Celebrating veterans in business
A message from The King’s Trust Australia
Celebrating the entrepreneurial achievements of Australia’s veteran and family business community, The King’s Trust Australia was delighted to announce the winners of the 2024 Beyond Service Awards.
Now in their third year, the awards recognise the depth and breadth of skills and experience veterans and Defence families bring to Australia’s small business landscape.
Chief Executive Michelle Endacott said that each year the King’s Trust is very impressed with the high calibre of nominations it receives, which speaks to the entrepreneurial spirit within the ADF community.
‘The introduction of the Rising Star Award highlights the brilliance of young entrepreneurs in the ADF community who demonstrate remarkable initiative, innovation, and resilience,’ Ms Endacott said. ‘We wish to recognise all of our award nominees for their exemplary efforts in business and as champions for the skills and experiences the Defence community bring to small business.’
Garry Harding
Community Impact Award
Air Force veteran and social entrepreneur Garry Harding is the CEO of EnergyFlex, which is an Australian-made, veteran-owned company that is revolutionising how Australians use energy.
The free EnergyFlex app provides a unique rating that measures how well customers use renewable energy sources. This rating, combined with personalised insights and actionable suggestions, helps them shift their energy use towards cheap, clean renewables and calculates the money and carbon emissions they could save in doing so.
‘I took what I had learnt in my Defence career – learnings about situational awareness, working with teams and understanding what is needed to make decisions – to build an app to help people save energy,’ said Garry.
Garry’s passion for sustainability and innovation is helping Australians to take control of their energy future. The Community Impact Award is supported by DVA.
Image: (L to R) DVA First Assistant Secretary Mark Brewer AM CSC Bar, Garry Harding, Governor-General Sam Mostyn AC and ANU Chancellor Julie Bishop.
Darren Schuback and Ryan Carmichael
Commonwealth Bank of Australia Business of the Year Award
New Mission Award
Named after the call sign for special forces water operators, The Whiskey Project Group was founded just over 5 years ago by Ryan and Darren, former Royal Australian Navy Clearance Divers.
‘Darren and I left the Navy with one mission: to provide high-performing vessels to those who continue to serve,’ said Ryan.
After much research, the Whiskey Multi Mission Reconnaissance Craft was born. The vessel is a carbon fibre combat craft with a technically advanced powerboat hull that reduces the slamming load on the water by 40 percent to help protect its operators. And within 5 years of launching The Whiskey Project Group, Ryan and Darren had inked a $40 million deal with the US Marine Corps.
Reflecting on the recognition, Ryan said: ‘What’s really important to us is proving that it’s possible to find a new mission beyond service. We continue to serve those who serve, and for that, we are proud and grateful for this recognition.’
Dylan Conway
Rising Star Award
Dylan was an active infantry officer in the Australian Army when a little-known disease left him bedridden and ate away at his mental health. But one book was all it took to begin to heal mentally and to spark the idea for Brothers and Books, a charity that promotes bibliotherapy – the practice of reading to improve mental health and wellbeing.
Brothers and Books has now set up 100 community libraries, distributed up to 18,000 books throughout Australia, and has a social media reach of 150,000 people a month.
Dylan’s time in uniform set him up to run Brothers and Books with integrity and purpose. While reading gave him the idea to create the charity, it also taught him how to go about it, learning about finance, accounting, marketing and setting up a charity.
‘Changing your life could be just one book away and thanks to all of our amazing supporters, community and partner organisations, we’ve donated thousands of them,’ Dylan said.
Christine Gilchrist
Defence Family Business Award
Recognising the unique employment challenges that military spouses face due to frequent relocations and the transient nature of military life, Defence partner and entrepreneur Christine Gilchrist founded Spouse Force to offer flexible, stable and meaningful employment that can move with spouses, wherever they are posted.
In its first year of operation, Spouse Force has provided more than 1,000 hours of fully remote employment to military spouses, and that number continues to grow day by day. But Spouse Force is more than just a service provider – it is also a social enterprise.
‘Our business is centred around a social mission: to empower Australian military spouses with stable, fully remote employment,’ Christine said. By supporting military families, we help maintain workforce continuity and stability in a unique demographic that faces frequent relocations and other challenges associated with military life. This commitment extends to how we reinvest our profits, prioritising social impact over profit.’