PRINCE’S TRUST AUSTRALIA CELEBRATES ENTREPENEURSHIP IN VETERANS AND DEFENCE FAMILIES
For the second year in a row, Australian charity of naval Veteran, His Majesty King Charles III, honours veteran and Australian Defence Force family entrepreneurs across Australia.
With thanks to Major Sponsor Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Silver Sponsor SAAB Australia.
***
Prince’s Trust Australia is pleased to announce its second Beyond Service Awards.
An initiative of the Prince’s Trust Australia Enterprise programme, the Beyond Service Awards are designed to celebrate the entrepreneurial achievements of Australia’s veteran and their family business community.
Since launch in 2015, Prince’s Trust Australia has supported more than 1,000 participants with more than 150 veteran and family businesses currently in operation across the Enterprise alumni network.
The Trust has reached veterans and their families in every state, through a blend of online and in-person lessons and workshops.
Michelle Endacott, Chief Executive at Prince’s Trust Australia, said:
“We are honoured to offer the Beyond Service Awards again in 2023. These awards are a rare opportunity to recognise the outstanding contribution of veteran and family businesses to our economy.
From Cairns and Brisbane to Adelaide and Canberra, our finalists in 2022 demonstrated that veterans and their families are building businesses in homes and offices across the country, in industries as diverse as ecotourism, professional services, disability care, homeopathic medicine, and the media. We look forward to receiving just as many varied and exciting nominations this year.”
Julie Hall, Veteran Business Banker at Commonwealth Bank of Australia and current serving Australian Defence Force spouse and mother, said,
“Our veterans play a critically important role in the life of our nation and CommBank is delighted to sponsor these awards as recognition of their past and ongoing service. In partnering with The Prince’s Trust to support the Beyond Service Awards, this is our way of honouring and celebrating the efforts of those veterans who, by establishing their own businesses, are creating new opportunities for themselves and their local communities.”
Call for nominations
Nominations for the 2023 Beyond Service Awards open this Monday, 12 June 2023.
All veteran and Australian Defence Force family-owned or operated businesses are encouraged to nominate themselves.
This includes, but is not limited to, alumni of the Prince’s Trust Australia Enterprise network.
Four award categories are open for nomination until Friday, 14 July 2023at 11:59 PM AEST. They are:
- The Power of One Award, recognising the outstanding efforts of an individual that works on their own.
- The New Mission Award, recognising the best application of military skills, experience and/or networks developed in service to the Australian Defence Force and applied to a civilian business(es). This Award is sponsored by SAAB Australia.
- The Defence Family Business Award, recognising the outstanding efforts of Australian Defence Force partner and spouse businessowners and entrepreneurs.
- The Community Impact Award, recognising veteran or Australian Defence Force partners and spouses making a positive impact in the community and/or contributing to a more sustainable society through their business(es).
The peak award, The Commonwealth Bank of Australia Business of the Year Award is not open for public nomination. It will be chosen from finalists of the four categories outlined above.
To nominate, please complete an application form, available here.
To determine your eligibility for an award and/or read our Terms and Conditions, please visit our website here.
Finalists for the five awards will be announced in September 2023, with an awards ceremony held at Admiralty House in Sydney in November 2023.
The ceremony will be hosted by the Chair of the Enterprise for Veterans’ Advisory Council, His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Ret’d), Governor-General of Australia, and Chair of Prince’s Trust Australia, the Hon Julie Bishop.
ABOUT PRINCE’S TRUST AUSTRALIA
Prince’s Trust Australia is a national charity that helps young people prepare for the rapidly changing world of work, inspires veterans and their families into entrepreneurship and self-employment, and champions resilient sustainable communities.
Our work is inspired by our Founder and President, His Majesty King Charles III, and is driven by his vision for a more sustainable future.
We also work in partnership with our colleagues across The Prince’s Trust Group, a global network of charities transforming lives and building sustainable communities in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and across the Commonwealth. Together, we promote, support, and inspire people and their communities to flourish.
Since2015, Prince’s Trust Australia has been inspiring veterans and their families with the confidence, skills and networks they need to explore self-employment through the Enterprise Programme.
The programme is guided by an Advisory Council, chaired by the Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Ret’d) and attended by Major General Wade Stothart, Head of People Capability at Department of Defence.
Visit: www.princes-trust.org.au
ABOUT COMMONWEALTH BANK
Commonwealth Bank is the Gold Sponsor of the Beyond Service Awards.
For 100 years, the Commonwealth Bank has been supporting everyday Australians and businesses to build a brighter future, committed to empowering and supporting the entire small business community.
Commonwealth Bank is proud to support veteran owned businesses, with a team of specialised bankers and a range of products, partnerships and business solutions to support veterans and their families to successfully transition to entrepreneurship and build thriving businesses.
Find out more here.
ABOUT AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT OF VETERAN AFFAIRS
The Prince’s Trust Australia Enterprise programme received grant funding from the Australian Government to support veteran owned businesses.
For more information about the nomination process, contact events@princes-trust.org.au.
For media enquiries, contact media@princes-trust.org.au.
