The new faces of Pause Awards in strategy and leadership

The stellar lineup of judges keeps expanding to include: Stephen Foxworthy, Alan Kirszner, Jessica Williams, Damon Pezaro, Eneko Bilbao, Jodette Cleary, Brian Borowsky and Lauren Barber.

The Pause Awards ‘23, in partnership with VicGov, is open for entries until 1st September. The Standard Entry deadline is on Friday 18 August, at midnight AEST.

Meet the masterminds driving Australia’s flourishing business scene. From seasoned strategists to pioneering CEOs, we introduce the leaders making waves across various industries. In the spotlight, we have two distinctive teams – the ‘Innovative Strategists & Directors‘, plotting the course of success, and the ‘Inspiring Founders & CEOs‘, leading by example.

Innovative Strategists & Directors

At the helm of strategic innovation, we discover Stephen Foxworthy, Managing Director at Accenture Song. Stephen capitalises on his 20 years’ experience in digital strategy, marketing, and eCommerce to redefine digital impact across diverse industries.

Equally significant in this league is Alan Kirszner, July’s Head of Design. With over 20 years in industrial design, Alan empowers businesses with his practical methodologies, fostering value-creation through exceptional design.

Jessica Williams, Google’s Strategy & Insights expert, seamlessly blends a wealth of experience in sales, marketing, and people development strategies to help businesses reach their zenith.

At the forefront of product leadership, Damon Pezaro lends his expertise as the Chief Product Officer for Inspectorio, Venture Partner for EVP, and Non-Executive Director for Ordermentum & CarClarity. Damon’s influence is felt in every product development he helms.

And in the realm of cloud architecture, Eneko Bilbao, Principal Solution Architect at Amazon Web Services, has devoted two decades to modernising technology landscapes. Eneko’s unique blend of efficiency and resilience paves the way for businesses to thrive in a cloud-native environment.

Inspiring Founders & CEOs

Leading the charge of innovative leadership are Jodette Cleary, hipages Group’s Chief People & Culture Officer, and Frankie Layton, CEO & Founder of The Dirt Company. Jodette’s deep understanding of people and culture has seen her work with big-ticket clients like Red Balloon and Atlassian, while Frankie’s passion project has grown into a beloved laundry brand with over 100k customers across Australia and New Zealand.

Joining this illustrious roster is James Callahan, Co-founder and CEO of Forever. With an exceptional track record of creating best-in-class CG & Moving Image for brands like Apple and Google, James continues to revolutionise visual storytelling.

Board Member for Upparel, Brian Borowsky, brings a wealth of experience in international technology consultation, specialising in ClimateTech, HealthTech, and PeopleTech. Brian’s role in crafting strategies, driving growth, and building leadership is unmatched in the industry.

Lastly, we find Lauren Barber, CEO of NeedleCalm. A clinical nurse specialist turned entrepreneur, Lauren has won multiple prestigious awards for her work in helping individuals overcome needle phobia.

Whether weaving strategies or leading the charge, these innovators are tirelessly crafting tomorrow’s business world today. Their collective wisdom and passion for progress are a testament to Australia’s thriving business landscape. These leaders aren’t just influencing change; they’re embodying it. And the exciting part? Their journey is just beginning. Get in front of them at Pause Awards.

Pause Awards ‘23

Pause Awards recognises the most ambitious and effective companies in Australia, powered by over 60 independent senior experts who set an industry benchmark for evaluation criteria annually. We take a more holistic approach to awards, by entering your breakthrough moment we measure how ambitious and effective your company is. And from this year, how investable you might be!