The new faces of Pause Awards in strategy, growth and innovation

This year’s prestigious judge lineup includes: Monique Alvis, Trevor Townsend, Doug Rathbone and Stuart B Richardson from the ‘Growth & Business Development’ and leading the ‘Expert Strategy & Innovation’ club are Kellie Morton, Michael Zyla, Nima Idel, Robyn Wilson and Amir Ansari.

The Pause Awards ‘23, in partnership with VicGov, is open for entries. There are just over two weeks to register and catch the Early Entry rates, before the deadline on 16 June, at midnight AEST.

Entering its sixth year, the programme has become the Australian benchmark for business excellence, the ultimate accolade for innovators, entrepreneurs and ambitious companies. Winners are selected in two rounds by the panel of senior industry experts.

Read more about the newly appointed judges who will be joining us this year:

Monique Alvis is an Innovation Specialist at Microsoft. An expert at bridging business innovation, design, and technology, Monique has spent the last nine years working with some of the largest organisations globally. She is also an advisor and mentor to numerous early-stage companies, as well as a Board Member of the Tech Girls Movement Foundation.

The CEO of Startupbootcamp Australia, Trevor Townsend, is an entrepreneur passionate about business, technology, and sport. As an experienced angel investor, Trevor has a keen interest in supporting tech startups and early-stage companies, making him an ideal judge for the Pause Awards.

Doug Rathbone, CTO of Airtasker, brings over two decades of experience in tech to the judging panel. As an award-winning innovator, he has led engineering teams at various prestigious companies including Amazon, AWS, and Commonwealth Bank.

Founder and Managing Director of Adventure Capital, Stuart B Richardson is a long-term supporter, creator, and contributor to the Australian entrepreneurial ecosystem. His involvement with various tech businesses, from startups to growth phases, makes him a valuable addition to the panel.

Moving on to the group focusing on ‘Expert Strategy and Innovation’, we have:

Kellie Morton is the Director & Chief Legal Officer at Birchal, Australia’s leading equity crowdfunding platform. With experience spanning New York, London, and Australia, she brings a wealth of international knowledge to the panel.

Michael Zyla, Director – Retail and & Commerce at Mastercard, is passionate about bringing impact and value to retailers and commerce players. His interest in growth, next-gen products, digital transformation, Industry 4, and Web3 makes him an exciting addition to the panel.

Nima Idel, Head of Product and Growth at Loopit.co, is a seasoned Product Leader passionate about driving innovation and growth. With over 15 years of experience in product management and design, his expertise will be valuable for evaluating award entries.

Robyn Wilson, Founder & Head of Strategy at SUPERORA, leads a team of strategists, designers, marketers, and technologists who transform and grow culturally valuable businesses. She brings her passion for the intersection between sociocultural zeitgeist and consumer markets to the judging panel.

Amir Ansari is the Global head of Product Design at Iress. An experienced product executive, mentor, and public speaker, Amir has an impressive track record of building and scaling design and innovation capabilities to deliver successful products. His commitment to both short and long-term product and practice strategies will be an asset to the judging process.

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 recognise innovative Australian companies for their excellence, performance, effectiveness and from this year how investable they are.