Judging Panel

Joel Abraham

Chair, 40 Under 40 Program
Growth Specialist
ThincLab, University of Adelaide

Joel Abraham has over 20 years of commercial experience, is a marketing and finance graduate from Flinders University (Adelaide), holds an International Certificate in Corporate Finance from Columbia University (NY, USA) and undertaken the Company Directors Course from AICD (Australia).

Between 2005-2018 Joel was the Joint- CEO of Australian Institute of Business and during this time led the business through the turnaround from a small family-business to become the largest MBA provider in Australia and one of the largest private higher education institutions in Australia – culminating with an exit to a top- decile private equity firm.

Joel is now an active director and investor, specifically working with South Australian businesses. He sits on several boards (including Australian Institute of Business, South Australian Business Chamber, and Trellis Technologies), invests in high growth SME’s, and coaches several South Australian CEO’s directly and through his role as Growth Specialist at Adelaide University’s incubator – ThincLab.

Carmen Garcia AM

Founder & CEO
Community Corporate

Carmen is the founder and CEO of the national certified social enterprise Community Corporate, which operates in the niche space of corporate social responsibility. The company activates and implements customised workforce solutions in diversity and inclusion to facilitate recruitment with a social conscience and drive social impact. Community Corporate has supported its employer partners such as IKEA, Woolworths Group, OTR, Accenture, and various state governments to access a hidden pool of talent by coaching and training hundreds of refugees, migrants, youth and women to secure meaningful work across Australia.

Carmen was listed in the inaugural 2018 Top 40 Under 40, was awarded the individual State Contribution Award, and helped establish the 40 Under 40 Alumni. Community Corporate won the 2020 National Social Enterprise of the Year at the Australian Small Business Champions Awards and Carmen’s 20+ year career has been recognised as the 2020 winner of the Governor’s Multicultural Awards for Individual Outstanding Achievement, 2023 SA Women’s Honour Roll and in 2024 she was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to the multicultural community through diversity and inclusion.

David Simmons

Business Editor, Senior Journalist
InDaily

David is a senior journalist at InDaily and has more than eight years of experience in business reporting, covering a variety of topics including entrepreneurship, economics, technology, space, retail and hospitality. He has a keen interest in the arts and music scene and is an advocate for a thriving creative industry.

With a Bachelor of Journalism and Bachelor of Laws (Hons), David is across the machinations of business from the start-up stage through to the scaleup process and is passionate about seeing young South Australians succeed in their creative and business endeavours.

Elisa Luck

General Manager Programs & Partners
South Australian Business Chamber

Elisa has over 20 years’ experience in creating, implementing, and operationalising advisory and regulatory functions within the customer service industry.

Elisa’s portfolio is responsible for ensuring South Australian Business Chamber facilitates business growth and improves outcomes for South Australian businesses through a cohesive range of services and programs.

Elisa is a passionate leader focused on continuous improvement, specialising in managing and leading operational staff in complex environments with a style that exhibits strong coaching skills and enables employees to understand and embrace organisational cultural values while developing their personal and professional attributes.

Ellen Russell

Marketing & Content Manager
Betty’s Burgers

Ellen Russell brings over six years of experience in brand management, digital content, and social media across private and not-for-profit sectors. She has contributed to rapidly growing businesses such as Betty’s Burgers, and several tech startups. Currently, as the Marketing Manager at Betty’s Burgers, Ellen is passionate about brand development and creating unique consumer experiences through innovative brand activations and across digital channels. Ellen is excited to join the judging panel to celebrate the incredible talent under 40 in South Australia.

Jo Thomson

General Manager of Partnerships and Sales
Adelaide Oval

As Adelaide Oval’s General Manager of Sales and Partnerships, Jo Thomson works to attract new events, visitors and corporate partners to South Australia’s most iconic venue.

She oversees a high-performing sales team, responsible for driving millions of dollars in event and Oval Hotel revenue while continuing to grow and elevate the stadium’s corporate offering. Beyond hitting targets, Jo ensures the team maintains Adelaide Oval’s global reputation for delivering memorable experiences, which means she has a meticulous eye for detail and a keen sense of what’s next in the events and hospitality landscape.

