Hinkler Innovation is a Bundaberg community-led collaboration to support, recognise, and foster Australian entrepreneurs making a local, national, and global contribution to innovation. Hinkler Innovation continues the pioneering spirit of the late Bert Hinkler.
We believe innovation is a collision sport. The Hinkler Innovation Initiative exists to carry on the innovation spirit of Bundaberg's homegrown hero Bert Hinkler.
hinkler innovation award winners
2024 Hinkler Innovation Award Winner - Cliff Fleming
Hinkler Innovation Award 2024 recipient, Cliff Fleming from Bundaberg Brewed Drinks with Regional Business HQ GM Brooke Fossey and Bundaberg Region Mayor, Jack Dempsey.
Cliff Fleming, along with his wife Lee and parents Gladys and Neville, initiated the Bundaberg Brewed Drinks business in 1968, starting with the acquisition of Electra Breweries in Bundaberg. Within five years, their family-owned venture expanded, prompting a move to a new site on Bargara Road. Cliff, then CEO, focused on the local market initially, but the iconic Bundaberg Ginger Beer gained widespread recognition by the 1980s. Throughout his tenure, Cliff prioritised local suppliers and operations and the company has continued to innovate with the opening of the Bundaberg Brewed Drinks Super Brewery in 2023. Today, with four generations involved, the legacy of quality and taste initiated by Cliff continues, marking 55 years of brewing innovation and excellence.
2022 Hinkler Innovation Award Winner - Macadamias Australia
Hinkler Innovation Award 2022 recipients, Janelle & Andrew Gerry from Macadamias Australia with Bundaberg Region Mayor, Jack Dempsey
Janelle Gerry is Company Director for the Steinhardt Group which includes Macadamias Australia, a grower, processor and marketer of macadamia nuts and Farmfresh Fine Foods, a frozen vegetable manufacturer. With over 30 years experience in agribusiness she believes in transformational strategy. She is passionate about generational custodianship and the business of family and legacy. A recognised industry and empathic leader, she has served on government, academic and not-for-profit boards. Janelle is also a speaker on Family Business, Leadership, Women in Business and Agribusiness Forums.
2021 Hinkler Innovation Award Winner - Ripe Global
Hinkler Innovation Award 2021 recipient, Dr Lincoln Harris from Ripe Global with Bundaberg Region Mayor, Jack Dempsey
Dr Lincoln Harris is the Chief Executive Officer of RipeGlobal. At RipeGlobal, our approach to teaching dental mastery is to combine the world’s best cloud-based learning platform with simulation technology and world-class educators. The cloud-based learning platform and simulation technology (SimTech) continuously connects a community of students worldwide and enables them to implement advanced skills into daily practice, building deep procedural confidence on a global scale. This enables dental professionals to improve their dental skills and level up their careers to succeed, clinically, financially and personally.
2020 Hinkler Innovation Award Winner - Jamie Olsen
Hinkler Innovation Award 2020 recipient Jamie Olsen with Bundaberg Region Mayor Jack Dempsey.
Jamie Olsen is a seasoned technology corporate advisor and investor. He is the founder and managing director of CMB Capital, an advisor to and investor in companies such as Socialive, Medirecords, Roller Digital, Plexure and Dimmi. He has previously held investment banking roles in the TMET industry group at Macquarie Capital and Citigroup and corporate development roles at Publishing and Broadcasting Limited and CoreLogic Australia.
Jamie has been leading the dual track trade sale / IPO for Australian software leader, Nuix, where he has been consulting for the past 3 years on a range of strategy and corporate development projects. Nuix’s proprietary software is used by customers in law enforcement, digital forensics, investigations, intelligence, cybersecurity legal discovery, and information governance to anticipate, detect and act on threats.
As managing director Jamie advises start-up companies, mentors young entrepreneurs and grows businesses from concept to multimillion-dollar success stories.
Despite his national success, Jamie said he was driven to give back to his hometown and former school, Kepknock State High School by his true passion – education.
He established the Ingenium Bursary for Kepnock students to inspire them to innovate and develop their own creative ideas.
2019 Hinkler Innovation Award Winners - Greensill Family
Bundaberg Region Mayor Jack Dempsey with Judy Greensill, Lloyd Greensill and Damien Botha at the Hinkler Innovation breakfast.
Using a powerful combination of technology and knowledge of financial markets, Greensill Capital found a solution to liberate billions of dollars of capital locked up in supply chains round the world. Greensill Capital’s supply chain finance model gives a company’s suppliers the ability to have their invoices paid immediately – eliminating delay.
In 2019, Greensill expects to provide suppliers with $225 billion worth of capital across more than 160 countries. Last month, Lex Greensill was named EY Australia’s Entrepreneur of the Year. And despite all its success, the company remains, like Greensill Farming, based in Bundaberg.
2019’s recipient of the Hinkler Innovation Award is a family who has called the Bundaberg region home for the last three generations, spanning 75 years. Over that time, each generation has refined and implemented innovative farm practices, shaping that humble farm into the successful agribusiness it is today.
Having experienced first-hand how capital constraints can hold back farming enterprises, this family were determined to find a solution. Collaboratively, they created Greensill capital - the world’s leading non-bank provider of working capital for companies, including agribusinesses.
2018 Hinkler Innovation Award Winner - Eleanor Carey
Bundaberg Region Mayor Jack Dempsey with 2018 Hinkler Innovation Award winner, Eleanor Carey.
2018 Hinkler Innovation Award Winner, Eleanor Carey, is a dual world record holding adventurer, entrepreneur and author.
In June 2018, Eleanor spent 62 days crossing the Pacific Ocean in a 25 foot ocean rowing boat, and prior to this cycled solo across Europe. Eleanor is now sharing her experiences as a professional speaker.