From arts to business, tech, healthcare, hospitality, innovation and more, Australia’s Indian-born population plays a huge role in the country’s economic and cultural landscape. With a combination of skilled migrants, professionals and students, it’s the country’s second largest migrant community and fastest growing diaspora – signifying an important opportunity to embrace and strengthen the thriving relationship between Australia and India. 

This year’s IABCA Immersion Week did just that. Organised by the India Australia Business & Community Alliance (IABCA), the week-long business initiative featured several key events (including the IABCA Awards) attended by more than 400 delegates in New Delhi and Mumbai from 9–12 September. The week’s focus was on connecting businesses and individuals, leadership initiatives, and celebrating trade and investment achievements.

At Draw Your Box, we love celebrating the achievements of South Asians across the board, particularly our core audience – second-generation South Asian Australians – many of whom happen to be winners at the 2025 IABCA Awards. So, today we’re spotlighting those who landed an award on the night! 

“From education to culture, from renewables to regional entrepreneurship, this week showcased how Australia and India can co-create a sustainable and people-centred future. Our award winners and partners are the living bridge between our two nations,” Sonia Sadiq Gandhi, Founder & Director of IABCA, said in an official media statement provided to Draw Your Box. 

A huge congrats to all of the winners and nominees! Check out the winner’s list below: 

• Large Business of the Year – Tata BlueScope Steel: A joint venture between Tata Steel (India) and BlueScope (Australia), showcasing the scale and success of Indo–Australian industrial partnerships in steel, infrastructure, and sustainable building solutions.
• Excellence in Innovation – Rubicon Water & Medha Servo Drives: A cross-border collaboration harnessing Australian water technology and Indian industrial expertise to deliver smarter irrigation and energy-efficient automation for global markets.

Highly Commended: Energy Exemplar

• Excellence in Trade and Investment & Partnerships – Callington India Pvt Ltd
  Highly Commended: Warwick Fabrics Australia Pty Ltd
• SME of the Year – Aromas Coffee Roasters (Bunji Enterprises): A First Nations-owned enterprise expanding into India, symbolising Indigenous–Indian collaboration and cultural entrepreneurship on the global stage.
• Emerging Leader – Siddharth Jani (Tongala Nutrition): Revitalised the Nestlé factory in regional Victoria and turned it into an Indo–Australian success story in food manufacturing, proving diaspora leadership drives regional economies.
• Business Leader – Jonah Stephen (Carisma Solutions): An entrepreneur building IT services and workforce opportunities across Melbourne, Chennai, and Bengaluru, reinforcing tech-driven trade and employment pathways.

Highly Commended: Rohini Kapur Kappadath (General Manager, Immigration Museum, Museums Victoria)

• Businesswoman of the Year – Mannie Kaur Verma (Regal Lawyers): Providing legal access for multicultural communities in Australia and advising on cross-border business law for Indo–Australian ventures.
• Community Excellence – Aruna Venkatachalam & Full Circle Social Enterprises: Harnessing community service and circular economy models to link diaspora leadership in Australia with impact in Indian communities.
• Australia–India Impact – Mithila Gupta & Smart Energy Council:
  • Mithila Gupta: Writing and producing for Australian and Indian screens, telling authentic cross-cultural stories.
  • Highly Commended: Professor Basant Maheshwari (Western Sydney University)
  • Smart Energy Council: Driving renewable partnerships, hydrogen pilots, and green investment projects between the two nations.
• Science, Research & Development – Assoc. Prof. Sanjay Warrier: An Australian researcher collaborating with Indian counterparts to advance life-saving treatments in breast cancer, reinforcing the knowledge partnership between the two health systems.
• Lifetime Achievement – Steve Waugh AO: Cricketing icon and philanthropist whose work in India through sport and community programs embodies the people-to-people diplomacy that underpins the bilateral relationship.

Disclaimer: Draw Your Box’s Founder Alicia Vrajlal was nominated in the 2025 IABCA Awards ‘Businesswoman of the Year’ category. This article is not paid for by IABCA. 

Top image source: Supplied/Gandhi Creations