B3000+ Awards go virtual

By Jack Hayes

The Melbourne Business Network (MBN) took its annual B3000+ Awards night online for the first time on September 17, which proved to be a huge success.

Celebrating the accomplishments of businesses and entrepreneurs within the City of Melbourne, the awards were ushered in by Lord Mayor Sally Capp, with other notable attendees including Deputy Lord Mayor Arron Wood, Director of Small Business Victoria, Barbara Cullen, Victorian Small Business Commissioner, Judy O’Connell, and the night’s MC, Chris Helder logged in as four individual category winners and one overall winner were announced.

Omer Molad from Vervoe, a computer software company that helps employers make hiring decisions based on capabilities rather than resume, was the big winner on the night taking out Business of the Year and the Alan Knipe Innovation award. 

Category winners include:

• Young Entrepreneur: Tenille Gilbert of Society Melbourne. Society Melbourne is a group of hospitality social enterprises dedicated to eliminating youth homelessness in Melbourne by investing profits in programs that support young people at-risk gain valuable employability skills
• Female Entrepreneur:  Caroline Bell of Summerhill Invest. Summerhill Invest helps Australians build their own highly customised, low-cost investment portfolios online.
• Alan Knipe Innovation: Omer Molad and Vervoe. Vervoe is a computer software company that helps employers make hiring decisions based on how well candidates could do the job rather than how good they look on paper.
• New Business:  Tony James and Digital Fox Talent. Digital Fox Talent unites entertainment influencers and “geeky” content creators with world-class brands.
• Business of the Year:  Vervoe.

A huge congratulations goes to MBN president, Wendi Dawson, newly appointed vice president, Tich Gowora, executive officer, Anita Bowtell and the rest of the MBN committee for a fantastic celebration of these businesses which are the lifeblood of the CBD’s economy.