Thornton Discount Drug Store

Supplier awards
Sigma’s supplier partners were also celebrated at the Gala Event and we thank them for their ongoing support and partnership. Congratulations to all nominees and winners who were crowned on the night:

• Baby & General Merchandise Supplier of the Year: Nice Pak Products
• Beauty & Personal Care Supplier of the Year: Procter & Gamble
• Health & Wellbeing Supplier of the Year: Caruso’s Natural Health
• Medicines Supplier of the Year: Kenvue
• Ethicals Supplier of the Year: Arrotex Pharmaceuticals
• National Supplier of the Year: Arrotex Pharmaceuticals

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At this event IPA announced its plans for 2025 and its ongoing  focus on unifying independent pharmacies to simplify working with supplier partners and amplifying the unique value that independent pharmacies provide to their communities.

Steven Kastrinakis, Managing Director of IPA, said, “Australians continue to value the service that independent pharmacies provide, and our role is to empower our member pharmacies with tailored support to so they can sustain their unique needs and those of their communities. The key to this is our mutually beneficial relationship with our suppliers and their ongoing support. The Impact Partnership Forum is an important event for us to provide an update on strategic plans but also to say thank-you and recognise excellence in supplier collaboration. ”

The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Impact Awards, which honoured suppliers across several categories:

• Pioneering Award: Pharmacare – For exceptional creativity.
• Accountability Award: API Wholesale – For top reliability, transparency.
• Collaboration Award: Arrotex – For excellence in fostering partnerships and mutual. success.
• Tenacity Award: Total Beauty Network – For remarkable resilience and commitment.
• Account Manager of the Year: Briony Pascoe, Reckitt Health – For outstanding leadership.
• Overall Supplier of the Year: Reckitt Health – For consistent excellence and innovation in supporting IPA member pharmacies.
• Professional Services: Pfizer- For working together in health.

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The inaugural ANZCAP Pharmacy Student of the Year Award will open to all students across Australia on Wednesday 1 May 2024 and comes on the back of an extensive consultative process with NAPSA student members as part of an ANZCAP co-design workshop session held at the NAPSA Congress in January.

Any student with access to the ANZCAP platform is eligible to nominate; ANZCAP is free for all students via their free SHPA student membership. The winner, to be announced in September, will be awarded with an all-inclusive trip to Adelaide in November for Medicines Management 2024, Australia’s largest annual scientific pharmacy conference.

The ANZCAP Pharmacy Student of the Year award will recognise students who can demonstrate diversity in their learning by completing at least six of the currently available 11 dedicated student Learning Experiences (LXs) available through ANZCAP’s portfolio-building platform.

NAPSA President Bano Serhan is thrilled that students can now be awarded for showing a commitment to growth and learning.

‘Portfolio-building is quickly becoming a core activity across the next generation of pharmacists in Australia. It’s a clear way to showcase evidence of your growing skills while mapping a path for your pharmacy career.

‘We’re pleased to support the ANZCAP Pharmacy Student of the Year award and encourage all NAPSA and SHPA Student members to take advantage of their free access to ANZCAP by going into the running when the award opens in May.’

Self-nominations for the ANZCAP Pharmacy Student of the Year are open from 1 May to 31 August 2024 with the winner announced in September.

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Throughout the conference, delegates engaged in sessions covering a range of topics, including outlining the brands vision for the future, and the brand’s updated loyalty program, REWARDS plus. Additionally, there was a strong emphasis on supporting pharmacists to practice at the top of their scope, alongside exploring innovative ways to enhance pharmacy efficiency and retail best practices.

Executive General Manager Nick Munroe commented, “The past three days have been incredibly productive and inspiring. We are committed to driving excellence across retail, dispensary, and our CareClinic program. This conference has further reinforced our dedication to this mission.”

The culmination of significant efforts from the past year were celebrated at the HEART Awards Gala dinner, which recognised excellence across the TerryWhite Chemmart community. Awards were presented to outstanding pharmacies from each state, acknowledging their commitment to delivering exceptional service and care to their communities.

