In 2022, Ethan approached a decade as a major sponsor of the Ethnic Business Awards — a national ceremony that recognises the achievements of migrant and Indigenous entrepreneurs.
In a glitzy ballroom at the Four Seasons Hotel in Sydney’s centre, the atmosphere is buzzing with post-Covid energy. It is the first time that members of the wider business community have been able to gather at such a large-scale event since 2019. It’s also the first in-person ceremony to celebrate the Ethnic Business Awards in almost three years.
“I became a corporate partner of the awards ten years ago because of what these accolades represent, and what they mean to me as a business person myself,” says Ethan co-founder Tony Geagea. “These awards aren’t just about corporate sponsorship — they stand for the hard work, sacrifice and a love for Australia which is present in all of the multicultural families I encounter. These awards speak to who we are as a community.”
According to the Migrant Small Business Report, one third of Australian businesses are owned by people who were born overseas. Of this number, 83 percent of migrant business owners had never founded or owned a company before arriving in Australia.
For Geagea, the son of migrants, it was important to get involved in the awards because, he argues, they are about so much more than winning.
“When I look at past nominees, I see incredibly hard working men and women, and I love being part of an organisation that recognises the courage and perseverance needed to start a business from scratch as a migrant in this country. That’s what we’re all about. And that’s what the entrepreneurial spirit is all about.”
The Ethnic Business Awards pays tribute to excellence in business across all industries from a diverse group of nationalities now residing in Australia, as well as contributions by Indigenous businesses. The program also seeks to build cultural understanding and promote a national sense of identity by highlighting the achievements of multicultural Australians.
Ethan continues to play a central role in the Ethnic Business Awards as a corporate partner, and looks forward to further supporting these groups and their labours in the future.
