A number of standout businesses were celebrated at the DTC’s Defence Industry Dinner & Awards Ceremony in Adelaide on Thursday night, where the 2023 DTC Award finalists were recognised and the winners revealed.
There were nine finalists honoured on the night who were nominated under the categories Innovation, Skilling and Teaming.
Also honoured at the gala was the late Tony Martin, a former recipient of the DTC Chair Award who sadly passed away earlier this year. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the defence industry community, and with the blessing of his family, the DTC Board has renamed the DTC Chair Award to the Tony Martin Industry Achievement Award.
This year the recipient of the Tony Martin Industry Achievement Award was Jim Whalley from Nova Systems.
Jim, who is the Deputy Chair and Executive Director at Nova Systems, was chosen as the recipient of the award for his pivotal contributions to the defence industry. As a former pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force, Jim has gone onto serve as the State’s Chief Entrepreneur, formed Nova Systems, a leading name in Australian Defence, and assisted many businesses through their journey in the defence industry.
“It was an honour to award Jim Whalley the first Tony Martin Defence Industry Achievement Award. He has championed the growth of numerous businesses here in South Australia, Jim epitomizes the very essence of what this award represents,” Mike Hartas, Chair of the DTC Board said.
More than 600 people attended the prestigious gala, held at the Adelaide Convention Centre, with celebrations going well into the night.
The 2023 DTC Award Winners are:
Leidos Australia and Acacia Systems who took home the Teaming Award,
Neumann Space was awarded the Innovation Award; and
DEWC Services won the Skilling Award.
Libby Day, DTC CEO said the judges would have found it incredibly difficult to select a winner for each category this year.
“Congratulations to all the winners of this year’s DTC Awards,” Libby said. “I am proud to be the CEO of the DTC, where I am inspired everyday by the innovation, collaboration and passion our community has for Australia’s defence industry.
“These awards are just one of the ways the DTC is showcasing the incredible capabilities Australian based businesses have to offer.
“Every company that submitted a nomination has made a positive contribution to Australia’s defence sector. So, as we celebrate the award winners lets also recognise the impact our award finalists and nominees have on building our countries reputation as a reputable supplier of products and services, not only the defence sector, but in mining, agriculture, aerospace and advanced manufacturing as well.”
Learn more about our Award Winners and Finalists here.
