Each year, the Foundation makes both national and state awards.
The Pearcey National Awards recognise outstanding achievement in Australian ICT including the Pearcey Medal, the Pearcey Hall of Fame and the Pearcey Entrepreneur of the Year.
The Pearcey State Awards recognise upcoming individuals in each Australian State who have demonstrated outstanding professional, innovative and business achievements in the field of ICT.
Since our inception in 1998, we have recognised more than 160 outstanding individuals around Australia.
Nominations can be received at any time.
The awardees are selected by various state-based and national committees.
The prestigious 2024 Pearcey Medal was awarded to Professor Svetha Venkatesh at the Pearcey Foundation's National Event in Brisbane on 19 November 2024. The event also celebrated the 75th anniversary of Australia's first computer, CSIRAC, running its first software program in November 1949.
The Queensland Pearcey Entrepreneur for 2024 was presented to Andrew Bate, co-founder and CEO of Swarm Farm Robotics. The presentation was part of the Pearcey Foundation's National Event Gala Dinner on Tuesday 19th November 2024 in Brisbane.
At a special Pearcey Foundation awards night in Sydney on Thursday 7 November 2024, Prof Michael J. Biercuk PhD, CEO and founder of Q-CTRL, was announced as the recipient of the 2024 NSW Pearcey Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Professor Biercuk is a global science and technology innovator building the greenfield quantum technology industry.
The founders of CEA Technologies, Ian Croser and David Gaul, were the recipients of the 2024 ACT Chief Minister’s Pearcey Award. The award was presented at a special Pearcey event in Canberra on the 25th of September 2024 by the ACT Chief Minister, Andrew Barr.
The 2024 Victorian Pearcey Entrepreneur Award presented to Chris Piastri, co-founder and CTO of HP Tuners. Award was presented at a special dinner in Melbourne, by Professor Eduard Hovy, Executive Director of Melbourne Connect at the University of Melbourne. This was the flagship event of the Melbourne Connect Innovation Week.
Peter van der Made, founder and CTO of Brainchip Inc was announced as the 2024 WA Pearcey Entrepreneur Awardee at the 33rd WAITTA Incite Awards in Perth on 19th July 2024.
The 2023 Tasmanian Pearcey State Entrepreneurship Award was presented to Damian Ivereigh, founder and Chief Network Architect of Tasmania-based ISP Launtel. The presentation was made by Tasmanian Minister for Small Business and Science and Technology, the Hon Madeleine Ogilvie at the TasICT Conference Gala Dinner tonight at the C3 Convention Centre in Hobart on the evening of Friday 10th November.
On October 31st in Sydney the Pearcey Foundation celebrated its jubilee year and presented its national awards. This included the Pearcey Medal awarded to Aidan and David Tudehope, co-founders of Macquarie Technology Group and Pearcey Fame inductees, Richard White, Founder and CEO of Wisetech Global, and Professor Jean Armstrong, engineer, inventor, teacher and researcher. The Pearcey National Entrepreneur Award recipient was Didier Elzinga, Founder and CEO of CultureAmp.
The 2023 Pearcey National Entrepreneur Award was presented to Didier Elzinga founder and CEO of Culture Amp, by Rick Harvey, National Awards Director of the Pearcey Foundation at the prestigious 2023 Pearcey National Awards gala dinner, in Sydney.
The Pearcey Foundation announced that Richard White and Professor Jean Armstrong were elevated
to the Pearcey Hall of Fame. The presentations were made at the 2023 Pearcey National Awards gala dinner on Monday 30 October 2023
in Sydney.
The Pearcey Hall of Fame is an individual award that recognises a distinguished lifetime of achievement and contribution to the
development and growth of the Australian ICT industry.
The Pearcey Medal, the most prestigious annual individual award in the Australian ICT industry, in its 25th year, was awarded to brothers, Aidan and David Tudehope. David and Aiden founded Macquarie Technology Group in 1992 and have guided their company to become a fully integrated carrier, supplying voice, mobile, data networks & managed hosting solutions to business & government users in Australia & Asia.
Brisbane, Australia – 18 October 2023 – The Pearcey Foundation today announced Yas Grigaliunas, founder and chief evangelist of Circonomy, as the recipient of the 2023 Queensland ICT Entrepreneur of the Year Award. The Pearcey Foundation also gave a highly commended award to Geoff Augutis.
At a special Pearcey Foundation roundtable event, Marcus Dawe was awarded the ACT Chief Minister’s Pearcey Entrepreneur Award by the ACT Chief Minister, Andrew Barr. Marcus is CEO of MCi Carbon, a clean energy scale-up that started in Canberra 17 years ago. Marcus has mentored many rising entrepreneurs over last 10 years. This year, the Pearcey Foundation is pleased to announce him as the 2023 ACT Chief Minister’s Pearcey Entrepreneur for his involvement in MCi Carbon.
The 2023 Pearcey Entrepreneur of the Year award for NSW was presented to Emma Weston, co-founder and CEO of AgriDigital, on 4 October at ASX. The award was presented by Wayne Fitzsimmons, OAM. Under Emma's leadership, AgriDigital has become a pioneering force in digitalising global agricultural supply chains, connecting farmers directly to consumers.
The 2023 Victorian Pearcey Entrepreneur Award presented to Didier Elzinga, founder and CEO of Culture Amp. Award was presented at a special dinner in Melbourne, by the Honourable Ben Carroll MP, Minister for Industry & Innovation, State Government of Victoria. A flagship event of the Victorian Digital Innovation Festival and of the Melbourne Connect Innovation Week
The 2023 WA Pearcey Entrepreneur Award was presented to Pia Turcinov AM, Director FundWA, at the 32nd WAITTA Incite Awards, Westin Perth, Friday 11 August 2023.
The 2022 Pearcey Medal was presented to John De Margheriti, widely seen as a founding 'father' of Australia's video games industry. The presentation was made in Hobart by Hon Madeleine Ogilvie MP, Tasmanian Minister for Science and Technology at a gala dinner held in conjunction with the Australian Computer Society (ACS) and TasICT.
The Pearcey Foundation announced that John De Margheriti, Len Rust and Beven Slattery were elevated to the Pearcey Hall of Fame. The presentations were made as part of the 2022 Pearcey National Awards at a gala dinner held in conjunction with the Australian Computer Society (ACS) and TasICT in Hobart.
