Last week, the Queensland family business community came together for the Family Business Insights QLD Conference, a half-day premier event featuring high calibre speakers and keynote presentations, all with a family business lens. Families from different industries shook hands, shared contacts and reminisced about past events, excited to be back celebrating the achievements of family businesses from across the state and sharing valuable insights into leadership, succession and growth.
The Family Business Insights QLD Conference opened with the Hon Steven Minnikin, Minister for Small and Family Business and Minister for Customer Services and Open Data. The Minister highlighted the vital role of family businesses in creating jobs and supporting local economies. He acknowledged the challenges of running a family business, particularly engaging the next generation, and encouraged attendees to read the Small and Family Business First Action Statement. He also highlighted a $100 million investment over four years to support these businesses, saying, “It’s not from the head, it’s from the heart.”
As part of the afternoon, we were delighted to announce the winners of the Queensland Family Business Excellence Awards 2025/2026.
The Family Business Excellence Awards is an initiative of Family Business Association to recognise and celebrate the achievements of families and individuals in respected and successful family businesses of all sizes and at all stages, acknowledging the significant contribution they make to the Australian and New Zealand social fabric and economy. Unlike many other business awards, the Family Business Excellence Awards specifically acknowledge and showcase excellence in family business.
Congratulations to our award winners – Oxlade Financial and Gilberton Outback Retreat. Read more about our award winners further down the article.
Our CEO, Catherine Sayer, took to the stage, providing an update on FBA’s latest advocacy work including efforts around the unrealised gains tax, and encouraged members to write to their local MPs. She also spoke about FBA’s Forum Group Program, sharing that an Emerging Leaders Forum Group will soon be established in Queensland, an exciting development for the state’s emerging leaders. Catherine encouraged members to reach out to our Forum Group Manager, Olivia Spalding if interested.
Olympic Gold Medallist, Natalie Cook OAM OLY kicked off the first session with an inspiring talk. The audience was captivated by her infectious positivity from the very beginning. She spoke about the importance of mindset and having clear goals: “Dream big and be bold. Chase it relentlessly like an Olympian.” She encouraged attendees to visualise success, reminding them: “Winning isn’t a score, it’s a mindset. You can win every day.” Natalie’s enthusiasm for chasing goals and her positivity were felt throughout the room as she easily inspired everyone, giving many in attendance the boost of confidence they were seeking.
Using a signed gold volleyball, Natalie demonstrated the importance of taking action. She held up the gold ball and asked the audience members to take it from her. People called out ideas from their chairs about how they could take it, until one attendee, Grant Menzies, stood and took the ball. The next time she asked the question with a new ball, more people stepped forward to try and claim the prize, showing how seeing others succeed inspires action. However, when she asked the same question for a third time, fewer people participated, as there could only be one winner and they knew their chances were slim. Natalie explained that progress comes from having the confidence to take the first step, no matter the fear or doubts.
Natalie encouraged family businesses to seize opportunities with the upcoming Olympics and spoke a little bit about the Aussie Athlete Fund she started, which supports athletes representing Australia.
Her advice was simple and powerful: “Keep getting up. For you, your family, your business,” and “Find one thing you can do next week that will change the rest of the year.”
Download: Content Slides from Natalie Cook
Session two featured Rob Douglas and Chris Robinson from MYMAX, and Peter Matthews, CEO of Solar Service Guys. Building on the energy from the first session, the audience listened closely as Peter described his journey as a “solarcoaster.” His honesty and humour drew nods and knowing smiles from many in the room, who could clearly relate to the ups and downs of running a business. Peter explained how focusing on four pillars of value - which for him are represented as - Team, Platform, Customers, and Network, together with strong processes and consistency, had driven his business’s productivity and profitability. Peter’s advice was clear: “Maximise every minute” and define your own pillars of value to build a strong business foundation.
Download: Content Slides from Session Two
Jack Winson and Sandra Jennings from the Winson Group, alongside Jo Willoughby, delivered a candid and engaging session on succession through selling a family business.
Their story touched on, the often unspoken, emotional weight of letting go. Their openness about the decision to sell, the detailed processes and due diligence, and finally the sense of relief they felt resonated deeply with attendees who were considering their own futures. When Jack said, “I can die now,” acknowledging the peace of mind he felt with the burden lifted, the audience responded with a mix of laughter, relatability and empathy.
The final session was a keynote from Angus Raine, Executive Chairman of Raine & Horne, who shared a candid and often humorous account of corporatising a 140-year-old family business. He spoke about the importance of education outside the family business, having taken a Harvard business course himself. According to Angus, for most people in family business, using the common excuse “I don’t have time” actually means they need to do a course even more.
Angus emphasised separating personal identity from legacy, backing yourself and embracing advice from non-executive directors: “You know the business more than anyone, back yourself,” he said. He also shared his five keys to strong management: strategic coherency, effective leadership structure, investing in people and culture, commitment to execution and accountability, and maintaining balance.
The Family Business Insights QLD Conference finished with a networking event, allowing all attendees the opportunity to connect and celebrate the achievements of all family businesses, especially our award winners.
Family Business Excellence Awards Winners - Queensland
Oxlade Financial was awarded the Founder’s Family Business Award.
The Founder’s Family Business Award is given to a business in its early stages of development, owned and operated by members of the same family, characterised by their relatively recent establishment and possibly still in the process of formalising their structures, systems and governance processes.
Known for its independence and goals-based approach, Oxlade Financial blends industry-leading expertise with a genuine commitment to understanding and supporting each individual’s journey. Husband-and-wife team Emma and Mark have been committed to their family business since 2022 and have always prided themselves on their dedication to their purpose: “Making clients excited about their future, then making it happen.” Starting with a single book of 70 clients and a small team, they have grown into a reputable advice firm supporting hundreds of individuals and families across Australia.
Emma and Mark both accepted the award. Proud of their achievement, Emma said: “Winning this award is particularly meaningful because, as everyone in family business knows, the highs are very high and the lows are very low. I’m really proud of what we have achieved together.”
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Gilberton Outback Retreat was announced at Queensland’s Established Family Business Award winner.
The Established Family Business Award is given to a business that has solidified its position within its industry and community, undergone phases of growth, maturation and succession planning, and often has formalised structures, systems and governance processes in place, as well as clear roles and responsibilities among family members and non-family employees, with protocols for decision-making and conflict resolution.
Six hours from the nearest town, in the heart of the outback, the French family have been the caretakers of Gilberton Station for over 150 years. Seventh-generation owners Rob and Lyn decided to take the business in a new direction in 2014 when they expanded the cattle station into a luxury, off-grid retreat. Booked out two years in advance, this experience is like no other, as guests are welcomed not just onto the property but into the home, history and way of life of this husband-and-wife team. This family business understands hardship, having survived drought and the challenges of life in a remote location. They have also launched the not-for-profit BushED, which supports over 3,000 families; started the program Mothers in Arms; and introduced new sustainability initiatives to the community, including regenerative grazing and fire management.
Unfortunately, Gilberton Outback Retreat were unable to accept the award in person, but Lyn sent a heartwarming video stating: “We are honoured to accept this award. Although we can’t be there in person, we are grateful to be recognised. Running a family business has unique challenges, just like our luxury five-star retreat. This award celebrates the logistics of living in outback Australia. It’s a legacy of our values as a family business.”
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Thank you to everyone who attended, presented and made the event such a success.
Thank you to our Partners:
National Gold Partners: EWM Group, KPMG, Gallagher
National Banking Partner: ANZ
National Technology Partner: Pronto Software
National Workplace Compliance Partner: Citation Group
Photo Credits: Shon Productions
