What does it take to be the perfect service supplier in your subject? 4 leaders in defence tech, healthtech, govt recruitment and water infrastructure give us a glimpse.
Forward of the 2026 EY Entrepreneur Of The Yr™ program’s twenty fifth annual awards in October, Startup Day by day is profiling the trailblazing entrepreneurs named as nationwide finalists.
Thus far, we’ve met the finalists within the Social Impression, Rising and Trade classes.
We’ll quickly meet the Expertise finalists, however at the moment it’s all concerning the Companies class; 4 founders breaking new floor in how they ship service throughout their respective fields.
Kuba Kabacinski, Consunet
In 2002, Adelaide entrepreneur Kuba Kabacinski (pictured) purchased a small net improvement enterprise for $200 whereas learning IT at Flinders College.
Right this moment, that enterprise is Consunet, a defence tech software program firm with greater than 130 workers engaged on high-tech options for digital warfare and spectrum administration (powering communications gadgets and sensors).
Kabacinski says their greatest problem was backing themselves and investing $6 million to compete in opposition to six multinational firms for the Australian Defence Power’s electromagnetic battle administration undertaking. They gained, and efficiently delivered the $61 million undertaking.
“The long-term affect that I hope to attain with Consunet is to disrupt the worldwide spectrum administration market to make sure that communication applied sciences are broadly out there to everybody at an appropriate price,” he says.
“And we need to have a billion-dollar valuation.”
Stella Petrou Concha, Reo Group
Because the CEO of nationwide recruitment, govt search {and professional} providers company Reo Group, and cofounder of govt improvement agency HiveQ, Stella Petrou Concha (pictured) is keen about serving to individuals realise their full potential.
Famend for her give attention to self-mastery and its position in shaping careers, the acclaimed creator and tutorial practises what she preaches, mastering her personal pivot from drugs to expertise technique when she based Reo in 2009.
“After two years working for a world company, I mentioned to my husband Marcello, would you again me in going into enterprise? I’d like to begin my very own company. There’s a possibility out there right here the place may do it just a bit bit in another way,” Conch says.
“As a substitute of specializing in the consumer aspect, I’d prefer to give attention to the candidate the aspect. The candidate’s the one which has the actually deep want, they usually want help in figuring out what the trajectory of their life must be and the way that’s going to align to a profession.”
Right this moment, the enterprise has three places of work in Sydney, Parramatta and Adelaide, with specialised consultants serving to to develop candidates to get the roles they need.
The present jobs market and cost-of-living disaster has been difficult, Concha admits. However conserving hyper-vigilant and specializing in the enterprise’ two progress engines – its individuals and its prospects – is what retains driving enterprise ahead.
Dr Chris Behrenbruch, Telix Prescription drugs
Dr Chris Behrenbruch (pictured) is the managing director and group CEO of Melbourne-based Telix Prescription drugs, an oncology firm that develops radioactive medicine to assist deal with most cancers and uncommon ailments.
“Our class of medicine is basically uncommon. We take a molecule that targets a most cancers signature and we connect radiation to it and we inject it into you, and it whizzes throughout your physique till it finds a tumour after which it kills it,” Behrenbruch explains.
Behrenbruch based Telix in 2015, combining his expertise in radiopharmaceuticals and biotech with a German doctor’s experience in nuclear drugs.
Now ASX-listed, with business operations in Australia, the US, Europe and Japan, Telix (ASX:TLX) has made a worldwide affect with its progressive strategy to drugs.
“Final yr we modified the lives of about 150,000 individuals. That implies that a toddler acquired one other yr with their father or acquired to spend extra time with their grandfather. In order that’s a giant deal,” he says.
Matt Rear, PPS Water Group
Matt Rear’s profession is all about transferring water from location to a different – a sophisticated job for the distant mining initiatives PPS Water Group works throughout in WA.
A former C-suite govt within the lithium business, Rear (pictured) has grown his water infrastructure firm considerably lately, delivering sustainable water administration options for the likes of Rio Tinto, BHP and Fortescue.
“A significant milestone at PPS is that we’ve simply accomplished the Western Vary [iron ore mine] undertaking. It was the biggest water infrastructure undertaking to my information in a single contract,” he shares.
“It was [around] $100 million. It began as $40 million, and due to our good work, we stayed there for over two years,” he says.
Rear places PPS’s success all the way down to constructing belief with purchasers with out compromising the output.
“We grew to become the popular contractor by delivering safely and by delivering on time and simply being there for the consumer,” he says.
Extra about EY Entrepreneur Of The Yr
The EY Entrepreneur Of The Yr Program recognises Australian entrepreneurs who’re disrupting conventional methods of doing issues and constructing a greater working world.
Run by world skilled providers organisation EY, the EOY program spans 60 nations and jurisdictions and offers unique networking and studying alternatives to contributors. EY Australia will host a gala occasion on October 15, the place winners throughout 5 classes shall be awarded (Rising, Trade, Companies, Social Impression and Expertise).
One winner shall be chosen to signify Australia on the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Yr™ world competitors in 2026.
For more information, go to the EY Entrepreneur Of The Yr web site.
Startup Day by day is a media accomplice for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Yr program.
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