The 2022 Pearcey National Entrepreneur Award was presented to Dr. Mark Englund founder and CEO of FiberSense, by Hon Madeleine Ogilvie MP, Minister for Science and Technology. The award was presented in Hobart as part of the prestigious 2022 Pearcey National Awards held in conjunction with the Australian Computer Society (ACS) and TasICT.
The Tasmanian Pearcey Entrepreneur for 2022 was presented to Andrew Davies, founder and CEO of Taz Drone Solutions, by Hon Madeleine Ogilvie MP, Minister for Science and Technology. The presentation was part of the Pearcey Foundation's National Event at the TasICT Conference Gala Dinner on the evening of Friday November 11th at the C3 Convention Center in Hobart.
The 2022 SA Pearcey Entrepreneur was presented to Flavia Tata Nadini, CEO and Co-Founder, Fleet Space Technologies. The presentation was made by Mohann Koo at a special event at the Stone and Chalk Startup and Scaleup Hub.
The 2022 NSW Pearcey Entrepreneur of the Year award was presented to Dr. Mark Englund of FiberSense, by David Thodey, AO, on October 31 at the Sydney Startup Hub. Founded in 2015, FiberSense provides SONAR like sensing capabilities over optical fiber telecoms cables, providing awareness of objects and events near the fibre cable infrastructure. The service is being taken up by the world’s most valuable companies including Amazon, Google and Meta..
The 2022 Queensland Pearcey Entrepreneur Award was presented jointly to Rebecca McDonald, founder and CEO of Library for All, and Sarah-Jane Peterschlingmann, managing director and owner of ATech. The awards were presented in Brisbane by Jill Martin, Director of Start Up & Scale Up Programs, Department of Tourism, Innovation and Sport at an event hosted by Monica Bradley.
At a special Round Table event, the Chief Minister, with former Senator Kate Lundy announced the winners of the ACT Chief Minister Pearcey Award were Adam Zegelin and Ben Bromhead, the technical inspiration behind Instaclustr. Instaclustr helps organisations deliver applications at scale by operating and supporting their data infrastructure through its SaaS platform for open source technologies.
The 2022 Victorian Pearcey Entrepreneur Award was presented to Jason Lohrey, founder and CEO/CTO of Arcitecta. The award was presented at a special dinner in Melbourne by Kathy Coultas, Director of Technology & Innovation, Department of Economic Development, State Government of Victoria.
The 2022 WA Pearcey Entrepreneur Award recipient is Mahmood Hussein, Founder and CEO Global Drone Solutions (GDS). The Pearcey Award was part of the 31st WAITTA Incite Awards on Friday 12 August 2022.
David Thodey AO, was presented the prestigious Pearcey Medal as part of the 2021 Pearcey National Awards. The Pearcey Medal recognises a distinguished lifetime achievement and contribution to the development and growth of the ICT industry in Australia.
David Thodey AO, Judy Hammond and Alan Noble were elevated to the Pearcey Hall of Fame at the annual Pearcey National Awards event held on Wednesday 24th November 2021 during a virtual presentation held via Zoom.
The 2021 Pearcey National Entrepreneur Award was presented to the co-founder and CTO of DTEX Systems Mohan Koo by South Australian Premier Steven Marshall. The presentation was broadcast live on a national Zoom call, as part of the Pearcey Foundation's National Awards event.
The 2021 Pearcey Entrepreneur Award was presented to Mohan Koo, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of world leading cybersecurity provider DTEX Systems. The Award was presented at a small ceremony on 15 November 2021 at Lot 14 in Adelaide, attended by Pearcey Committee members, previous Pearcey Entrepreneur Awardeees, and special guests Andrew Nunn, SA Chief Entrepreneur and Alan Noble, ex CTO, Google.
Nina McMahon, co-founder and CEO of PopUp WiFi was the recipient of the 2021 Tasmanian Pearcey Entrepreneur of the Year Award. This year's award was presented on 12 November in Hobart during the gala industry dinner following TasICT's Annual Conference and in collaboration with the Tasmanian Branch of ACS as well as TasICT.
The NSW Entrepreneur of the Year was awarded to brother and sister team Jordan O'Reilly and Laura O'Reilly OAM. The presentation was held online on October 14, as part of Spark Festival. Jordan and Laura have cofounded both not-for-profit and profit-for-purpose businesses helping people with disabilities and their families manage their needs and support services. Over the last ten years, they have helped hundreds of thousands of people and proven that for-purpose business can have significant social impact.
Brisbane, Australia - 6 October 2021 - The Pearcey Foundation today announced Michael Holmstrom, CEO and co-founder of STEM Punks as this year's recipient of the Queensland Pearcey ICT Entrepreneur Award.
Canberra 28 Sep 2021: The Pearcey Foundation today announced Daniel Shaddock, founder and CEO of Liquid Instruments as this year's recipient of the ACT Chief Minister's Pearcey Entrepreneur Award. The award was presented by Andrew Barr, ACT Chief Minister at the Annual ACT Pearcey Round Table (held virtually this year).
The 2021 Victorian Pearcey Entrepreneur Award was presented to Bronwyn Le Grice, founder and CEO of ANDHealth. The award, in its 23rd year, was presented by the Honourable Mr Danny Pearson MLA, Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Regulatory Reform, Government Services and Creative Industries.
The 2021 WA Pearcey Entrepreneur Award was presented to Charlie Gunningham, Founder and Principal Damburst as part the 30th WAITTA Incite Honorary Awards on Friday 23 July 2021.
Professor Jennifer Seberry was presented the prestigious Pearcey Medal as part of the 2020 Pearcey National Awards. The Pearcey Medal recognises a distinguished lifetime achievement and contribution to the development and growth of the ICT industry in Australia.
The 2020 Pearcey National Entrepreneur Award was presented to Grant Petty, CEO of Blackmagic Design. The announcement was made during the 2020 Pearcey Foundation National Event, this year being a ‘virtual’ celebration held on 25 November 2020 on a national Zoom broadcast.
