Three accomplished women have taken centre stage at this year’s Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame Awards.
Minister for Industry and Employment Ben Carroll presented the inaugural Woman Manufacturer of the Year award to Vanessa Kearney from Viva Energy and Jill Walsh from Actco Pickering Metal Industries at the awards tonight.
The Young Manufacturer of the Year Award was taken out by another female trailblazer, Vanessa Katsanevakis, who won the award for her leadership at Sussex Taps. Vanessa guided the business through a major rebrand and a period of exponential growth.
The Hall of Fame Gala Dinner, held at Crown Palladium, was attended by hundreds of industry stakeholders, and recognised outstanding manufacturing businesses and individuals.
The Manufacturer of the Year (Large Business) was awarded to Bosch Australia, while Siemens took out the new Leader in Industry 4.0 award and PACCAR Australia was awarded the 2018 Leader in Workforce Skills Development.
A number of other companies were also recognised with awards for excellence in some of Victoria’s key growth sectors, including:
- Creature Technology – Medium Business
- Osteon Medical – Small Business
- Entegra Signature Structures – Construction Technologies
- Albins Performance Transmissions – Defence Technologies
- Chobani – Food and Fibre
- Leica Biosystems – Medical Technologies and Pharmaceuticals
- Keppel Prince – New Energy Technologies
- Bombardier Transportation Australia – Transport Technologies
- Boeing – Company Hall of Fame Inductee
Victoria’s manufacturing industry contributes $27.7 billion to the Victorian economy, with more than 13,000 businesses employing more than 286,000 people.
The Andrews Labor Government has committed over $120 million in manufacturing support, creating over 6,000 jobs and driving more than $1.6 billion in private investment.
For the full list of winners and finalists at the 2018 Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame Awards, visit
Quotes attributable to Minister for Industry and Employment Ben Carroll
“Victoria’s manufacturing industry is powering ahead and it is people like Vanessa Kearney, Jill Walsh and Vanessa Katsanevakis who are helping lead the way.”
“Manufacturing has a bright future and the Andrews Labor Government will continue to support this important industry to create jobs and boost Victoria’s economy.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020