Western Australian businesses that go above and beyond to promote diversity and inclusion have been celebrated at the CCIWA 2025 Diversity and Inclusion Awards, in partnership with BHP.
Held at Crown Perth on November 7, the gala event brought together about 700 guests from across WA to honour organisations and individuals demonstrating extraordinary dedication to creating inclusive workplaces and communities.
Following a red-carpet arrival, guests enjoyed an evening of celebration and entertainment hosted by Raquel Todd and Alexander Circosta, featuring a Welcome to Country from Jonathan Ford and Kambarang Services as well as live performances from Dean Misdale and a dance floor finale with DJ Wildflower and the GLAM Singers. Guests also captured the night’s excitement at the Spoilt Photo Booth.
Celebrating champions of inclusion
Almost 150 initiatives were nominated across 11 categories, including disability inclusion, LGBTQIA+ inclusion, Indigenous inclusion, gender equity and multicultural inclusion. The winners, selected by an independent panel of judges, represented a broad cross-section of industries and business sizes — from small family operations to multinational companies.
A poignant moment in the evening came with a tribute to the late Fremantle Ports CEO Michael Parker, a respected leader who championed gender diversity and inclusivity in the workplace. The Gender Inclusion Award was named in his honour.
The winners and finalists are:
| Winner | Finalists | |
| Indigenous Inclusion Award |
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| Disability & Access Inclusion Award |
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| Cultural Inclusion Award |
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LGBTQIA+ Inclusion Award |
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| The Michael Parker Gender Inclusion Award |
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| Community & Social Impact Award |
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| Individual Change Maker Award |
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| Workplace Wellbeing Award |
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| Best D&I Initiative: Small Business |
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| Best D&I Initiative: Medium Business |
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| Best D&I Initiative: Corporate Enterprise |
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Leading the way in diversity and inclusion
CCIWA Acting CEO Matt Golds
CCIWA Acting Chief Executive Matt Golds said the event shone a spotlight on the very best of WA.
“We had winners from businesses of every size, from small family operations to large multinational companies,” he said.
“That really highlights the way diversity and inclusion has been embraced by businesses at all levels.”
The CCIWA Diversity and Inclusion Awards have also gained international recognition, recently taking out the Best D&I Initiative award at the World Chambers Congress.
Mr Golds said the event, now in its second year, has gone from strength to strength.
“We can see from the calibre of finalists that WA is leading the way and while diversity and inclusion may be under attack from some quarters, there is still a very real commitment to it at a grassroots level,” he said.
“That’s because it makes good business sense to have workplaces that are inclusive. There’s a significant amount of research that shows businesses that excel at D&I are more profitable, and their staff and customers are more loyal.”
He said CCIWA remained committed to celebrating the efforts of businesses to make WA a more inclusive place.
“Our biggest hope is that the Diversity and Inclusion Awards act as a beacon for other businesses by showing that equity doesn’t need to be difficult and can be embraced by all businesses,” he said.
“The beauty of many of these initiatives lies in their simplicity.
“We congratulate all the finalists and winners and thank them for their efforts to make WA the best place to live, work and do business.”
The CCIWA Diversity and Inclusion Awards, in partnership with BHP, were sponsored by Good Sammy, Fortescue, and media partner 9News Perth.
For more on the D&I Awards, including the finalists and winners see here.
See what’s next on the events calendar here.