Emeritus Professor Jennifer Seberry, Jeff Whittle AO and Owen Hill were elevated to the Pearcey Hall of Fame at the annual Pearcey National Awards event held on Wednesday 25th November 2020 over a Zoom call.
The 2020 WA Pearcey Entrepreneur Award recipient is Greg Riebe, co-founder of Entrepreneurs in Residence. This Award was part the 29th WAITTA Incite Honorary Awards announced on Wednesday 25 November 2020.
The 2020 SA Pearcey Entrepreneur Award winner is Dr Michelle Perugini. On informing Michelle of the award, Geoff Rohrsheim representing the SA Pearcey judging committee, said that Michelle was surprised and honoured by accolade and hoped she could continue to inspire young women into technology related fields. Due to Covide restrictions (Adelaide is currently in lockdown) a more formal event for the presentation is planned later in the month.
Technology entrepreneur, software developer and electrical engineer Mike Cruse was awarded the 2020 Tasmanian Pearcey Entrepreneur of the Year. Mike is the founder and CEO of Definium Technologies, a company based in Launceston that designs and manufactures IoT devices and electronic products for national and international clients, as well as owning and operating a state-wide LoRaWAN network in Tasmania to support IoT deployments.
In a widely attended Pearcey virtual event, Jamila Gordon received the 2020 NSW Pearcey Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Jamila is the CEO and founder of Lumachain, a technology platform using AI, IoT and blockchain to bring transparency to global supply chains, benefitting producers, enterprises and consumers. Jamila was presented with her award by 2014 Pearcey Medallist and inaugural Ada Lovelace Medallist Professor Mary O'Kane.
2020 Queensland Pearcey Award winner Nick Therkelsen-Terry, CEO and Founder of Max Kelsen. Nicholas Therkelsen-Terry - CEO and Co-Founder, Max Kelsen - was awarded the 2020 Queensland Pearcey Entrepreneur of the Year Award at a gala dinner held on the 6 th October at the St Lucia Golf Club in Brisbane.
Canberra, Australia - 22 September 2020 - The Pearcey Foundation today announced Shane Hill, founder of Skoolbo as this year's recipient of the ACT Chief Minister's Pearcey Entrepreneur Award. The award was presented by Senator (retd) Kate Lundy representing the ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr at the Pearcey Round Table 2020 event in Canberra.
The 2020 Victorian Pearcey Entrepreneur Award was presented to Grant Petty, founder and CEO of Blackmagic Design. The award, in its 22nd year, was presented by 2011 award recipient and Deputy Chair of Pearcey Victoria, Dr Elaine Saunders.
The prestigious Pearcey Medal, which recognises a distinguished lifetime achievement and contribution to the development and growth of the ICT industry in Australia, was presented to Professor David Abramson.
The 2019 Pearcey National Entrepreneur Award was presented to Craig McDonald, CEO and Founder of Mailguard, at the annual Pearcey national Awards gala dinner on 14th November 2019 in Melbourne.
Professor David Abramson, Sonja Bernhardt OAM and Bob Beaumont were elevated to the Pearcey Hall of Fame at the annual Pearcey National Awards dinner held on Thursday 14th November 2019 in Melbourne.
The 2019 Pearcey Queensland Entrepreneur Award was presented to Tim Neale, co-founder and managing director of agtech company DataFarming. The award event was held in Brisbane on 15 October 2015 in collaboration with CICTA (Council of ICT Associations in Queensland).
Canberra, Australia - 10 October 2019 - The Pearcey Foundation today announced Matthew Wilson, CEO of Penten as this year's recipient of the 2019 ACT Chief Minister's Pearcey Entrepreneur Award. The award was presented by Senator (retd) Kate Lundy representing the ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr at the Pearcey Round Table 2019.
The 2019 NSW ICT Entrepreneur of the Year award was presented to Ashik Ahmed, co-founder, CTO and CEO of Deputy. The award was presented at a special Pearcey Awards event at the NSW Startup Hub on 10 October 2019.
The 2019 Victorian Pearcey Entrepreneur Award was presented to Craig McDonald, founder and CEO of MailGuard and BlackEvents. The award, in its 20th year, was presented by the international thought-leader Roger Taylor, Chair of the UK Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation, who also gave this year's Pearcey Oration at the dinner.
The 2019 WA Pearcey Entrepreneur Award was presented to Rob Nathan, at the 28th WAITTA Incite Awards held on in Perth on Friday 14th June 2019. The award was presented by Greg Italiano, the Government Chief Information Officer, at the gala presentation dinner at the Crown Perth.
The prestigious Pearcey Medal, which recognises a distinguished lifetime achievement and contribution to the development and growth of the ICT industry in Australia, was presented to Dr Dennis Cooper.
The 2018 Pearcey National Entrepreneur Award was presented to Tony Clark at the ACS 2018 Digital Disruptor Awards gala dinner on 1 November 2018 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Dr Dennis Cooper, Emeritus Professor Robin Stanton, and Dr Reg Coutts were elevated to the Pearcey Hall of Fame at the ACS National Awards dinner in Melbourne on Thursday 1st November 2018 in front of over 800 people.
The 2018 Pearcey Queensland Entrepreneur Award was presented to Peter Laurie at an ICT Awards night hosted by the Pearcey Foundation with the Queensland ACS and CICTA (Council of ICT Associations in Queensland).
The 2018 Tasmanian Pearcey Entrepreneur Award was presented to Dr Gary McDarby on Thursday 4 October at the Hobart Convention Centre. The award was presented by the Hon Michael Ferguson, Minister for Science and Technology as part of an ACS event that recognises the Tasmanian nominees for the ACS National Disruptor Awards.
Ken Kroeger, CEO of Seeing Machines, was presented the 2018 ACT Chief Minister's Pearcey Entrepreneur Award. The award was presented by ACT Chief Digital Officer Bettina Konti, representing the ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr, at ACS Canberra's 25th Annual Conference on 4 September 2018.
The 2018 Victorian Pearcey Entrepreneur Award was presented to Bernie Tschirren and Michael Cameron on Tuesday 28th August at the Monash Chambers, Melbourne. The award was presented by Dr Amanda Caples, Chief Scientist, Victoria as part of a special Pearcey Day(PDF, 107 KB).