In addition to recognising pharmacies across the network, supplier partners, individual team members and pharmacy owners were also recognised across several categories, including the prestigious Rhonda White Leadership Award.

Therese Lambert, this year’s recipient of the award was overjoyed when she heard the news and accepted her award from Queensland, as her pharmacy was undergoing a shop fit to expand to add Care Clinic rooms for expanded scope of practice. Ms Lambert commented that this recognition has made a challenging year worth every minute.

“The past 12 months have definitely been the most challenging of my career with finishing my expanded scope studies but also the most rewarding. This is an accomplishment I couldn’t have achieved without my amazing team here at TerryWhite Chemmart Sarina and business partners, husband, kids, family and friends for their love and encouragement.”

“I finished my last exam last week, so I am really excited for what the future holds.” Ms Lambert said.

As the curtains close on the TerryWhite Chemmart Elevate Conference in Perth, the plans for the year ahead have been detailed and the network is focused cementing their position as experts on care, embracing emerging digital technology, delivering care for patients on their terms, and driving best practice to build a better future for Australian pharmacy.

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The 2023 Partner’s Conference took place in Hobart, Tasmania, and focussed on retail excellence, adaptability and flexibility in the face of change, and how purpose can be embedded across the organisation to ensure the values of Blooms The Chemist are celebrated.

Stephanie Trethewey, accomplished journalist and rural motherhood advocate, headlined the conference, offering the audience her unique perspective on resilience. Retail experts, Professors Lawrence “Larry” J. Ring and John Strong, delivered expansive sessions covering strategic planning, productivity and excellence in retail.

Blooms The Chemist also launched its inaugural Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), with the vision to build a future where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities can access culturally appropriate good health and wellbeing. Trish Hodge, a proud palawa (Tasmanian Aboriginal) woman, commenced the launch with a Welcome to Country ceremony.

Blooms The Chemist CEO, Emmanuel Vavoulas, said:

“Our key focus for this year’s Blooms The Chemist Partner’s Conference was to empower our network and further embed our purpose across all operations, while ensuring we continue to deliver on our healthcare promises and win in retail.

“Sessions honoured our robust growth strategy that will support our current and future Pharmacists through ongoing industry disruption and change. We want to future-proof our network, and deliver sustainable financial growth for Blooms The Chemist pharmacies, and quality, affordable care and support for their communities.”

The winners of the annual Blooms The Chemist Partner’s Conference Awards were announced on the final day of the conference. Blooms The Chemist Burwood (NSW) took home the prestigious Store of the Year Award. Over the past 12 months, the Burwood store displayed strong network values, had a positive net profit improvement from the previous year, a low turnover of team members, and high customer service and community engagement scores.

The Runner Up Store of the Year Award was handed to Blooms The Chemist Rochedale (QLD). Blooms The Chemist Karabar (NSW) was awarded the Dispensary Award, while Blooms The Chemist Port Coogee (WA) was honoured with the Community Engagement Store of the Year Award, and Blooms The Chemist Yarrawonga (VIC) won the valued Customer Service Award. The other winners included:

• Dispensary Award: Blooms The Chemist Karabar (NSW)
• Productivity Award: Blooms The Chemist Mudgee Southside (NSW)
• New Store of the Year – 24 months: Blooms The Chemist Stud Park (VIC)
• Training Store of the Year: Blooms The Chemist Windsor Riverview (NSW)
• Values and Culture Award Region 2: Jessica Kirkwood, Blooms The Chemist Queanbeyan (NSW)
• Values and Culture Award Region 7: Colin Willis, Blooms The Chemist North Perth

Blooms The Chemist is pleased to acknowledge the continuous support from its supplier partners in delivering an exceptional conference, including platinum sponsors:

• AFT Pharmaceuticals
• Arrotex Pharmaceuticals
• Haleon
• MPS Connect
• Pharmacy Sleep Services
• Reckitt
• Sandoz
• Sanofi
• Symbion
• Technology FX

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