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Innovative Solutions for the Circular Economy: 2023 Queensland Pearcey ICT Entrepreneur Award Recognises Yas Grigaliunas

Announcement posted by Pearcey Foundation 18 Oct 2023

The Pearcey Foundation today announced Yas Grigaliunas, founder and chief evangelist of Circonomy, as the recipient of the 2023 Queensland ICT Entrepreneur of the Year Award. The Pearcey Foundation also gave a highly commended award to Geoff Augutis.

The award was presented in Brisbane by Wayne Gerard, Operating Partner at Queensland Investment Corporation at an event attended by special guest, The Honourable Mark Bailey MP, Queensland Minister for Digital Services.

The Queensland Pearcey Awards recognise outstanding ICT professionals who have demonstrated innovation, taken risks, made a difference and are an inspiration to others in the industry and the wider community. Nominees for the award this year alongside Yas Grigaliunas were Alex Moss, Ashley Llambias, Chris Jeffery, Chris Kerrisk, Darren Rogan, and Geoff Augutis.

Yas Grigaliunas

"Yas Grigaliunas is the dynamic founder and chief evangelist of Circonomy, recognised as a TEDx speaker and part of the Global 100 Inspirational Leaders for 2022. Currently serving as the president of the Queensland Social Enterprise Council and the inaugural chief circular entrepreneur at Circular Australia, Yas has a history of leadership and impact." said Paul Gampe, Queensland chair, Pearcey Foundation.

Jas' career began with ICT projects in her early 20s, and she's always been passionate about creating a meaningful daily impact. Yas focuses on innovative solutions for the circular economy, helping Circonomy scale through successful capital raises and partnerships with major corporations.

Yas places great importance on team, tools, and tech at Circonomy. She values authentic leadership, openly sharing her experiences in leadership, business, life, and love. Her journey and commitment to authenticity serve as an inspiration for emerging leaders and changemakers.

The Pearcey Foundation would like to acknowledge the support and sponsorship of TechnologyOne and Soda without whom the gala event would not have been able to take place.

As the 2023 Queensland ICT Entrepreneur of the Year recipient, Yas Grigaliunas will represent Queensland in the National Awards Gala in Sydney on 30 October (see below for details).

Geoff Augutis

Geoff Augutis, together with brother Luke, set out to jump into the world of business for real in 2005. After spending their youth mowing lawns and selling goods from shark's teeth and golf balls through to fruit and veggies at the local Sunday markets, an IT business was the next step. Over the following decade, the business grew to 10 staff and $4m revenue, servicing retail demand in the region. In 2017 the decision was made to start to focus on business IT support and government and education IT hardware procurement. Ranked amongst the fastest growing IT companies in Australia by CRN magazine seven times, in 2019 Queensland Computers was the fastest growing Queensland-based IT company in the country. From its humble beginnings, Queensland Computers now turns over around $33m a year and employs over 40 staff across regional and metropolitan Queensland. Geoff is also chair of the ACS Bundaberg Chapter. 

For more information about previous Queensland Pearcey Entrepreneur Award winners, go to https://pearcey.org.au/qld. 

Other State Awards

National Pearcey Awards

The recipients of the prestigious 2023 Pearcey National Awards - including the Pearcey Medal, Hall of Fame and National Entrepreneur Award - will be announced at an event at the Sofitel in Sydney on Monday, 30 October 2023 from 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM AEDT. The event is being held on the same day and venue as Pearcey's Australia 4.0 Summit, which is on from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM AEDT at the same venue. Register for one event, or for both (save with bundled tickets) at https://www.pearcey.org.au/events/special-events/2023-gala-and-a40-summit. 

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About the Pearcey Foundation

The Pearcey Foundation Inc. is a non-profit organisation established in 1998 to raise the profile of the Australian Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry and profession. It was created in the memory of one of the greatest pioneers of the Australian ICT industry, Dr Trevor Pearcey. By celebrating the heroes in our industry, past, present and future, the Foundation is looking to attract and encourage young Australians into this most exciting of global, high technology sectors of our nation.

Web: www.pearcey.org.au

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