The 2018 SA Pearcey Entrepreneur Award was presented to Tony Clark as part of the ACS Branch forum, on Tuesday 28th August 2018 at at SAHMRI, North Terrace in Adelaide. The award was presented by Professor Mike Miller (2017 Pearcey Medallist) who said "this award celebrates and honours a South Australian entrepreneur who has not only been innovative and creative, but also for achieving real long-term commercial success, both locally and globally".
The 2018 NSW Pearcey awards was presented at a ceremony on November 1 at the NSW Startup Hub. Nick Molnar, co-founder and CEO of Afterpay was recognised as the 2018 NSW Tech Entrepreneur of the Year.
Dr Mark Andrich was presented with the 2018 Pearcey WA Entrepreneur Award at the WAITTA Incite Awards held on in Perth on Friday 15th June 2018.
The 2017 Pearcey National Entrepreneur Award was presented to Cyan & Collis Ta'eed at the ACS 2017 Digital Disruptor Awards gala dinner on 2 November 2017 at Sydney's Star Ballroom in Pyrmont. The Award was presented by Dr Mary O'Kane, NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer, and also the 2014 Pearcey Medallist.
At a gala dinner held on Thursday 2 November, 2017 at Sydney's Star in Pyrmont, Emeritus Professor Mike Miller AO, Senator (retired) Kate Lundy and Helen Meredith were inducted into the Pearcey Hall of Fame.
At a gala dinner held on Thursday 2 November 2017 at Sydney's Star Pyrmont NSW, Emeritus Professor Mike Miller AO was presented the 2017 Pearcey Medal by Dr Tim Wark, Director of Product, Programs & Marketing of Data61 at CSIRO.
The 2017 NSW Pearcey Tech Entrepreneur of the Year was awarded to Airtasker co-founders Tim Fung and Jonathan Lui. Several other Awards were presented in a packed PowerHouse Museum on Tuesday October 24. The Pearcey award was presented by Chairman of Jobs for NSW and Chair of CSIRO David Thodey.
The 2017 Pearcey Queensland Entrepreneur Award was presented to Jenine Beekhuyzen OAM at an ICT Awards night hosted by the Pearcey Foundation with the Queensland ACS and CICTA (Council of ICT Associations in Queensland).
The 2017 SA Pearcey Entrepreneur Award was presented to Geoff Rohrsheim as part of the ACS Leaders Lunch on Wednesday 20th September 2017.
The 2017 Victorian Pearcey Entrepreneur Award was presented to Cyan and Collis Ta'eed as part of the Pearcey Oration held on Monday 28th August at the Hub, Melbourne. The award was presented by Rick Harvey, Victorian Chairman of the Pearcey Foundation who noted that the award is not just about success, it is also very much about Cyan and Collis being great entrepreneurs and really special people "taking a risk, making a difference and being an inspiration".
The 2017 Chief Minister's Pearcey Entrepreneur Award was presented by the Chief Minister, the Hon. Andrew Barr MLA. to joint winners as the judges could not distinguish between two highly qualified contributors to ACT's burgeoning ICT industry. The 2017 ACT winners were Phillip Williamson co-founder and Chief Innovator at Intelledox and Mark Riley, co-founder and CTO of ContentKeeper.
Matthew Macfarlane (BCom GAICD CA) was presented with the 2017 Pearcey WA State Award at the WAITTA Incite Awards held on in Perth on Friday 16th June 2017.
At a gala dinner held on Thursday 1 December 2016 at Sydney's Star in Pyrmont, Stephen (Steve) Baxter was presented the 2016 Pearcey Medal by Adrian Turner, CEO of Data61 at CSIRO.
At a gala dinner held on Thursday 1 December 2016 at Sydney's Star in Pyrmont, Stephen Baxter, Jim Ellis OAM and Robin Eckerman (AM) were elevated to the Pearcey Hall of Fame.
The 2016 Pearcey National Entrepreneur Award was presented to Aaron Birkby at ACS's Digital Disruptor's gala dinner on 1st December 2016. The Award was presented by Dr Alex Zelinsky AO, Australia's Chief Defence Scientist and also the 2013 Pearcey Medallist.
The 2016 Pearcey South Australian Award was presented to Stewart Bartlett at an ACS lunch on Wednesday October 26. Stuart is co-founder of Signostics and Global Head of Urologic Care.
The 2016 Queensland Pearcey Entrepreneur Award was presented to Aaron Birkby. The Award was presented at the ACS Queensland 50th birthday celebration dinner on Monday 24 October at BCEC by the Hon Chris Whiting, State Member of Parliament for the Seat of Murrumba, just north of Brisbane.
The NSW Pearcey Tech Entrepreneur of the Year Awards were presented in a packed NSW Parliament House on Tuesday 18th October at NSW Parliament House, at 5.30pm by the Hon Victor Dominello, NSW Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation. The overall winner, was Richard White, Founder and CEO of WiseTechGlobal with Hall of Fame Awards going to the founders of Avoka, Digivizer, Expert360, Invoice2Go, Saasu, Sentral Education, Showpo, Tyro and WiseTech Global.
The 2016 Victorian Pearcey Entrepreneur Award was presented to Martin Hosking at a special Pearcey event Tuesday 6th
September in Melbourne as part of the Victorian Government Digital Innovation Festival.
The Award was presented by Dr Amanda Caples, Lead Scientist to the Victorian Government, who also gave the 2016 Pearcey Oration.
At a gala dinner held in the Gandel Hall at Australia's National Gallery in Canberra, Dean Spaccavento was awarded the 2016 ACT Chief Minister's Pearcey Award.
Tim Power was awarded the 2015 Benson Entrepreneur Award at the 2015 gala ACS Reimagination dinner held on Tuesday November 14th 2015 in Sydney.
At a gala dinner held on Tuesday 17 November 2015 at Sydney's Star in Pyrmont, David Merson was presented the 2015 Pearcey Medal by Hon. Victor Dominello, MP and NSW Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation.
At a gala dinner held on Tuesday 17 November 2015 at Sydney's Star in Pyrmont, David Merson, Geoff Huston AM and Adrian Di Marco were elevated to the Pearcey Hall of Fame.
