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Join us on Tuesday 26 August in your black tie finest, at The Faculty Awards of Excellence gala dinner - poised to be an unmissable event. Hosted at the iconic five-star Grand Hyatt Melbourne, the Awards of Excellence are Australia’s pre-eminent, independently judged awards for recognising excellence among procurement professionals. Take the lead and join us for an opulent night of celebration as we announce The Faculty Awards of Excellence winners for 2025.
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A Night of Celebration!
Procurement professionals like you are leading the charge to make real changes that can be felt beyond the boardroom, transforming procurement into a force for good. At The Faculty Awards of Excellence, we provide an opportunity to celebrate outstanding examples of procurement leadership!
Meet the 2025 Judges
Every year, our panel of independent judges recognise excellence in our profession to celebrate those that are setting the standard of procurement best practice.
Div Pillay
CEO, MindTribes
Div Pillay is a diversity and inclusion practitioner, leader, researcher and advocate with over 20 years of experience in gender, race and cultural inclusion. Div leads award winning diversity and inclusion consultancy MindTribes, and social enterprise Culturally Diverse Women. Both businesses were recognised by Westpac in their Top 200 Businesses of Tomorrow for social impact.
Graeme Hunt
Chairman, Akora Resources Ltd
Graeme is a highly respected, internationally experienced Chair, NED and CEO with a long track record of shareholder value creation through strategic positioning, performance improvement, organic growth and successful M&A. He is the Chairman of Akora Resources Ltd, Bis Industries Ltd and a NED of Future Battery Industries Co-operative Research Centre.
Justine Figo
Chief People Officer, Able Australia
Justine is a transformational HR executive and former lawyer. She enables organisations and communities to thrive through bringing out the best in their people. Justine is an author, a fellow of the Australian Human Resources Institute, and the founder of the Human Resources Executive Community. She believes that the best People and Culture leaders create future ready organisations.
Leigh Petschel
Chief Financial Officer, Port of Melbourne
Leigh is the Port of Melbourne’s Chief Financial Officer and leads the Port’s financial management and funding, risk management, regulation and information technology. Leigh has extensive global experience in infrastructure development and operation and has worked in Australia, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Kristal Kinsela
Director, Uniting NSW/ACT
Kristal is a proud Aboriginal woman, a descendant of both the Jawoyn and Wiradjuri nations. Kristal has more than 18 years’ experience in education and training, organisational and workforce development, and supplier diversity working across Government, Corporate and Not-for-Profit sectors. Kristal is a Director of Uniting NSW/ACT, Director Many Rivers, and a member of Woolworths Group’s First Nation Advisory Board.
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Farley Blackman
CEO, FARBLACK Advisory
Farley is a globally regarded executive and NED, recognised for delivering billions in value across multiple industries and geographies. With over 20 years of experience, Farley has built and led high-performing, cross-disciplinary teams at complex and scaling organisations. He has served as CEO, Group Chief Procurement Officer and Chief Information Officer—holding executive roles at two of the world’s largest publicly traded companies: BP and GE. Now based in Melbourne, Farley advises on commercial strategy, cultural transformation, and shareholder value creation.
Nominations are now closed for 2025
2025 Awards of Excellence Categories
Winning an Award of Excellence can catapult your career to new heights and put you on the radar of world-leading organisations.
CPO of the Year
The CPO of the Year Award will be given to a remarkable commercial leader who has been assessed as an outstanding leader, a prominent contributor to their business and the broader profession, leading delivery of high ROI, and exceeding performance expectations.
Indigenous Sourcing Project of the Year
The Indigenous Sourcing Project of the Year Award will be given to an organisation that has generated market-leading procurement or supply chain results with Indigenous businesses. The winning project will be an exceptional representation of how Indigenous procurement and supply chain leads to the creation of value, today and into the future.
Future Leader in Procurement of the Year
The Future Leader of the Year Award, recognises an outstanding current or emerging procurement leader. This award will be given to a multi-talented procurement and/or supply chain professional who has demonstrated leadership capabilities and is an influencer and a trailblazer for their profession.
Sustainability Project of the Year
The Sustainable Procurement Project of the Year award will be given to an organisation or team that has made a remarkable and measurable impact on the world or a local community by improving procurement and supply chain sustainability outcomes. The winner will be a shining example of the power that procurement and supply chain teams have to enact positive and exponential change.
