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Westpac backs 200 Australian businesses to unlock Australia’s economic potential

07 April, 2017

  • 200 outstanding businesses to help unlock some of Australia’s $70 billion[1] economic potential and exchange ideas at a networking Summit in Sydney.
  • Westpac names 20 exceptional Australian businesses to receive mentoring from some of the nation’s most influential and attend global study tour in the USA and China.
     

As part of its Businesses of Tomorrow program, Westpac today recognised 200 outstanding businesses that have the drive to boost the nation’s future as Australia transitions to a services and knowledge-based economy.

 

These businesses have demonstrated a clear vision to shape Australia’s economy and have the qualities and potential to help tomorrow’s customers and communities.

 

From the 200 businesses, 20 high potential have also been identified and will participate in a unique mentor-matching program with some eminent Australian business leaders.

 

The 200 diverse businesses from across Australia gathered at a Summit in Sydney alongside business leaders, to network, share knowledge, and collaborate on the future of Australian business.

 

David Lindberg, Chief Executive, Westpac Business Bank, said: “Truly remarkable things happen when businesses come together; and we know that networking and collaboration are among the top drivers of business success.

 

“Bringing together 200 businesses that all have the potential to shape our nation’s future presents an opportunity for the Australian business community. We are helping the next generation of Australian businesses to thrive and succeed in a changing world.”

 

The Businesses of Tomorrow are an impressive cohort, with a collective turnover of approximately $2 billion per year, which support thousands of employees.

 

The businesses represent a broad range of industries, although the list is heavily weighted to businesses in industries with high growth potential:

 

  • Technology businesses make up 40 per cent of the top 200 businesses. The digital economy is estimated to grow by 10 per cent each year and be worth $139 billion by 2020[2]
  • Health businesses constitute 9 per cent of the list, and the industry is expected to grow by 5 per cent annually on average over the next 3 years[3]
  • Education businesses comprise 9 per cent of the top 200, and education exports are predicted to grow by around 6 per cent annually to 2025[4].

 

Mr Lindberg added: “Our businesses represent the diversity of Australia – large and small, new and established businesses, across all industries and sectors.

 

“It’s pleasing to see strong representation among service-led sectors such as health, professional services and technology, all predicted to have strong growth over the next 10 years. These businesses demonstrated the potential for a higher purpose.”

 

The top 20 high potential Businesses of Tomorrow will participate in a tailored mentoring program with some influential Australians who have succeeded in business leadership. Among the mentors to be matched to a business are Carla Zampatti AC, Ita Buttrose AO OBE, John Eales AM, Tim Fung and Andrew Vesey. The 20 businesses will also receive a tailored $100,000 professional services package and a global study tour in the USA and China.

 

Among the 20 high potential businesses were baby sleepwear company Love To Dream, global data room provider Ansarada and peer-to-peer car sharing service Car Next Door.

 

Mr Lindberg said the judges were impressed by the calibre of applicants: “We had so many businesses with the potential to go global, and one of the things we hope to do is support that expansion. I think it’s something all Australians should be proud of because we have all these great companies with the potential to take on the world.”

 

When asked how Westpac Business Bank would measure the success of the program, Mr Lindberg said: “Our goal is to look back in 10 years’ time and be able to confidently say we supported some of the businesses that helped shape our nation. We have identified an incredible group of businesses and business leaders, and I look forward to following their journey and successes for years to come.”

 

The opportunity to create a multi-billion dollar impact on the nation’s economy was upheld by a 2016 Westpac Businesses of Tomorrow report by Deloitte Access Economics. It found an opportunity of about $70 billion exists for Australia by harnessing business leadership potential. This translates into a 4 per cent increase in the nation’s GDP (PPP-adjusted).

 

The 200 Businesses of Tomorrow were chosen from almost 2,000 applications nationally. They were based on criteria such as business purpose, contribution to customers and the community, current strengths and vision for the future.

 

Westpac’s 200 Businesses of Tomorrow:[5]

Anatomics Pty Ltd

ansarada

Bioproton Pty Ltd

Car Next Door

Concrete Playground

Damstra Technology

DroneShield Ltd

Fiftysix Creations Pty Ltd

GoodCompany

Healthshare

Hireup

Love To Dream

Mathspace

Oreco Group (Australian Prime Fibre)

PlantMiner

Plastic Forests Pty Ltd

Qirx Pty Ltd

QuintessenceLabs

REDARC ELECTRONICS Pty Ltd

Trajan Scientific & Medical

A.H Beard Pty Ltd

AdactIn Group Pty Ltd

Adepto

Agency Strategic Creative

Ahrens Group Pty Ltd

Airly Group Pty Ltd

Alyceum

Araza Pty Ltd

Ashburton Aboriginal Corporation

Aubot Pty Ltd

Audeamus Risk Pty Ltd

Augmentor

AUI Labs

AURORA VR

Avoka

Baker Heart & Diabetes Institute

Beautiful Minds

Better Medical

Biarri Networks Pty Ltd

Blackdot

BlastMe

Bombora Wave Power

Booodl Pty Ltd

Brontech

BuildingApprovals.com (Australia) Pty Ltd

CAMILLA AND MARC

Capital Guardians

Cashrewards Pty Ltd

Champion Life Education Pty Ltd

Chemo@home

Children's Medical Research Institute

CircleSource

ClassMarker Pty Ltd

CleverDux

Closed Loop Environmental Solutions Pty Ltd

Codecamp Pty Ltd

CoDesign Studio

FairGo Group

Contexti

Covocate.com Pty Ltd

CPL - Choice, Passion, Life

Cubbi

Cutri Fruit Pty Ltd

Device Technologies Australia Pty Ltd

Dexterous Systems (Aust)

