WHAT A WIN! Business Hunter Awards 2025 WRAP UP!

What a glittering night!

On Friday 12th September, the Maitland Business Chamber was proud to join more than 600 guests at the Business Hunter Awards gala at NEX Newcastle — the Hunter region’s most prestigious business celebration. With a record-breaking 220+ entrants across 19 categories and over 100 finalists, the evening was a true showcase of the strength, diversity, and entrepreneurial spirit that makes our region thrive.

We are absolutely thrilled to share that the Maitland Business Chamber was named Best Local Chamber. To be seated alongside large enterprise, and SME business leaders was an incredible honour, and a reminder of just how diverse and powerful the Hunter’s economy is.

The night also saw standout recognition across the region. Newcastle Airport was the big winner, taking out Business of the Year, Contribution to the Region, and Excellence in Sustainability, while also celebrating their own Matthew Borger as Employee of the Year. Their achievements — from expanding international capability to driving growth in defence, aerospace, and advanced manufacturing — highlight the huge role they play in the Hunter’s future prosperity.

Other major winners included Prosperity (Excellence in Large Business), SAPHI (Excellence in Small Business and Excellence in Innovation), Morgan Engineering’s Jeremy Brett (Business Leader of the Year, 21+ employees), and James Sneddon of Hyphen Health (Business Leader of the Year, under 20 employees). Steph Loadsman of KPMG took home the highly respected Kristen Keegan Young Business Leader Award, and the President’s Award went to medical manufacturer Whiteley Corporation, who opened their $25 million Human Therapeutics Plant in Tomago this year.

Importantly, we were thrilled to cheer on our MBC members who were finalists.

• Note It took home the Excellence in Micro Business Award — huge congratulations to them! 👏

• The Maiwel Group were outstanding, named finalists in three categories.

• Heart HR were proudly represented as finalists in their category.

• Newcastle Racecourse – representing our region’s iconic racing and events industry.

• Elliot Watson and Watson Wealth – showcasing excellence in leadership.

• Sleapy’s Foundation – highlighting the important impact of community-focused organisations.

For Maitland, this win is not only a celebration for our Chamber but also an opportunity to showcase our city and region at the NSW State Awards in Sydney this October. We can’t wait to represent Maitland on this grand stage, continuing to advocate for our region as the place to do business at the heart of the Hunter.

A heartfelt thank you to Business Hunter and Business NSW for their ongoing support. Without their dedication to advocacy and recognition, nights like these — and the opportunities they create — wouldn’t be possible.

Congratulations again to all finalists and winners. You can catch a sneak peek of snapshots from the evening below.

Image credits: AJM Photography