Congratulations to our incredible winners! Click on each one to watch their story.
People whose impact drives Sydney to be a vibrant, thriving city
Over two decades, William has forged a global profile as a performer and composer in the classical musical world, from the Philharmonic Orchestras of London and Berlin to historic events at Westminster Abbey for Commonwealth Day 2019, Anzac Cove and the Beijing Olympics. With his prodigious musicality and the quiet conviction of his Kalkadunga heritage, he has vastly expanded the horizons of the didgeridoo — and the culture and landscape it represents. The Global Sydney Award is supported by ISPT.
Over the past 15 years, Sarah and Geoff have shifted the balance of Sydney to the west, through sophisticated land use, transport and economic planning with the Greater Sydney Commission and Western Parkland City Authority, spurring a transformational wave of infrastructure construction and cultural change. Proudly supported by McDonald Jones Homes. The City Visionary Award is supported by McDonald Jones Homes.
Leading the largest council in the state, Kerry serves more than 415,000 residents. Under his leadership, Blacktown is delivering a city shaping program of infrastructure and facility construction, as well as delivering an extraordinarily broad service of high quality. His passion for the area is infectious, he’s a natural choice as Western Sydney Champion. The Western Sydney Champion is supported by Endeavour Energy.
Fiona has been instrumental in transforming Sydney into a proactive cycling city for a broad cross-section of the community, from kids to seniors and people living with disability. Through her championship spanning more than two decades, Fiona has brought together the ideas, people, technical expertise and excitement to get cycling firmly on the agenda in local, state and federal government. The Unsung Hero Award is supported by Uber.
Cheryne left a budding career in law to dedicate her efforts to improving the lives of others facing challenges in Australia and abroad. Already she has inspired many with her strategic leadership in the development of sustainable programs that are directly impacting social issues like poverty, malnutrition, access to healthcare and homelessness due to domestic violence in Sydney. Cheryne manages teams in Australia and Cambodia, and coordinates programs in 10+ different countries from an office in Yagoona. The Emerging Leader Award is supported by KPMG.
40th Premier of NSW, Greater Sydney Commissioner, Director TAFE NSW, Chair NSW Government Cancer Institute, Chair Greyhounds NSW and Chair of South East Sydney Local Health District
Executive General Manager of Inclusion and Social Policy at the AFL and 2021 SA Australian of the year
Executive Dean of Macquarie Business School and an internationally recognised scholar in the fields of organisational theory and strategic management
Lawyer, co-founder of the Bankstown Poetry Slam, Director of Monkey Baa Theatre Company
Chair of the Sydney Opera House, former Lord Mayor of Sydney
Major Partner
Event Sponsors
People whose impact drives Sydney to be a vibrant, thriving city
Artistic Director, Bangarra Dance Theatre. Over more than three decades, he has led Bangarra to become Australia’s leading First Nations performing arts company, touring with more than 130 dancers to 60+ cities globally. He choreographed over 25 works for the company, as well as major pieces for the Sydney and Atlanta Olympic Games, and Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. The Global Sydney Award is supported by ISPT.
CEO, Sydney Opera House. As steward of the greatest building of the 20th century, she has overseen a $300 million, 10 year renewal, including upgrades to the Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre, the new Centre for Creativity and Yallamundi Rooms function centre, upgraded entry foyers and a vehicle-free forecourt, to reposition and reinvigorate this icon for a new century. The City Visionary Award is supported by Mirvac Design.
CEO, CommUnity Construction. A former refugee from Afghanistan, he was about to commence a PhD in forensics, when he had the idea for the business to help other refugees and asylum seekers get work in construction. Over the past five years, his business has trained and employed more than 75 refugees, completing 130+ projects – and two trainees have gone on to found their own businesses. The Western Sydney Champion is supported by Aurecon.
Founder and CEO, Story Factory. Over the past decade, she has led a program to inspire and encourage kids in underresourced communities to learn the love of writing. Nearly 45,000 young people have come through the program since, going on to careers as novelists, journalists, planners and all kinds of other jobsThe Unsung Hero Award is supported by Coles.
Co-CEOs and founders, Humanitix. They have taken part of our life that is very transactional – buying tickets – and turned it into something that’s transformational, making a difference in the world. They are on track for their vision of being a ‘social unicorn,’ with the site doubling every six months. The Emerging Leader Award is supported by KPMG.
CEO of HammondCare and former Premier of NSW
Executive General Manager of Inclusion and Social Policy at the AFL and 2021 SA Australian of the year
Executive Dean of Macquarie Business School and an internationally recognised scholar in the fields of organisational theory and strategic management.
Lawyer, co-founder of the Bankstown Poetry Slam, Director of Monkey Baa Theatre Company
CEO and co-founder of Catalysr, Commercialisation Facilitator in the Australian Government’s Entrepreneurs' Program, and 2021 Western Sydney Champion Award winner
Director of NAB, MCA and Sydney Airport, Chair of UNICEF and Enero, and Chancellor of QUT
Major Partner
Event Sponsors
People whose impact drives Sydney to be a vibrant, thriving city
Founder and CEO, Muslim Women Australia. A strong advocate for the rights of women and particularly Muslim women, Maha is a powerful champion for a unified Sydney, and although she’s well known in certain circles, when you look at the impact she’s had on the city, she’s the essence of unsung. The Unsung Hero Award is supported by Coles.
Co-founders and Co-CEOs, Atlassian. From bootstrapping their startup on credit cards, they’ve built a global company, serving millions of users, and driving the growth of Sydney’s tech sector. They are also passionate about sustainability and leading on the road to greener future. The 2021 Global Sydney Award was supported by Investment NSW.
Co-founder and CEO, Catalysr. Getting passed over for job after job was the inspiration for Usman’s pre-accelerator, which has since supported 520 migrapreneurs, or high-performing migrant and refugee entrepreneurs, to launch 175 enterprises. The 2021 Western Sydney Champion was supported by DXC Technology.
Outgoing Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. Liz Ann secured the financial future of the museum, changed the way Indigenous art is shown around the world, and dramatically increased the museum’s relevance across the city, making MCA the world’s most visited modern art museum. The 2021 Global Sydney Award was supported by Investment NSW.
Former CEO of the Green Building Council of Australia and Infrastructure Australia. A green building gamechanger, Romilly has been recognised for her pragmatic approach in establishing Australia as a leader on sustainability. The City Visionary Award is supported by Mirvac Design.
Curator, Writer and Educator and incoming Director, First Nations at the Powerhouse Museum. One of those people we should all watch, Emily’s influence is seen in major public art commissions such as the City of Sydney’s Yananurala harbour walk, in the way people connect with Country, and even in the way the city’s cultural leaders speak about Aboriginal culture.
Event Sponsors
