The late Carla Zampatti AC AM was a judge of the Ethnic Business Awards since the inception of the awards in 1988. A migrant herself, these awards held a special place for her and she will always be remembered by her EBA Family.

This is the inspiring story of Luke Nguyen, famous chef and TV personality. He began this journey with an EBA small business award and it is with pride that the EBA has seen his career and success grow in the years since we met.

Born in Afghanistan in 1961, Basir Abbass and his family were forced to flee their homeland following extreme pressure from the Soviet Union invasion in 1979. Arriving in Australia, Basir was immediately confronted with the hardships that come from being thrust into the unknown. From a foreign land, to a foreign language, a foreign culture and foreign ways of doing business, it took a fresh perspective and a grand vision for Basir Abbass to set out and make a better life for his family.

It was a classic combination of instability, inspiration and a good ol’ dose of the entrepreneurial spirit that saw Sarkis Nassif go from form-worker to founder of one of Australia’s largest property development groups. Today, Holdmark employs thousands of people across its multiple sites and is the name behind some of NSW’s most iconic residential and commercial property precincts with projects ranging from $500 million in Majors Bay, to the $2billion urban development at Shepherds Bay, Ryde.

Driven by a passion to help and create opportunities for other Indigenous professionals, Katina established IPS Management Consultants in 2015, with a focus on delivering innovative business consulting services to a range of organisations and government departments alike.

The founder and managing director of Envirobank Recycling, Narelle Anderson is a trailblazer. An Indigenous woman working in an industry so heavily dominated by men. She shares with us her story of success.