Born in Afghanistan in 1961, Basir Abbass and his family were forced to flee their homeland following extreme pressure from the Soviet Union invasion in 1979. Arriving in Australia, Basir was immediately confronted with the hardships that come from being thrust into the unknown. From a foreign land, to a foreign language, a foreign culture and foreign ways of doing business, it took a fresh perspective and a grand vision for Basir Abbass to set out and make a better life for his family.

Steven Fordham, who is the owner of Blackrock Industries is a proud Kamilaroi man who comes from Muswellbrook in NSW. He started this company in 2016, along with his partner Glen Finnan with only $20,000. Steven set out to achieve his dream of running his own company and he has never looked back.

Hashem Mahmoud landed in Australia from Lebanon in the spring of 1978, leaving behind a family and country devastated by the physical, social and psychological effects of a soul-wrenching civil war. His story of business success is an inspiration. A man who never gave up and now his business Rest Interior has become a most successful family business and a worthy finalist in the 2019 Medium to Large business category.

It was a classic combination of instability, inspiration and a good ol’ dose of the entrepreneurial spirit that saw Sarkis Nassif go from form-worker to founder of one of Australia’s largest property development groups. Today, Holdmark employs thousands of people across its multiple sites and is the name behind some of NSW’s most iconic residential and commercial property precincts with projects ranging from $500 million in Majors Bay, to the $2billion urban development at Shepherds Bay, Ryde.

Driven by a passion to help and create opportunities for other Indigenous professionals, Katina established IPS Management Consultants in 2015, with a focus on delivering innovative business consulting services to a range of organisations and government departments alike.

The founder and managing director of Envirobank Recycling, Narelle Anderson is a trailblazer. An Indigenous woman working in an industry so heavily dominated by men. She shares with us her story of success.

In 2011, Troy established what is today called PSG Holdings with his cousin Shane, a construction and cleaning services delivery business which aims to ‘Achieve Reconciliation Through Business’. In eight years the company has grown to become one of the largest Indigenous-owned businesses in Australia, employing 160 people and an annual turnover of approximately $60 million.