2021 Indigenous Business Month Award Winners Announced

Now in its 7th year, Indigenous Business Month 2021 wraps up in spectacular style with the announcement of Indigenous Business Month award winners.

Co-founders of Indigenous Business Month and members of the judging panel are excited to celebrate with award winners in an online awards ceremony today. More so, they are proud to oversee yet another successful Indigenous Business Month where people across the country have jumped on board to showcase the innovative and successful offerings of our Indigenous business community.

This year’s theme Powering the Indigenous Economy, is a practical call out to the Indigenous business sector and its allies to connect, to take charge in conversations and activity that showcase the economic contributions of Indigenous businesses, individuals and organisations. It signals the need to tap into the entrepreneurial and innovative power that comes from Indigenous business.

Leesa Watego, co-founder of Indigenous Business Month said “The best thing about Indigenous Business Month is the way it grows year on year, with more and more people

seeking to connect with and showcase impressive and innovative Indigenous businesses across the country. Online platforms help convey our Indigenous business offerings the way we intend, in a way people can relate and access first hand.”

Mayrah Sonter, co-founder of Indigenous Business Month said, “This year there was also a shift towards promotion of fellow Indigenous businesses and unveiling of how Indigenous businesses are partnering to deliver ever-improving services and products. It’s a real reflection of Powering the Indigenous Economy in action.”

Dr Michelle Evans, co-founder of Indigenous Business Month said, “It was not an easy job for Indigenous business Month judges, Professor Robynne Quiggin of the University of Technology Sydney, Kim Collard CEO of Kulbardi and Rory Chapman CCO of Indigital Education, to decide amongst the impressive applicants. There was some contested discussion but judging wrapped up with unanimous support in our award winners.”

“What’s even more exciting is the recipient of the inaugural Indigenous Business Month Regional Business Award – here we have a business that is meeting the needs of our communities in the regions,” said Dr Michelle Evans.

Indigenous Business Month 2021 award winners are:

Inaugural Regional Indigenous Business Award Winner: Murri’s on the Move Driving School Ltd

Indigenous regional businesses contribute in very impactful ways to the economy and to the local community in which they are based. This award celebrates Indigenous regional businesses: their vision, their business savvy and their local contributions.

Murri’s on the Move Driving School Ltd (MOTM) is dedicated to providing the transfer of safe driving skills and driver education to Indigenous youth and other disadvantaged sectors of the community. Led by Kerry Turner, MOTM is the product of a successful pilot program to assist our First Nation’s community to obtain a learner licence and progress on to driving lessons in a community car at a subsidised cost.

MOTM is providing a deadly service that meets a social need amongst our communities and steady growth has seen the business now employ four accredited driving instructors in four cars. You have to be able to move about in order to empower individuals who in turn will contribute to the economy and for that, we are proud of Murri’s on the Move’s service to our regions.

I2I Award Winner: Jessie Lloyd Music Pty Ltd

Indigenous businesses buying from and/or supplying to fellow Indigenous businesses build an interconnected and strong Indigenous business sector by supporting each other. Instances of mentoring and peer-to-peer support or development of new ventures and/or initiatives are encouraged in this category. This award celebrates the commitment by Indigenous businesses to strengthen and grow our sector through trading and working together.

Jessie Lloyd Music has been building a strong network of Indigenous women musicians or Songwomen into the professional arts. Working as a musician and creative producer, Jessie Lloyd creates projects that support and promote Indigenous women in music, mostly as performers but also as emerging producers and elders, of language, history and song. Women in our communities are knowledge holders and cultural practitioners, through music we can acknowledge their value and support their opportunities in the professional sector. It has been Jessie’s goal in the last few years to work with mostly women in music, either professional or cultural, and provide paid work, also mentoring or collaborations.

For the peer-to-peer support and the active linking-in of other Indigenous artists to the professional arts industry, which has suffered extensively due to the Covid 19 pandemic restrictions, Jessie Lloyd Music Pty is a well deserving I2I award recipient.

Indigenous Digital Inventiveness Award Winner: BuyingBlack, Jetzak Pty Ltd Indigenous digital inventiveness is maturing in Australia. Communities are more connected than ever through digital expression (emails, instant messaging and texting) and at a much larger scale through digital enterprise (business operations and technology). This award celebrates the intersection between cultural creativity, business nous and technology.

BuyingBlack is a portal for the Indigenous Business Sector, their supporters and their customers. Founded by EJ Garrett, it is an on-line platform that is supported by an extensive media strategy which includes a website, a social media footprint, email marketing, printed content, an on-line video series, a podcast series and events. At the core of the campaign is the sharing of the story of the Indigenous business sector.

In addition to the stories, businesses can advertise and promote their products and services. There will also be opportunities for Government agencies and other stakeholders to engage with businesses regarding business development opportunities.

BuyingBlack is entering block chain technology through the “BlackChain” Strategy. The ‘BlackChain’ strategy is about supporting businesses to be a part of Block Chain technology by entering the NFT digital marketplace.

BuyingBlack is the story place about Culture and Commerce for First Nations businesses and their supporters.

Indigenous Ingenuity Award Winner: Pipeline Talent Pty Ltd

Indigenous business has a role to play in using business models to confront challenging community issues. This award celebrates an Indigenous business who is working hard to solve challenges in partnerships with Indigenous communities.

Founded by Rachelle Toward OAM, Pipeline Talent is the first Indigenous executive recruitment firm in Australia. Pipeline Talent has placed 100’s of Indigenous executives into new roles and are rapidly growing awareness of the capability and competence of Indigenous executives, who are being appointed foremost on the basis of their skills and experience.

Up and coming executives now see themselves in leadership roles within workplaces thanks to Pipeline Talent which has ingeniously been established to meet a sector need. Admirably, Pipeline Talent acts as a corporate vehicle to address a social issue of executive employment of Indigenous Australians.

PwC MURRA Boost initiative winner, Cedrent Enterprises 

PwC Chief Executive, Tom Seymour says “PwC is extremely pleased to continue our support for Indigenous Business Month through the MURRA Boost Initiative. We have been privileged to work with many great Indigenous businesses over the 6 years of this award – and see them thrive and grow.

“This year’s winner, Cedrent Enterprises, has been established with the support of the Far West Coast Aboriginal community in SA. PwC is really looking forward to working with Cedrent and contributing to the next stage of their growth journey”, said Tom Seymour.

Cedrent Enterprises is a vehicle hire company with commercial utes, trucks, vans, buses, 4WD and passenger cars for hire in Adelaide, Alice Springs, Darwin Airport and City and a number of other locations.

PwC MURRA Boost initiative winner, Cedrent Enterprises will receive $30,000 in kind support from a specialist PwC team to help strengthen their business practices and build capacity for future growth.

Indigenous Business Month runs from 1 – 31 October as an initiative driven by the alumni

of Melbourne Business School’s MURRA Indigenous Business Master Class program, who see business as a way of providing positive role models for young Indigenous Australians and improving the quality of life in Indigenous communities.

The Indigenous Business Month initiative is supported by 33 Creative, MURRA Indigenous Business Master Class Program and Iscariot Media.

For more information visit www.indigenousbusinessmonth.com.au or connect on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn. #IndigBizMonth #Indigenousbusinessmonth