The winner of the 2015 Tasmanian Pearcey Award was James Riggall. Commercially, James is MD of BitLink and he is also an active member of the Tasmanian startup community. James is the president of Startup Tasmania and one of the founders of both the Innovation Circle and Macquarie House Innovation Hub in Launceston, Tasmania.
The 2015 NSW Tech Entrepreneur of the Year Awards were presented at NSW Parliament by the Hon Victor Dominello, NSW Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation, on behalf of the Pearcey Foundation and the technology industry with the pinnacle award, the winners special recognition award, going to Melanie Perkins, co-founder and CEO of Canva.
The 2015 Victorian Pearcey Entrepreneur Award was presented to Alison Hardacre at the ACS Branch Forum on Wednesday 7th October in Melbourne. Alison was recognised for being both an outstanding person and, via her company HealthKit, making disruptive changes in the very challenging health industry.
he 2015 Queensland Pearcey Entrepreneur Award was presented to prominent young Queensland businessman Wayne Gerard on Thursday, 25 June 2015 at the EDGE Auditorium, Queensland State Library. Wayne is a passionate digital entrepreneur and business leader in Queensland having been a founder of several companies including RedEye, Waterline Projects and SDG.
The 2015 ACT Pearcey Entrepreneur Award was presented to Mr Greg Boorer at the Digital Canberra gala dinner in the Gandel Hall of the National Gallery of Australia. Mr Boorer is a well-known identity in the ICT industry in the nation's capital having started Canberra Data Centres (CDC) just eight years ago in 2007. Today CDC is the dominant data centre vendor in the ACT with more than 40 Federal and ACT government agencies as customers.
The 2014 NSW Tech Entrepreneur of the Year Award was presented to Ben Richardson and Dave Greiner, founders of Campaign Monitor and Tim Power, managing director for 3P Learning.
At the 2014 iAwards Gala dinner held on Friday evening 29 August 2014 at Melbourne's Exhibition and Convention Centre, three eminent Australians were elevated to the Pearcey Hall of Fame - Mary O'Kane AC, Peter Vogel and Dr Bob Frater AO.
Mary O'Kane AC, BSc., PhD., FATSE., FIEAust. was awarded the 2014 Pearcey Medal at a gala dinner held on Friday evening 29th August at the Melbourne Convention Centre.
As part of the 2014 Tasmanian iAwards gala evening event held on Thursday 3 July 2014 at the Henry Jones Art Hotel in Hobart, the Minister for State Growth, Minister for Energy and Minister for Environment, Parks and Heritage., the Hon. Mathew Groom MP presented the 2014 Pearcey Tasmania Entrepreneur Award to James Cuda.
At a gala Queensland iAwards event held at the Brisbane convention Centre on 12 June, Senator Steven Conroy, Federal Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy presented the 2013 Queensland Pearcey Entrepreneur of the Year to Andrew Jessett, CEO and Founder of Mineware.
At a gala iAwards luncheon held on Friday 27 June 2014 at the Adelaide Convention Centre, the Premier of South Australia, the Hon. Jay Weatherill MP, presented the 2014 Pearcey SA Entrepreneur Award to Dr Henry Detmold.
The 2014 Victorian Pearcey Entrepreneur Award was presented to Bevan Clark and Guy King as part of the Victorian iAwards ceremony held on Wednesday 4th June in the Telstra Theatrette, Melbourne.
John De Margheriti was awarded the 2014 Benson Entrepreneur Award at the 2014 gala national iAwards event held on August 29th 2014 in Melbourne
On 23th October 2013 the 2013 NSW Pearcey Entrepreneur of the Year Awards were presented by Mr Paul Toole, Parliamentary Secretary for the Deputy Premier, to joint winners Simon Clausen, founder of Startive Ventures and PC Tools, and Naomi Simson, founder of Red Balloon.
Dr Alex Zelinsky AO was awarded the 2013 Pearcey Medal at the annual national iAwards gala event held on Thursday 8th August 2013 in Melbourne. He was appointed Vice-Chancellor at the University of Newcastle, NSW, in November 2018 and was named an Officer in the General Division of the 2017 Queens Birthday Honours List (AO), for "distinguished service to defence science and technology, to systems engineering and to education as an academic and researcher".
Leni Mayo was awarded the 2013 Benson Award at the 2013 gala national iAwards event held on August 8th 2013 in Melbourne.
At the gala 2013 iAwards event held on Thursday evening 8th August 2013 in Melbourne, Dr Alex Zelinsky, Robert Elz and Dr Rod Tucker were elevated to the Pearcey Foundation's Hall of Fame.
The 2013 Victorian Pearcey Entrepreneur Award was presented to Leni Mayo as part of the Victorian iAwards ceremony held on Wednesday 5th July in the Telstra Theatrette, Melbourne.
At a gala State iAwards presentation evening on 20th June in the Henry Jones IXL Art Hotel, the Premier of Tasmania, the Hon Lara Giddings, presented Lawrence Howson with the 2013 Tasmania Pearcey Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
The 2013 South Australia Pearcey Entrepreneur of the year award was presented to Dr Alex Grant, Director of the ITR at the University of South Australia at the SA iAwards gala presentation event held at KPMG boardroom (Pirie St) Adelaide on 19 June 2013.
At a gala event held on Tuesday evening 17 June at Canberra's Aboretum, Senator Kate Lundy presented the 2014 Pearcey ACT Entrepreneur Award to John de Margheriti.
The 2012 ACT Pearcey Award was presented to Dr Vikram Sharma on Thursday evening 15th November at the Boat House by the Lake as part of the ACS ACT Branch annual Canberra ICT Awards night.
The Pearcey NSW 2012 "Entrepreneur of the Year" Award was jointly presented to Mitch Harper and Eddie Machaalani (founders of BigCommerce) and Jo Burston (founder of JobCapital and other companies).
Dr Mal Bryce AO, 2012 Pearcey Medallist, passed away at home in Perth Western Australia on 4th March 2018. Dr Bryce was a former WA deputy premier and has been remembered as "ahead of his time and a champion of innovation and technology" after the long-serving Labor stalwart died at the age of 74. Mal was accorded a State Funeral and a Memorial Service on Friday 13th April 2018 at the Curtin University Stadium in Perth Western Australia. A copy of the program for that service can be seen here.