Diversity & Inclusion Project of the Year
The Diversity and Inclusion Project of the Year Award will be given to an organisation that has generated leading results within this space. The winning project will be an exceptional representation of how diversity and inclusion in procurement can create substantial value for customers, investors, employees and communities.
Technology Innovation Project of the Year
The Technology Innovation Project of the Year Award will be presented to an organisation that has demonstrated exceptional leadership in leveraging technology to transform procurement and supply chain processes, driving efficiency, value, and measurable business impact. The proven project will demonstrate how innovative technologies have been successfully integrated to optimise processes and deliver tangible business value.
2024 Awards of Excellence winners
Last year’s Awards of Excellence winners came from a range of industries and backgrounds, reflecting our profession’s diversity. Each winner set the standard for procurement best practice, shaping the future of their business and inspiring others to follow in their footsteps. They included:
CPO of the Year
Giles Curtin, TAFE NSW
Giles Curtin was selected for the CPO of the Year award due to his introduction of sophisticated processes, which have been particularly impressive given the complexities of TAFE NSW's operations. Despite challenges such as the geographical breadth of TAFE NSW’s stakeholders — spanning more than 160 locations and delivering training in over 1,000 professional areas — Giles's dedication and persistence have led to significant success. He has built TAFE NSW’s procurement function through strong people leadership, a commitment to continuous improvement, an advocacy for simplicity, and the strategic use of technology.
Future Leader in Procurement of the Year
Charlotte Cottam, Mirvac
Charlotte Cottam has been recognised for her remarkable contributions. Under her leadership, her diverse and skilled team has elevated Mirvac's procurement efforts, achieving nearly $40 million in savings over the past 12 months. Charlotte has also integrated key Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles into procurement practices, promoting cross-departmental collaboration towards sustainability goals. Her leadership has been celebrated at the executive level, underscoring her substantial impact on the organisation.
Diversity & Inclusion Project of the Year
Samuel Evans, Ventia
Samuel led a partnership between Ventia and Civik to create jobs in high-unemployment areas, hiring and training First Nations peoples and former refugees in regional Australia for a major infrastructure project, the nbn fibre upgrade. The program equipped participants with the skills needed to work in telecommunications and construction. Of the seven participants in the pilot program, five have transitioned to other direct employment opportunities and two have secured permanent roles at Ventia.
Indigenous Sourcing Project of the Year
Senal Jayawickrema, Transport for NSW
Senal led a project for Transport for NSW (TfNSW) that shifted an Indigenous procurement approach from compliance-focused to community-driven. Partnering with Curijo Pty Ltd, a majority Indigenous-owned company, they worked to integrate cultural and social insights into the tendering process. This project has helped TfNSW to exceed the NSW Government's target by awarding 126 contracts and achieving $172,594.345 in direct spend with Indigenous businesses.
Sustainability Project of the Year
Joe Sofra, ANC Delivers
Joe has directed a project integrating clean energy into the logistics sector by advancing Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) for delivery services. Through The Project Spark initiative, Joe and his team aim to transition 30% of their fleet to BEVs by 2028. This effort supports Australia's emission reduction targets and showcases how private enterprises can drive climate resilience. Additionally, Project Spark has driven innovation, created new economic opportunities in the logistics industry, improved air quality, and reduced noise pollution to foster more sustainable and livable communities.
2024 Awards of Excellence
What people said...
It was such a fantastic event. I'm thrilled that I was able to be there and network with leading industry professionals within procurement. Look forward to attending again next year and working more closely with The Faculty.
What a night! It was a brilliant night, well organised and high calibre of invitees to network with. Thank you Tania and The Faculty team.
Thank you for a wonderful evening! Tania your passion for the industry shines through in every detail of the event, what a way to bring energy and glam to an ordinary Tuesday night! Thank you for all your hard work and dedication in bringing our community together and honouring our achievements in an industry where the goal posts are continuously being reshaped.
I want to congratulate the entire team on a what a well organised and fabulous evening it was!! I thoroughly enjoyed myself and to be announced as the winner of FLIP was such an honour and the icing on the cake.
Elevate your brand at the most prestigious awards night in the profession
Join us as a sponsor of Awards 2025 and place your brand at the heart of celebrating the best in Procurement. This premier event attracts an exclusive audience of senior leaders, including CEOs, Chief Procurement Officers, and Heads of Procurement from ASX200-listed businesses across Australia. You never know – a single conversation might create the opportunity of a lifetime.