An exciting category – Future Leader of the Year – is this year being introduced into the Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce’s Business Excellence Awards, announced at the Heritage Bank‘s head office in Ruthven Street on Monday 28 May.

The chamber’s chief executive Jo Sheppard said the new category, which be restricted to those aged in the 18 to 35 range, is being seen as a way of further encouraging up-and-comers in and around Toowoomba to develop their professional and personal skills. “The Chamber of Commerce has been running a future leaders program for many years,” Jo said. “This has been about building the future leaders of our business community. Our future leaders advisory group came to the chamber earlier this year and said they would like us to include another category so we could have a young leader of the year.”

She said the new award would be about leadership not management with the focus being on involvement, not just in the workplace but in the wider community. When launching the 2018 renewal of the awards Jo expressed thanks to Heritage Bank, the major sponsor of the awards. “The on-going support of Heritage Bank in giving businesses, large and small, the opportunity to celebrate the excellence awards across the Toowoomba region has been invaluable,” Jo said.

Jo announced, at the function, the key dates for this year’s awards. These begin with the opening of nominations on 18 June, which will be followed by the opening of applications on 16 July.
Applications will close on 28 September and after that an independent group of 12 judges will determine the winners of each category, who will be declared at a gala dinner at the historic Empire Theatre on 10 November.

More information on the Business Excellence Awards can be obtained by contacting the chamber on 4638 0400.

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