Directus Australia Pty Ltd

DriveLight

Emerging Entrepreneurs

EnrolNow

Ensight Solutions

EvacMate Pty Ltd

Evolve Intelligence

Experience The Pulse

Expert 365 Pty Ltd

ezyCollect Pty Ltd

EzyDog Pty Ltd

Family Zone Cyber Safety Ltd

FlexCareers Pty Ltd

FlexRule

Form 2000 Sheetmetal Pty Ltd

Four Pillars Gin

FTR Group Pty Ltd

GIS People

GreenBe Systems Pty Ltd

GRONADE

Guide Dogs SA/NT

Guided Resolution Pty Ltd

HealthEngine

HelloCars

Hit 100

Hiya

Homecorp Property Group

Honeylight Enterprises

HRMweb Easyemployer

HUDS AND TOKE Pty Ltd

Human Centred Innovations Pty Ltd

Hutcheon and Pearce

Hyper Anna

ICT International Pty Ltd

iGloo Software Pty Ltd

IN-Balance Australia

Independent Products

Infratech Industries Pty Ltd

Injury Connect Pty Ltd

Inspired Adventures Pty Ltd

Intersective

jack media Pty Ltd

jEyLaBs Pty Ltd

Jurimetrics Pty Ltd

Knokal Pty Ltd

Lifestyle Communities Ltd

Lighthouse

Liminal VR Pty Ltd

LIST Premier Education Pty Ltd

Listcorp

Loyal Brands (nANA jUDY)

MAAP House Pty Ltd

Matchboard Pty Ltd

Medsurge Healthcare

Merino & Jumbuck (Australia) Pty Ltd

Metamako

Miktysh

Modibodi

MyOnlineClinic

Myriota

MyXplor Pty Ltd

NEPEAN

Nexus Law Group

Norwood Systems Ltd

NuaMedia Solutions Pty Ltd

OpenAgent

OpenDNA Ltd

Ordermentum Pty Ltd

OzHelp Ltd

Paperlust

Parents At Work

Pay Compliment

PD Training

Peak Care Equipment Pty Ltd

Pilbara Group

Place Score

PLASDENE GLASS-PAK Pty Ltd

PLGRM Media Group

Polinode Pty Ltd

Process PA

Propel Group (Australia) Pty Ltd

PropertyShares Pty Ltd

Protech Group AUSTRALIA

Quantify Technology

RagTagd

Rail Safety Systems Pty Ltd

Real Estate Your Way Pty Ltd

RED Cosmetica

Retail Prodigy Group

Rupppells Griffon

S1T2

SA Construct Pty Ltd

Safety Wise Solutions

ScopeIT Education

Search Party

Sentient Computing

Sharebuyit Australia

Shopper Media Group

Slattery Auctions Australia Pty Ltd

Solar D Sunscreen

Sound Scouts

Sparesbox

Sprout Ventures Pty Ltd

STUDIO SYN-RG (Product: Brand Toolbox)

Superdraft Pty Ltd

Surf Life Saving Australia

Surgical Partners

Sustainable Food Recycling

Tap into Safety

Tenderfield Pty Ltd

Terrapix

Thankyou

THE BEANSTALK FACTORY Pty Ltd

The Difference Incubator

The Missing Link Security Pty Ltd

The Swag

TheHealthClinic.com.au Pty Ltd

Tow.com.au

TrepiCity

Two Good

Unusual Risks

Vantage Interactive

VentureCrowd

Verton Group

Virtual Machine Technology Pty Ltd

Vivid Industrial

Whispli

Who Gives A Crap

Whooshkaa

Wild Breads Pty Ltd

WME Group

Workmetrics

Xcursion

Yaru Water

Zeetings

[1] The 2016 Westpac Businesses of Tomorrow report by Deloitte Access Economics.
This is based on academic studies suggesting that 29% of the productivity gap between Australia and the United States (23%) can be explained by management effectiveness, as measured by a range of factors such as goal and target setting, plan execution, talent management and promotion systems. Deloitte Access Economics has calculated that halving this gap could lift productivity by 4%. The main study is by Nicholas Bloom et al. from 2013. GDP per capita ranking based on World Bank purchasing power parity GDP data.

[2] The 2015 ‘Connected Continent II’ report by Deloitte Access Economics for Google

[3] Business Outlook by Deloitte Access Economics

[4] The 2015 ‘Growth and opportunity in Australian International Education’ report by Deloitte Access Economics for Austrade

[5] Note: Businesses in bold are 20 high potential businesses

 

ABOUT WESTPAC BUSINESSES OF TOMORROW

 

The Westpac Businesses of Tomorrow program recognises and supports great Australian businesses today, with a clear vision for tomorrow. The program was announced in April 2016 to help businesses, big and small, transition and grow in a changing economy.

 

The Westpac Businesses of Tomorrow program had an incredible response from Australian businesses, receiving close to 2,000 applications.

 

Twenty Businesses of Tomorrow which have demonstrated exceptional potential will each receive a tailored $100,000 professional services package, one-on-one mentoring with some of Australia’s most influential mentors, and a global study tour in the USA and China.

 

The Businesses of Tomorrow were independently assessed by Deloitte and chosen by a high profile judging panel including: Alison Deans, Director: Westpac, Cochlear, IAG, kikki K; Prof. Chris Styles, Dean, UNSW Business School; David Lindberg, Chief Executive, Westpac Business Bank; Eric Johnston, Editor, Australian Business Review; Lyn Cobley, Chief Executive, Westpac Institutional Bank; Pip Marlow, former Managing Director, Microsoft; and Simon Cant, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Reinventure Group.