Bevan Slattery was awarded the 2012 Benson Entreprenuer Award at a gala dinner as part of the 2012 iAwards event held in Melbourne on Thursday evening 9th August.
Dr Greg Clark AC, Dr Mal Bryce and Dr Craig Mudge AO were elevated to the Pearcey Hall of Fame at a gala dinner held in Melbourne on Thursday evening 9th August 2012 in front of some 800 people. The award was made as part of the 2012 iAwards event and was presented by Mr Len Rust, a member of the Pearcey Foundation Executive Committee.
The 2012 Tasmanian Pearcey Award for mid-career ICT entrepreneurs was presented to Jared Hill, CEO & Co-Founder of eight year old insight4, a thirty man Professional Software Services company based in Hobart.
The 2012 Victorian Pearcey Entrepreneur Award was presented to Oliver Roydhouse as part of the Victorian iAwards ceremony held on Wednesday 4th July in the Telstra Theatrette, Melbourne.
The 2012 Pearcey Queensland Entrepreneur Award was presented to Neil Glentworth by Hon Ros Bates MP, Minister for Science, Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts (DSITIA), at a gala dinner on 3d July held this evening at the Sebel Citigate as part of the 2012 iAwards program.
The 2011 Tasmanian Pearcey Award for younger ICT entrepreneurs was presented to Mr Daniel Harrison, Founder and CEO of QikID, an early stage company focussed on the biometric identification technology for the mass market.
The 2011 SA Pearcey Entrepreneur Award was presented to Matthew Michalewicz at a reception held at InnovateSA Board Room (19 Greenfell Street Adelaide) on Thursday evening, 17 November 2011.
The 2011 NSW ICT Entrepreneur of the Year award was presented to Simon Poole and Steve Frisken, founders of optical communications company Engana and now Finisar Australia by the Hon Andrew Stoner MP, NSW Deputy Premier in front of over 150 industry leaders. The event was held at NSW Parliament on Wednesday 12th October 2011 in Sydney.
The 2011 ACT Pearcey Entrepreneur Award was presented to Matt Bullock by Senator Kate Lundy, Senator representing the ACT and Parliamentary Secretary Prime Minister and Cabinet, as part of the annual combined ACS and Pearcey Foundation Awards held this evening at ‘The Boathouse’ in Canberra.
The 2011 Pearcey Medal was awarded to Mr Brand Hoff AM. The Pearcey Medal is Australia’s most prestigious Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry award to an individual who has made an outstanding life-long commitment to the ICT sector.
Brand Hoff AM, Dr Ann Moffatt and Dr Dennis Moore AM were inducted into the Pearcey Foundation's Hall of Fame at the 2011 iAwards gala dinner, held in Melbourne on the 4th August 2011. The presentation was made by Dr Ian Oppermann, Director ICT Centre, CSIRO, in the presence of the Governor of Victoria, His Excellency Alex Chernov and his wife Elizabeth and some 800 guests.
At the 2011 iAwards gala dinner held in Melbourne on the 4th August 2011, the 2011 Benson Entrepreneur Award was given to Lars and Jens Rasmussen. The Lars brothers accepted the award via a video from Google headquarters in San Fransisco in the presence of the Governor of Victoria, His Excellency Alex Chernov and his wife Elizabeth, some 800 guests.
The 2011 Victorian Pearcey Entrepreneur Award was presented to Dr Elaine Saunders as part of the Victorian iAwards ceremony held on Wednesday 6th July in the River Room at Crown, Melbourne.
The 2011 Pearcey Queensland Entrepreneur Award was presented to Janine Garrett and Bevan Slattery by the Queensland Minister for ICT, The Honourable Simon Finn MP, and Ms Natalie MacDonald, Director General, Queensland Department of Public Works, at a gala dinner on 5th July held this evening at the Hilton Brisbane as part of the 2011 iAwards program.
The 2010 Tasmanian Pearcey Award for young ICT entrepreneurs was presented to Mr. Paris Buttfield-Addison and Mr. Jon Manning, co-founders of Secret Lab, by Mr David Bartlett, Premier of Tasmania in his role as Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology.
The 2010 South Australian Pearcey Award was presented to Dr Anton van den Hengel, inventor of the Videotrace image modelling system and Professor of Computer Science at the University of Adelaide.
The 2010 NSW ICT Entrepreneur of the Year award was presented to Lars and Jens Rasmussen, founders of Google Maps and Google Wave by the Hon Eric Roozendaal MLC, NSW Treasurer and Minister for State and Regional Development in front of over 220 industry leaders. A further 9 entrepreneurs were inducted into our Hall of Fame. The event was held at NSW Parliament on Tuesday 19th October 2010 in Sydney in conjunction with National ICT Australia's NICTA @ NSW Parliament research showcase.
The 2010 Pearcey Medal was awarded to Mr John Grant. The Pearcey Medal is Australia’s most prestigious Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry award to an individual who has made an outstanding life-long commitment to the ICT sector.
Inducted into the Pearcey Hall of Fame for 2010 was John Grant, Brian Finn AO, and Emeritus Professor Peter Poole (Vale 2017)
Peter Ward, Founder and Chief Technical Architect of Wardy IT Solutions, was presented the 2010 Queensland Pearcey Award by Robert Schwarten MP, the Queensland Minister for Public Works and Information and Communication Technology. This award recognises and celebrates the achievements of Australia's ICT and Digital Media entrepreneurs; Peter’s achievements were acknowledged at a gala dinner in Brisbane on 20th September as part of the 2010 World Computer Congress (WCC).
Fullbright Scholar Dr Raymond Choo was presented the 2010 ACT Pearcey Award by Senator Kate Lundy, Parliamentary Secretary to Prime Minister & Cabinet, at a gala dinner held at 'The Boathouse' in Canberra on 16 September 2010.
The 2010 Victorian State Pearcey Award was presented to Mr Brett Paterson as part of the the Victorian ACS Fellows dinner on Tuesday 22nd June 2010 at the RACV Club in Melbourne. The event was sponsored by Multimedia Victoria, Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development and the Australian Computer Society.
