NSW State iAwards Gala Dinner

Minister for Customer Service, NSW Government

Victor was born and raised in the Ryde area. He went to school at Marist Brothers Eastwood before studying law. He was a partner in a commercial law firm, where he represented clients in a number of landmark cases.

Victor was elected as Member for Ryde at a by-election in October 2008. He was re-elected at the 2011 state election.

In April 2011 he was sworn in as Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Minister for Citizenship and Communities. His portfolio responsibilities included multicultural affairs, veterans’ affairs, volunteering and youth.

Following the Liberals & Nationals Government’s re-election in March 2015, Victor was sworn in as the state’s first Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation.

In this role Victor was responsible for the Office of Fair Trading, the State Insurance Regulatory Authority, Safework NSW and DFSI’s Services & Digital Innovation Division.

Victor oversaw a number of reforms including the establishment of a NSW Data Analytics Centre as well as changes to strata title laws, real estate underquoting laws and the use of sunset clauses in off-the-plan property contracts.

He also led the Social Innovation Council, a partnership between NSW Government agencies and NGO leaders, established to drive sectoral reform in human service delivery.

In January 2017, Victor was appointed Minister for Finance, Services and Property and has responsibility for Service NSW, Property NSW, the State Insurance Regulatory Authority, Revenue NSW and more.

His portfolio achievements included reforms to the CTP Green Slip scheme, the rollout of additional Service NSW Centres in regional areas, launch of the real-time FuelCheck app, the Toll Relief program, and the NSW Digital Strategy.

Following the Liberals & Nationals Government’s re-election in March 2019, Victor was sworn in as the state’s first Minister for Customer Service.

Prior to his parliamentary career, Victor cherished the opportunity to travel to many places around the world and looks back fondly on his experiences in India, Central and South America, Europe, the US and Asia. He is also a passionate supporter of West Tigers rugby league team.

Victor completed the Australian Institute of Company Directors course in 2017.

Partner, Commercial Advisory, Deloitte

Originally from Canada, Andrea arrived in 1998 with $300 and a thirst to explore. Over the past 17 years, Andrea has enjoyed a highly engaging entrepreneurial journey. From launching one of the first free email services in Australia in 2000, to creating the largest student jobs board in Australia, to creating the first nationally operated distribution and logistics business with exclusivity in tertiary education centres, she’s had a diverse background in creating, building and scaling seven businesses across Australia and Canada.

Whilst the highs of exiting two businesses, winning NSW Telstra Young Businesswoman of the Year and NSW Telstra Small Business of the Year, being listed in the BRW Fast 100 and numerous others was rewarding, Andrea’s entrepreneurial career also brought the considerable lows that come with the risk of starting your own business. This experience of the good, the bad and the ugly brought considerable knowledge of how to grow businesses the right and wrong way.

In 2014, Andrea took two years off to travel the world and rediscover what she wanted to be passionate about. During this time, she worked with meditation specialists in Vietnam, hung out in Ashrams in India and Cambodia, pivoted a business in Bangalore, started a whisky in LA, sang in bars in Nashville and New Orleans, and of course made the obligatory trip to Burning Man.

Through all this, Andrea realised her true passion was for working with fast growth scaling businesses to expedite success and limit the risk of failure. After a stint as Chief Customer Experience Officer for Redii (an HR tech platform), Andrea wanted to focus on working across a diverse range of companies and industries to bring her experience of starting, exiting and scaling businesses. Andrea now sits as a Partner within the Commercial Advisory team at Deloitte Private, where she brings her experience and knowledge, along with the power of the Deloitte team, to clients from all industries and growth phases.

Andrea also has a thirst for adventure outside of the boardroom and holds licences for most adventures, including car, boat, scuba, freediving and motorbikes. Andrea’s passionate about the great outdoors and has travelled extensively on most forms of transport.

Founding CEO, Staybil (2018 iAwards Winner)

Richard is a patent-holding, former cardiology executive and engineer, revolutionising how the modern workforce travels in metro areas.

In March 2019, he was a finalist in ACS TV series RiverPitch – featuring Australia’s top tech platforms; airing on Your Money.

He founded Staybil in 2017, leading the company to achieve accolades including: 2018 ACS Disruptive Tech Platform of the Year, 2018 iAward Big Data Innovation of the Year, 2018 Pitch@Palace Sydney Winner, 2018 HR Innovation and Tech Fest Silver Medal, 2018 Anthill Magazine Silver Medal, 2017 Pitch X Winner; and awarded Jobs for NSW MVP and Department of Education NRIP grants.