Meet the 2026 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year national finalists for Social Impact

As the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ program celebrates 25 years of spotlighting the best of Australian entrepreneurship, Startup Daily is profiling the finalists of one of our nation’s most prestigious business awards, to be held on October 15.

Today, we meet the four finalists in the Social Impact category.

From improving youth mental health to combating climate change, the four entrepreneurs you’re about to meet are tackling issues that matter to their fellow Australians.

Judged by an independent panel of judges, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year (EOY) program’s Social Impact category recognises ambitious leaders whose passion, drive and leadership is changing the world for the better.

Meet the four Social Impact finalists:

Deborah Thomas, Camp Quality

As CEO and managing director of Camp Quality, Deborah Thomas has grown the national children’s cancer charity’s impact among children and families affected by cancer – doubling revenue and participation in their services and programs over the past five years.

“We’re really just trying to help people get through their darkest days with a positive outlook,” Deborah says.

The cost-of-living crisis has been a difficult time for charities, but Deborah has seen it as an opportunity to innovate. “Like all businesses we’ve had to adapt,” Deborah admits. “When you rely on donations, you are very vulnerable if people do not have that extra cash to donate to charities.

“So that’s why we had to take charge of our own revenue and introduce these businesses within the business – raffles and a social enterprise for wellbeing in the workplace.”

Collaborations with other charities and education programs have also extended Camp Quality’s reach.

Tim Jarvis AM, The Forktree Project

Environmental scientist and 2024 SA Australian of the Year, Tim Jarvis is the brains behind The Forktree Project, a charity aiming to reverse climate change and biodiversity loss through habitat restoration.

In 2019, Tim saw the opportunity to rewild a 133-acre former farmland on South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula, one of our country’s 15 biodiversity hotspots. Forktree has since rewilded thousands of native trees and shrubs, which will bring back native animals, insects and birds and store tens of thousands of tonnes of carbon.

“There are two existential problems we’re faced with – one is biodiversity loss, the other is climate change and restoring biodiversity at scale,” says Tim. “[So] involving small to medium-sized farms and rural properties as a means by which to do that is absolutely critical.”

Having proven the economic viability and scalability of Forktree, Tim’s vision is to create more Forktrees in suitable locations.

Ashley van de Velde OAM, LifeFlight Australia

When Ashley van de Velde first started leading LifeFlight Australia more than 45 years ago, people thought doctors rescuing patients via helicopters was “risky and dangerous”.

“We had some great doctors around at the time that were regarded as cowboys in those days,” he recalls. “But it wasn’t [the case] – it was really innovative using a helicopter for smart means of transport of critically injured patients. And it just grew from there.”

Flying more than 7000 missions each year in some of Australia’s most remote climates, the Queensland-based air medical rescue service has helped more than 90,000 people since 1979.

“The biggest obstacle the business has been challenged with over the years is the financial sustainability,” he says. “We have a model here that is unique. We have a combination of both huge community support, government support, but also bringing in a commercial element to the business because none of them were sustainable on their own.”

LifeFlight recently signed a $1.25 billion 10-year service agreement with Queensland Health.

Jason Trethowan, headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation

As CEO of headspace since 2017, Jason Trethowan has overseen a major expansion of youth mental health services and programs across 172 centres, schools and online.

“The absolute need for what we do is real,” Jason says. “It has devastating impacts if young people today are not getting access to good quality care, and if they don’t feel like they can go and talk to someone.”

Reducing the stigma around mental health for people aged 12 to 25 is at the core of headspace’s operations. That has meant evolving with the needs of young people through tech innovation.

“We can now reach more young people across Australia who may not see themselves coming into a physical headspace centre,” he says. “We now have web chat services, so it’s easier for young people to express [themselves], particularly when it’s the first time they’ve spoken to anyone about their mental health challenges that they’re experiencing.”

More about EY Entrepreneur Of The Year

The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Program recognises Australian entrepreneurs who are disrupting traditional ways of doing things and building a better working world.

Run by global professional services organisation EY, the EOY program spans 60 countries and jurisdictions and provides exclusive networking and learning opportunities to participants. EY Australia will host a gala event in October where winners across five categories will be awarded (Emerging, Industry, Services, Social Impact and Technology).

One winner will be chosen to represent Australia at the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ global competition in 2026.

For more info, visit the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year website.

Startup Daily is a media partner for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year program.