The 2009 Queensland Pearcey Award was presented to Mr Paul Gampe at a dinner on Wednesday 25 November 2009 at the Sebel & Citigate King George Square in Brisbane. The presentation was made by Mr Paul Russell, Director of Enabling Technologies at Queensland's Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation. Highly Commeneded Certifcates were also presented to Janine Garrett, Andrew Jessett and Andrew Eddie.
The 2009 NSW ICT Entrepreneur of the Year was awarded to Ian Gardner, founder of online video and digital media specialist Viocorp.
The 2009 Victorian State Pearcey Award was presented to Mr Robert Murray as part of the the 2009 National Pearcey Event on Thursday 1st October 2009 at the Sofitel on Collins in Melbourne.
The 2009 Pearcey Medal was awarded to Professor Murray Allen. The Pearcey Medal is Australia’s most prestigious Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry award to an individual who has made an outstanding life-long commitment to the ICT sector.
Inducted into the Pearcey Hall of Fame for 2009 was Dr Murray Allen, Mr Harry Wragge AM, and Dr Barry Thornton AM.
The 2009 ACT State Pearcey Award was presented to Mr Michael McGoogan on Wednesday 16th September 2009 in Canberra at the Canberra Business Events Centre, Regatta Point. The award was presented by Mr Jon Stanhope MLA, Chief Minister for the ACT during the Business in Focus Month and jointly sponsored with the Australian Computer Society, ACT Branch.
The 2008 Queensland Pearcey Award was won by Raeleen Gillett, CEO and Founder of Octahedron Pty Ltd. The presentation was made by Mr Tony Waters Deputy Director General of the Queensland Dept of Public Works at a gala dinner held on the 11th of November 2008 at the Sebel Hotel, King George Square, Brisbane. As Ms Gillett happened to be in New York city at the time, the presentation was made across a VOIP link involving Skype video.
The 2008 NSW Pearcey Young Achiever's Award were presented to two young entrepreneurs Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar, co-CEO's of Atlassian Software Systems by the NSW Minister for Education & Training, the Hon. John Della Bosca. The presentation occurred on the 11th of September 2008 as part of the 2008 National Pearcey Event in Sydney at the Westin Hotel.
On Thursday 11th September 2008, Neville Roach AO was presented the 2008 Pearcey Medal by Senator Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy.
Inducted into the Pearcey Hall of Fame for 2008 was Neville Roach AO, Dr Neil Weste, and Clive Finkelstein.
On Tuesday 2nd September 2008 the inaugural ACT Pearcey Award was presented to Mathew Purcell by ACT Chief Minsiter, the Hon Mr Jon Stanhope, at the Regatta Point Business Centre in Canberra. The Canberra Branch of the Australian Computer Society joined forces with the Pearcey Foundation to select Matthew Purcell alias "The Silicon Kid", as the winner. Thanks to strong financial support from the ACT Government, the Pearcey foundation has been able to extend its highly competitive peer recognition award process to ICT professionals in the ACT.
The 2008 Victorian State Pearcey Award was presented to Mr Mike Giuffrida at an award ceremony held on Friday 1st August at Melbourne High School. It was held on the opening night preceding the Victorian IT Teachers Association ICT and Careers Expo all part of a National ICT Careers week organized nationally by the Australian Computer Society (ACS).
The winners of the 2007 NSW State Pearcey Award were Pia and Jeffrey Waugh, a husband and wife team who work in their jointly owned software design and consulting business based in Sydney. This is the first time a joint award has been made and the recognition of their joint contribution to the Australian ICT industry makes their award all the more meaningful. They were presented with their certificate at a ceremony held on 6th December 2007 at the Australian Maritime Museum in Sydney. This presentation was made at the conclusion of the VC Connect conference at the Museum and was made by Mr Ian Dennis, Chairman of the Pearcey Foundation.
The 2007 Pearcey National Award for Young Achievers was presented to Brett Hooker at the Pearcey National event dinner, Carlton Crest Hotel King George Square in Brisbane.
At the annual Pearcey Foundation Awards event held this year in Brisbane on the 1st of November 2007, Ms Tammy Halter was awarded the 2007 Pearcey State Award from fellow finalists Kirsty Garrett and Joanne Jacobs. The award was presented by Mr Peter Grant, CIO, Queensland State Government.
Inducted into the Pearcey Hall of Fame for 2007 was Roger Allen AM, Dr Rob Newman, and John Puttick.
On Thursday evening 1st November 2007, Roger Allen AM was presented the 2007 Pearcey Medal by Senator the Honorable Helen Coonan, Minister for Information and Communications Technology and the Arts at the annual Pearcey Foundation Awards evening in Brisbane attended by more than 130 ICT professionals. Fellow finalists Dr Rob Newman and John Puttick were admitted to the Pearcey Hall of Fame.
An audience of nearly 100 ICT luminaries warmly applauded the presentation of the Victorian Pearcey Award 2007 to Ashley Herring, and Pearcey Victoria Commendations to Dr. Stan Skafidas and George Parthimos, at a cocktail party in central Melbourne on 27th August 2007.
The 2006 Queensland Pearcey Award has been won by Mr Brett Hooker, CEO of Sauce Software. The presentation was made on Thursday 2nd November 2006 at the Carlton Crest Hotel in Brisbane.
The 2006 Tasmanian Pearcey Award was won by Mr Ian Cumming, founder of Insight4. The award was given at a joint Pearcey and ACS function on Friday 10th November 2006.
The 2006 Pearcey Medal was presented to Fiona Balfour at Pearcey National event, 28th September 2006 in Melbourne. The Award was presented by Senator The Hon Helen Coonan, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.
Inducted into the Pearcey Hall of Fame for 2006 was Fiona Balfour, Dr Cyril Brookes, and Max Burnet OAM.
The 2006 National Pearcey Award for Young Achiever has been awarded to Luke Bereznicki of Tasmania. This national award recognises a particularly outstanding winner of the State Pearcey Award Winners from 2006.
The 2006 NSW Pearcey Award has been won by Dr. Matt Barrie. Dr Barrie is currently the CEO and Founder of Sensory Networks and still maintains time to lecture at the University of Sydney.
The co-founder of Brisbane company Sundata and chairman of Software Queensland, Kon Kakanis, has been named recipient of the 2005 Queensland Pearcey State Award.
