Media Release The winners of the fifth annual Sydney Awards – celebrating the people and projects making Sydney the best city to live, work and play – have been announced at a black-tie gala ceremony this evening at Crown Sydney.
This marks the fifth year the awards have been delivered by independent think tank Committee for Sydney, in partnership with Macquarie Business School and The Daily Telegraph.
Eamon Waterford, CEO of the Committee for Sydney, said: “These awards are about recognising and celebrating the people that make our city better – whether it’s through quiet work supporting our most vulnerable, or building businesses that compete on the global stage, they’re doing the world to make Sydney the best city in the world, for all of us.”
The winners of the prestigious Sydney Awards for 2025 are:
Sydneysider of the Year: Robin Khuda, Founder and CEO of AirTrunk
Originally from Bangladesh, Robin Khuda, Founder and CEO of tech giant AirTrunk, has made a huge impact on Sydney – from both an economic and philanthropic perspective.
Moving to Western Sydney at 18-years-old to prioritise his education and pursue greater opportunities, Khuda has gone from strength to strength, never forgetting the community that supported him from the start. Over the years, his drive, intellect and love for Sydney have shaped how he does business and how he gives back.
Last year, AirTrunk was sold to Blackstone for $24 billion, the fund’s largest ever investment in the Asia Pacific region. It’s one of the things Khuda is most proud of, after building the business in just 10 short years.
The Khuda Family Foundation – created by Robin to uplift others in the Western Sydney community – this year announced a record $100 million donation to the University of Sydney for a dedicated STEM program to support girls in Western Sydney to progress into higher education and careers. It is the largest gift ever donated to the university. It is also one of the largest investments in women in STEM globally and is the largest single philanthropic gift in NSW.
“My parents wanted me to have a better education – that’s why I came to Australia. Their belief in learning shaped my own, and I now see education as the most powerful investment in a person’s future.”
“I’ve been fortunate to be able to leverage the success I’ve had with AirTrunk to invest into my community – bringing more women in STEM will not just help Australia prosper, it will create possibilities for our future generations, making a profound impact on people’s lives for years to come.”
Proudly sponsored by Aurecon
Young Sydneysider of the Year: Kodie Mason, Founder of Malima and Senior Policy Officer at the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group
Kodie Mason is a proud Dharawal leader from the La Perouse Aboriginal community, and a fierce advocate for preserving and passing on Aboriginal culture and learnings.
Kodie works on Closing the Gap policy as a Senior Policy Officer at the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG), ensuring Aboriginal voices are heard in all levels of policy. She is also the founder of Malima, a social enterprise focused on preserving Indigenous culture.
Kodie, and the work she does, stands at the intersection of tradition and transformation – honouring her ancestors while creating pathways for generations to come.
“What drives me is Aboriginal people didn’t have a lot of freedoms, they didn’t get opportunities to go to school, to go to work, they weren’t allowed to have businesses.
“The treatment they went through has always been in the back of my mind, and how lucky I am to live here today.
“Anything I did for work, I wanted it to be for our people and making our lives better. That’s why I chose to do my degree in policy, because that’s where I think we can make the most change.
Proudly sponsored by KPMG
Sydney Project of the Year and People’s Choice Winner: TCS Sydney Marathon / Make Sydney A Major campaign, led by Pont3 and Destination NSW
This year, the TCS Sydney Marathon leapt to new heights after a campaign led by Pont3 and Destination NSW succeeded in elevating the event to the elite group of world marathon majors, alongside New York City, London, Tokyo, Boston, Chicago and Berlin.
As part of the case for achieving the prestigious status, the marathon team drove a huge surge in participation, from around 5,308 runners in 2022 to 32,963 finishers in its first year as an Abbot World Marathon Major in August 2025.
The buzz this year’s marathon has created in Sydney is undeniable. From the number of visitors the event brought to the city, to the impact it has had on Sydney’s economy, vibrancy and sheer levels of camaraderie – it was a no brainer that the campaign should win Project of the Year. On top of that, it has also taken out the People’s Choice at this year’s Sydney Awards.
