Woollahra founder takes out high honour at 40u40 Awards

Woollahra Group founder Christopher Schmid has been honoured because the First Amongst Equals at this yr’s 40under40 enterprise awards gala.

The enterprise chief and proud Mandandanji man got here out on high following a rigorous interview and utility course of, edging out three different finalists to take residence the best honour at this yr’s Enterprise Information occasion.

Greater than 600 members of Perth’s enterprise elite got here collectively on Friday evening to rejoice as 40 rising enterprise leaders have been named those to observe.

The 24^th iteration of the awards program went off with a bang due to performances from Sophie Foster, Lux Occasions, Williams Inventive Co and Gemini, who entertained visitors earlier than and after the night’s formalities.

Enterprise Information senior journalist and chief choose Mark Pownall stated all of this yr’s candidates have been of an especially excessive calibre.

“Our 40under40 awards program by no means ceases to amaze me within the individuals it turns up and the good tales they inform of overcoming the percentages,” he informed the gang on Friday evening.

“I’ve been a 40under40 choose for a lot of the 24 awards held because it began in 2002, every year providing a window into the enterprise expertise of Western Australia.

“This yr is not any totally different.”

2025 First Amongst Equals winner Christopher Schmid relocated to Perth within the early 2000s when he noticed a chance to assist First Nations individuals servicing the mining, building and upkeep sectors.

He based Woollahra, which is 100 per cent Aboriginal-owned, to distribute cleansing merchandise and different consumables to mining camps and different clients across the nation.

Woollahra’s sister firm, Surekleen Merchandise, can also be the one 100 per cent Aboriginal-owned manufacturing enterprise in Australia.

The 2 corporations have achieved fast development over the previous yr, translating to monetary help for Indigenous communities as a share of each sale is redistributed.

Receiving the extremely coveted First Amongst Equals and Indigenous Enterprise awards on Friday evening, Mr Schmid informed the gang he needed to empower First Nations communities by selling employment, schooling and sustainable enterprise practices.

“It takes an absolute village to get to the place we’re,” he informed the viewers after receiving the award.

“The magic is available in bringing various individuals collectively and galvanizing them to succeed.”

Mr Schmidt stated he left a life in company to begin Woollahra Group, and that it took 9 months to work as much as incomes a wage.

“It takes some failures and classes learnt to come back out the opposite facet higher … however our ‘why’ is constructed on respect, and we really imagine what we do advantages conventional Aboriginal communities.”

Mr Schmid edged out three different First Amongst Equals finalists – Ashlee Harrison, Swarup Afsar and Ian Meachem – to take out the highest gong on Friday, though nobody walked away empty-handed.

Ms Harrison, who leads the psychological well being and suicide prevention charity zero2hero, gained the Neighborhood Enterprise award in recognition of her work with greater than 270,000 younger Western Australians.

Pharmacy 777 proprietor Swarup Afsar additionally took residence an accolade, profitable the Giant Enterprise award amid his efforts to champion psychological well being companies within the native pharmacy house.

And Constructive PD managing director Ian Meachem secured the Medium Enterprise award after rising his firm to a 90-person workforce and beginning his personal charity to fund most cancers analysis.

HR Parts director Caryn Jones was additionally recognised for her work championing office flexibility within the wake of the pandemic, taking residence the APIL Folks’s Selection award on Friday evening.

The opposite main class winners embody:

You possibly can learn extra about every of the winners within the Could 19 version of Enterprise Information’ print journal, which can even be obtainable on-line.

Congratulations to all of 2025’s 40under40 winners:

Swarup Afsar: Pharmacy 777

Garrett Bray: PYC Therapeutics

Tamara Burchell: Roebuck Bay Lodge

Eliza Carbines: Tender Reduction

Sharna Collard: Kooya Australia Fleet Options

Lucy Cooke: SpaceDraft

Luke Cousins: Pilecom

Daniel Dawson: Paperly

Kristi Dempster: Meeting + Co

George Eskander: Division of Well being WA

Tanya Fitzgerald: Rigsafe Lifting Options