Celebrating veteran business success
A message from Prince’s Trust Australia
Celebrating the entrepreneurial achievements of Australia’s veteran and family business community, the Prince’s Trust Australia is delighted to announce the winners of the 2023 Beyond Service Awards. The awards recognise the depth and breadth of skills and experience veterans and Defence Force families bring to Australia’s small business landscape.
Michelle Endacott, Chief Executive of Prince’s Trust Australia, said that the awards are an insight into the thousands of veteran and Defence family entrepreneurs operating in communities across Australia and overseas.
‘We are impressed by the calibre of our winners and the diversity of their business interests and industries,’ Ms Endacott said. ‘We wish to recognise all of our inaugural award nominees for their exemplary efforts in business and as champions for the skills and experiences the Defence community bring to small business.’
Ian Rawson
Commonwealth Bank of Australia Business of the Year Award
Community Impact Award
Ian Rawson, Founder and CEO of Australian Warfighter Coffee, served for 19 years with the Royal Australian Air Force. His business is committed to providing exceptional coffee while raising awareness of mental health issues.
With first-hand experience navigating his own challenges with post-traumatic stress disorder, Ian aims to provide a space for people to connect and share experiences.
‘I’m medically discharged … it’s just me doing what I want to do, providing the coffee, meeting a lot of people and keeping to my word,’ Ian said.
‘I’ve had my coffee deployed on nearly every deployment so far, and I can boast that we’re the only coffee that’s had a blend of coffee to fly into an operational war zone on a mission with an aircrew, signed by the crew.’
Ian seeks support for mental health through his “Coffee for Mental Health Conversations” platform. Proceeds are donated to veteran and first responder charity groups working in mental health.
Ian supports veterans to re-engage in employment through barista training and actively seeks partnerships to help create positive change, including with Young Veterans and the Australian War Memorial.
Nadia Teong
The Power of One Award
Army veteran Nadia Teong is a Clinical Psychologist and Founder of Veterans Psychology who has been recognised for her outstanding efforts as an individual who works on their own.
Acknowledging the crisis in veteran mental health, Nadia supports veterans by engaging clinicians with an understanding of the military experience. Her aim is to improve engagement with mental health services and improve mental health outcomes for the military community.
‘It’s really humbling and reassuring that what I’m doing is worthy of publicity,’ Nadia said.
Nadia is an Army Reservist, a mother to two small children, and has served on operational tours in Afghanistan and the Solomon Islands.
Karyn Hinder
The New Mission Award
Army and Air Force veteran Karyn Hinder is the founder of Working Spirit, a registered charity that supports veterans to find meaningful employment pathways after service in the ADF. Sponsored by Saab Australia, her award recognises the skills and experience veterans bring to civilian businesses.
‘I come from a recruitment background in Defence, I’ve got an admin background and I’ve worked with some fantastic men and women throughout my career,’ Karyn said. ‘I thought, well, wouldn’t it be good if there was a business where I could help veterans into employment?’
Karyn, a serving Reservist, has invested in a Transition Employment Portal and supports female veterans through the Women Veteran Employment Network. She also offers a Corporate Fellowship Work Experience Programme, and has hosted nine Military to Civilian Career Summits to connect veterans with employers. Karyn and her team have placed more than 250 veterans in employment.
Hayley Boswell
The Defence Family Business Award
Hayley Boswell is the founder of Defence Kidz, which specialises in bespoke resources for Defence children that promote positive mental health, connection and education.
Her award recognises ADF partners and spouses in business, and with first-hand experience of the challenges facing Defence children, Hayley passionately advocates for positive change through Defence Kidz.
‘Our community and our policymakers really do want to help veterans and their families, they just don’t know how to do it until we speak up and educate them about what we need,’ Hayley said.
Hayley is a Defence spouse, a principal solicitor, and mother of two young children who has distributed more than 13,000 books in Australia and overseas, and is currently creating a cartoon animation for children of Defence families.
Visit the Prince’s Trust website to find out more about all the Beyond Service Awards winners and finalists.