Wayne Larden, CEO of Pont3, said: “To achieve major status we first had to change the thought process in the Australian running community around what the real bucket list is for your running goals.”
“We had to find a way to encourage people who hadn’t run marathons before to think that they could step up and complete a marathon – that anything is possible.
Karen Jones, CEO of Destination NSW, said: “This was only possible through really strong collaboration, because achieving major status doesn’t just entail designing a course route.”
“It takes buy-in across government to coordinate agencies like Transport for NSW, the NSW Police and Ambulance Service to ensure it runs safely and at scale. Businesses and the wider public have to be engaged to ensure the entire city is ready and able to accommodate, transport and host thousands of people in the lead up, during and after the event.”
Project of the Year proudly sponsored by Aqualand
People’s Choice Award proudly sponsored by Coles
Local Project of the Year: We Are Studios, Blacktown
We Are Studios is a 100 per cent disability-led and run artist studio in Western Sydney.
Established in 2023, We Are Studios gives a platform to artists with disability, ensuring their voices are heard and stories are told in a sector where they haven’t always been visible.
Now, work by the studio’s artists has been featured at key cultural institutions including the Art Gallery of NSW and Biennale of Sydney, and their advocacy and leadership for Deaf and disabled artists is driving real policy change.
Co-Founder Ebony Wightman said: “We have all experienced the barriers that artists and people with disability feel in being part of the world, and we need to make sure that our stories are part of the cultural landscape and that they are valued.”
The team operates out of a temporary space in Blacktown, where their artists can come together to brainstorm, create and support one another.
Co-Founder Liam Benson describes this coming together as the soul of their community: “I love it when everyone comes through the door in the morning and is greeted with gusto. We get to come into the studio and create some great art, but we get to do it with our fellow artists, our peers, those people who truly understand us.”
The next step for the team is a permanent space to operate out of.
Co-Founder Jordan Valageorgiou said: “We want to see a landmark disability arts centre, based in Western Sydney, right here in Blacktown, to capture a moment, a community and the most wonderful artistic progression we can see coming.”
Proudly sponsored by Australian Unity
Unsung Hero: Nicole Yade, CEO of the Women’s and Girls’ Emergency Centre (WAGEC)
Nicole Yade is a fierce advocate for domestic violence prevention, and the CEO of the Women’s and Girls’ Emergency Centre (WAGEC).
Her firsthand experience with domestic violence helped her to understand the holes in the system and has fueled her unwavering commitment to social justice. Her leadership at WAGEC has undoubtedly changed hundreds of lives for the better.
Every night the team at WAGEC helps more than 200 women and children who are in the middle of live situations – often coming from the hospital or police station – that make it unsafe for them to go home. Led by Nicole, WAGEC helps these women rebuild their lives and start a new chapter.
WAGEC has also introduced the From Now program, working with pregnant women exiting incarceration to give them a safe place to have their baby, and help them at the crossroad to a brighter future.
Nicole Yade, CEO of WAGEC, said: “It was once me coming into the refuge – homeless and fleeing domestic violence with my baby girl – so I’m always thinking about what it means for the women and children coming in today.
“My own experiences really helped me to understand what’s not working about the systems that should be in place to protect us, and it made me want to do something so that other people don’t go through the same things.”
Proudly sponsored by Endeavour Energy
The 2025 judging panel for the Sydney Awards included:
- Kate Russell, CEO of Supply Nation
- Chris Minns, Premier of NSW
- Beau Neilson, Owner and Operator of The Vanguard
- Mark Speakman, NSW Liberal Leader
- Usman Iftikhar, CEO of Catalysr
- Gabrielle Trainor AO, Pro Chancellor of Western Sydney University
- Professor Leonie Tickle, Executive Dean of Macquarie Business School
- Nicholas Hansen, Deputy Editor of The Daily Telegraph
- Christine Covington, Consultant and Head of Gender Equality at Corrs Chambers Westgarth
- Gail Connolly PSM, CEO of City of Parramatta.