The Lord Mayor’s Multicultural Awards for Business celebrate the contribution multicultural businesses make to the Brisbane economy and community through their creativity, innovation and resilience.
Winners of the 2023 Lord Mayor’s Multicultural Awards for Business were announced at the Lord Mayor’s Multicultural Business Dinner and Awards on Friday 17 November 2023.
2023 award winners
Congratulations to the winners of the 2023 Lord Mayor’s Multicultural Awards for Business.
Nick Xynias Multicultural Young Business Person of the Year
This award recognises the success, creativity and energy of a multicultural young business leader under the age of 35, celebrating both their contribution to their community and that of Brisbane’s continued economic prosperity.
Mengting (Nike) Zhao, PEER Consulting Engineers Pty Ltd
In 2009, the opportunity to study a Bachelor of Business brought Nike from Chengdu to Brisbane. She later transferred into QUTs Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree and graduated with First Class Honours in 2014. Nike’s passion for making a difference led her to volunteer on building projects supporting abused women and children in South Africa. She also furthered her global engineering experience through working on diverse major projects in Fiji. Grateful for the opportunities her education and career in Brisbane provided, Nike was keen to give back to the community through her on-stop professional structural and engineering services business. PEER Consulting Engineers allows young, talented professionals to develop their careers and learn and thrive under Nike’s leadership.
Multicultural Business Person of the Year
This award recognises a successful multicultural Brisbane business leader and celebrates the recipient’s contribution to the Brisbane economy and recognises them as a local champion of enterprise who may have a global outlook for their business
Alen Chi Kong Ho and Irene Swee Kong Ho
After meeting while travelling Malaysia and marrying in Hong Kong, Alen and Irene decided to move their family to Brisbane in 1976. Despite limited funds, they embarked on a bean sprout growing venture in a rented house in Fortitude Valley. Initially their business supplied bean sprouts to Chinese shops and traders at the Brisbane Markets, but in the 1980s they expanded to larger clients including Coles. Today, Chilik Agencies, Pallara strives for innovation through the implementation of new technologies to enhance their growing systems and packaging processes for bean sprouts. After 35 years in business, Chilik Agencies has become one of the most trusted providers of fresh food to outlets and supermarkets across Australia.
Multicultural Entrepreneur of the Year
This award recognises a multicultural Brisbane business leader that demonstrates through their business success, entrepreneurial flair, embedding a culture of innovation as a central pillar to their growth strategy. The recipient will personify the best in entrepreneurialism, possessing qualities from clear leadership and sound management to determination and ambition.
Kyungtae (Tenny) Kim, Littles Lawyers
In 2000, Tenny’s father made the decision to broaden his family’s life experiences and immigrate from Busan to Australia. Tenny faced numerous challenges living in a new environment but forming new friendships in the Brisbane community assisted his transition. Understanding the needs of multicultural communities firsthand, Tenny’s Littles Lawyers business has a multilingual team that is proficient in more than 33 languages to support its clients. Tenny is highly respected within the Brisbane legal community and has fostered a strong sense of unity and support amongst its members. Littles Lawyers focuses on the success of its team and has implemented innovative technology solutions to optimise its services.