The 2005 Tasmanian Pearcey Award presented to Luke Bereznicki on 5th November 2005.
The 2005 Pearcey Medal was presented to Emeritus Professor John O'Callaghan AM at the Pearcey National Event on Friday 14th October 2005 by the Hon Marsha Thomson - Victorian Minister for Information and Communication Technology.
The 2005 Victorian State Pearcey Award was presented to Graeme Huon. The presentation was made by the Victorian Minister for ICT, Marsha Thomson during the National Pearcey Banquet on Friday 14 October 2005.
Inducted into the Pearcey Hall of Fame for 2005 was Dr John O'Callaghan, Ashley Goldsworthy, and John O'Neil AO.
At the 2005 National Pearcey Dinner the inaugural presentation of the National Award for Young Achiever was presented to Luke Howard. Finallists were drawn from the previous year State Award winners from NSW, Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia and Victoria.
The 2005 New South Wales Pearcey Award was presented to James Dalziel by The Hon. John Della Bosca, Minister for Commerce. The presentation was made at the Pearcey Cocktail Function at the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo. The Award forms part of the ICT Outlook Forum initiated by CSIRO, DSTO, NICTA and the ICT Council of CRC's.
The 2004 South Australian Pearcey Award was presented to Dr Ross Williams. The award was presented by the Hon. Trish White, who is also a State patron of the Pearcey Foundation.
Adrian Di Marco, founder and executive chairman of Technology One, one of Australia's largest publicly listed software companies, is this year's winner of the prestigious Queensland Pearcey Award.
The 2004 Inaugural Tasmanian Pearcey Award presented to joint winners Chris Dalton & Anthony Scotney. The presentation was made by Lara Giddings, Tasmanian Minister for Economic Development and the Arts, at the Tasmanian ICT Industry Awards in Hobart, on the evening of 12th November 2004.
The 2004 Pearcey Medal was presented to Emeritus Professor John Bennett AO by Senator the Hon Helen Coonan, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.
The 2004 NSW State Pearcey Award was presented to Hugh Durrant-Whyte, by Loftus Harris, Director General of the NSW Department of State and Regional Development, on behalf of Minister John Della Bosca.
Inducted into the Pearcey Hall of Fame for 2004 was Emeritus Professor John Bennett AO, Ormonde Browne, Ren Potts and Bob Bishop.
On Friday September 3 2004 the Minister for Information and Communication Technology, Marsha Thomson, presented National Pearcey Media Award to John (Jack) Costello, former editor of Computerworld and Computer Weekly.
Marsha Thomson, Victorian Minister for Information & Communication Technology, presented the 2004 Victorian Pearcey Award to Luke Howard, CEO of PADL Software, before an audience of 200 IT luminaries and guests in the Great Hall of the National Gallery Victoria on Friday evening.
The 2003 SA Pearcey Award for Information Technology was awarded to Adelaide innovator Dr Simon Ronald.
On Tuesday 25th November Lyndsey Cattermole, National Pearcey Medallist for 2003, presented the 2003 NSW Pearcey Award to Dr. Ted Dunstone, Managing Director of Biometix. The award was presented at the NSW State Library.
Prominent technology professional Ms Lyndsey Cattermole was awarded the 2003 Pearcey Medal by the Federal Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator Richard Alston. The announcement was made at the Pearcey National Event gala dinner in Brisbane on 22 July 2003, attended by many of Australia's leading technology identities.
On Saturday March 22nd Ms Liz Beattie MLA, Parliamentary Secretary for Education on behalf of the Hon. Marsha Thomson MP, Minister for Information & Communication Technology presented the 2003 Victorian Pearcey Award to Alec Umansky, founder of Defence Communications Industry.
Mr David Barbagallo (AM) was awarded the inaugural 2003 Queensland Pearcey Award for his contribution to the State's ICT industry.
The inaugural 2002 SA Pearcey Award was presented to Dr. Jonathan Baxter.
The 2002 NSW Pearcey Award was presented to Alex Hartman, by NSW Minister for Information Technology, Kim Yeadon, on 11th November 2002. The award was presented at the gala dinner for the Moving Towards The Knowledge Economy Conference held in Homebush Bay, Sydney.
The 2002 Pearcey Medal was presented to Professor Bill Caelli AO by The Hon Rod Kemp, Minister for the Arts, on behalf of Senator Richard Alston, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, before a distinguished audience of 180 State and Federal Ministers, senior politicians, bureaucrats and I.T.T professionals, Pearcey Medallists and Pearcey Award winners, from every State and Territory, at a celebratory Dinner at the Hilton Hotel, Melbourne on 6th September 2002.
On Saturday March 23 the Minister for ICT, the Hon Marsha Thomson MP, presented the 2002 Victorian Pearcey Award to Jonathan Zufi, Founder and Director of UDU World Pty Ltd, a software company selling products into Australia, the United States and South Africa.
The 2001 NSW Pearcey Award was presented to Derek Renouf, of Adaptive Arts, by NSW Minister for Information Technology, Kim Yeadon, on 12th November 2001.
Industry stalwart, Tony Benson, was awarded the 2001 Pearcey Medal in recognition of his life-time commitment to the Australian IT industry. The highly prestigious award was presented to Mr Benson by the NSW Minister for Information Technology, Kim Yeadon, at a special dinner in Parramatta on Friday 9 November 2001.
On Saturday 1 September 2001 the Minister for State and Regional Development, John Brumby, presented the inaugural 2001 Nation Pearcey Media Award to Gary Barker, Technology Editor of the Melbourne Age.
The 2001 Victorian Pearcey Award was presented to Anna Carosa, Co-Founder and Vice President of ehyou.com Ltd, by Victoria Treasurer and Minister for State and Regional Development, John Brumby, at the Australian Computer Society National Conference at Lorne on 17th March.
The 2000 NSW Pearcey Award was presented to Clinton Paddison, of JDS Uniphase, by NSW Minister for Information Technology, Kim Yeadon, on 15th November 2000.
The 2000 Pearcey Medal was presented to Mr George Kepper by Senator Richard Alston, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, before an audience of over 300 senior I.T. industry executives at the Hotel Sofitel in Melbourne, on 31 August 2000.
