Adam Sarota
Bridgeman: Owner / Managing Director
Starting a professional soccer career at 16, Adam Sarota served as a Socceroo before sustaining a career-ending injury. Pivoting to the world of business, Adam showed the same excellence in the boardroom as he did on the field. Since purchasing Bridgeman – a Supply Nation-certified Indigenous company – in 2021, Adam has doubled turnover and expanded the workforce to more than 100 employees, emphasising Indigenous employment.

Adam’s priority is creating long-term career pathways, for not only Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, but non-Indigenous people as well. Adam says he is excited about the future and developing Bridgeman even further to become an industry ‘powerhouse’, that just also happens to be Indigenous.

If you could meet any living person, who would it be?
The original Ronaldo (Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima – Brazilian footballer)

Craig Jed Holdsworth
THEE Group: Managing Director
With more than 18 years of experience in rail, Craig Jed Holdsworth worked his way up through the ranks from labourer at age 16 to a member of the senior management team for multiple large rail companies. Channelling his extensive experience in the industry as well as his passion for rail, Craig created THEE Group, a multi-disciplinary organisation that encompasses a range of services necessary for track construction and maintenance.

Part of Craig’s motivation is to create opportunities for work and career progression for those from disadvantaged backgrounds, which in turn benefits the larger communities around them. Craig attributes his success to the mentorship and guidance of his late father, who he describes as “an old school railway man of 30 years.”

If you could master one skill, what would it be?
Confidence in public speaking; become a scratch golfer.

Daniel Mikus
MR Roads: CEO Commercial
Dedicated to revolutionising infrastructure development for a sustainable future, MR Roads is one of Australia’s fastest-growing asphalt companies. Daniel Mikus co-founded and runs the business, which has broken multiple impressive milestones including scaling revenue by 325 percent within its first 12 months.

The MR Roads story began when Daniel left his corporate job as head of Asphalt Operations for Hanson Australia to launch Pelly-Can Asphalt, alongside business partner James Rolph. Starting modestly with just a truck, a wheelbarrow and a borrowed 1995 VS Holden ute, in its first year the business grossed more than eight figures and expanded into MR Roads. Currently, the business is constructing its own state-of-the-art asphalt plant in Queensland.

What’s your favourite hidden gem or lesser-known attraction in Queensland?
Kenilworth Bakery’s 1-kg doughnut challenge

Todd Hacking
Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia: CEO
A conscientious high-achiever from an early age, Todd Hacking served as an Elected Member of the City of Tea Tree Gully at the age of just 21, one of the youngest serving Councillors in South Australia at the time. Todd was appointed CEO of Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA) at the precocious age of only 33.

A full-service industry association that represents heavy-vehicle manufacturers, importers and suppliers, HVIA is a national peak body headquartered in Brisbane, Queensland. Under Todd’s leadership HVIA has seen a 105 percent increase in members, run the largest decarbonisation conference in the Southern Hemisphere for heavy vehicles and started a new quarterly high-end magazine – ROADBOSS. 

What’s your favourite movie or TV show of all time, and why?
The West Wing, still watch annually.

Jason Hawley
Finn Biogas: Managing Director / Founder
While working in mechanical engineering and production, Jason Hawley was struck by the urgent need for sustainable waste-management solutions. This is what drove him to found Finn Biogas, a pioneering force in the Australian renewable energy sector, that transforms organic waste into renewable energy.

Committed to leaving the world better than he found it, Jason Hawley’s expertise and leadership has seen this Australian-owned and based company deliver projects across Australasia, Southeast Asia, North and Central America, and Europe. 

What’s the weirdest local legend or urban myth you’ve heard about Queensland?
A chilling local legend involves Patrick Mayne, who allegedly confessed on his deathbed to a murder that helped fund his property acquisitions in Brisbane. This included land that would become part of the University of Queensland, leading to tales that his donations were tainted by his crimes, casting a dark shadow over the origins of these University lands.