Jo is passionate about identifying and nurturing local talent and has a particular interest in supporting the next generation of hospitality, events and tourism professionals at a critical time for those industries. She is always on the look-out for innovative new ideas and ways to ensure South Australia remains a food, travel, event and business hub.

Prior to commencing at Adelaide Oval in 2015, Jo worked across world-class hotel groups and beloved South Australian wineries – which is where she developed her lifelong love of great local food and wine.

Jon Dodd

Partner
Piper Alderman

Jon is a trusted advisor to the liquor, hospitality, and gaming industries, offering extensive expertise in liquor licensing, gaming regulation, leasing, and commercial transactions.

He regularly represents clients in complex licensing applications, objections, and compliance matters, including appearing before the Licensing Court and the Liquor and Gambling Commissioner.

With a focus on practical solutions, Jon assists vendors, purchasers, and landlords in transactions involving licensed premises and other businesses, guiding them through due diligence, negotiations, and settlements. He also advises in respect of gaming machine entitlements, leasing arrangements, and other commercial and contractual issues.

Laura Schonfeldt

Chief People Officer
RAA

Laura joined RAA as Chief People Officer in October 2023. Prior to RAA, Laura was the Executive Director, People and Culture, with the Department of Education, where she was on the Senior Executive Group as the executive leader accountable for the people strategy and a P&C function which enabled a workforce of more than 30,000 people. Previously, Laura worked for more than a decade in senior people roles in national agribusiness and financial services including Elders, and QBE in both Sydney and Adelaide. As a values driven leader, Laura has been involved in significant organisational transformation in diverse sectors, and has led uplift in P&C functions to align with strategic objectives. Laura holds an MBA from the University of South Australia, where she is now part of their Executive Partners mentoring program.

Matthew Illman

Business Advisory Director
William Buck

Matthew is a Business Advisory Director of William Buck, specialising in tax and business advisory services for small to medium business. He works across a range of industries including primary production, property, health and professional services. Matthew thrives on working closely with his clients to achieve outstanding results.

Throughout his career, Matthew has been a regular contributor to the profession through various speaking engagements and networking programs.

Sally Rao Hill

Associate Professor
Adelaide Business School, University of Adelaide

Dr Sally Rao Hill is an Associated Professor in Marketing at the Business School of the University of Adelaide. She has been teaching a variety of Marketing courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate level as well as supervising Honours, Masters and PhD students. She is an active researcher in the area of services marketing and AI-enabled marketing.  She has been involved in a number of national and international research projects with colleagues from the Business School, researchers from other universities and practitioners from the industry.  She has published in leading academic journals, presented papers at leading academic conferences and is on several editorial boards of leading marketing and information systems journals.

Sam Davies

Executive Director
kwpx

Sam has dedicated the past 15 years to running his own businesses, helping brands grow creatively and online. In late 2021, he brought his wealth of experience to kwpx as an owner and director, following the merger of his agency, Digital Noir. Looking after a team of 80+ talented professionals, Sam is passionate about team building and growing a modern, people focussed agency with creativity at its core. As the host of the podcast “Humans Aren’t Robots,” he delves into the intricacies of modern business and speaks with creative leaders on topics from design thinking to “how has skateboarding impacted business?”.  Outside of the agency, he loves surfing, golfing, drinking local wine, and cooking BBQ with his competition team, Secondhand Smoke.

Dr Shu Lam

Chief Business Development Officer
CMAX Clinical Research

Dr. Shu Lam is the Chief Business Development Officer at CMAX Clinical Research, one of Australia’s most well-established and experienced early-phase clinical trial units. Since joining in November 2024, she has been at the forefront of driving strategic business development initiatives both locally and internationally. Shu’s role involves leveraging her expertise in clinical research, strategic planning, and business development to foster strong partnerships and support innovative clinical trials.

A passionate advocate for clinical trials, Shu holds a deep appreciation for Australia’s pivotal role in global research. Her extensive career includes serving as Director of Business Development for the Asia-Pacific region at ProPharma, as well as Head of Business Development at Linear Clinical Research. Additionally, she held strategic planning, consulting, and business development roles at IQVIA.

Beyond her professional accomplishments, Shu gained international recognition for her academic research at the University of Melbourne. Her work in antimicrobial drug development has been published in leading journals, including Nature Microbiology.