Celebrating Australia’s private business success stories

28 March 2025: Six Australian private businesses, each excelling in different industries, have been honoured for their outstanding performance and achievements in Deloitte’s 2024 Best Managed Companies awards.

Now in its fifth cycle in Australia, Best Managed Companies is run in association with Google Cloud. The program identifies and celebrates private businesses on the leading edge of their industries, showcasing their success and significant contributions to the Australian economy.

Winners are selected through a comprehensive and impartial assessment by an independent judging panel that benchmarks them against a global network of more than 1700 top-performing private companies. The judges of the Australian Best Managed Companies program rigorously evaluate each applicant across four key pillars: strategy, culture and commitment, capabilities and innovation, and governance and financials.

2024 Best Managed Companies winners

Winners are encouraged to re-join the program each year to maintain their Best Managed Companies status, challenge themselves, and continually improve. Kinetic IT as our four-time winner has achieved gold standard designation, while Incat Tasmania, QBD Books, and Talent are return winners for a second consecutive year.

Natalie Faull, Deloitte Private leader, Australia and Asia Pacific Best Managed Companies leader, said: “We are excited to have the opportunity to work with, celebrate, and support Australia’s best private companies for a fifth cycle. It is an absolute privilege to witness the resilience, innovative qualities and focus on sustainable growth and management that typifies the winners.

“It is particularly gratifying to see the emphasis these companies place on continual improvement and operational excellence, which highlights the ongoing value of the Best Managed Companies program.

“This year winners demonstrated an impressive ability to adapt with speed, remaining flexible in the face of an uncertain global and domestic environment to remain successful in a challenging market.

“They also maintained a focus on digital transformation, making targeted investments in smart technologies like AI in ways that make sense for the business, driving efficiency gains. This focus on furthering investment in future technologies amid turbulent times will ensure they remain competitive and at the forefront of their respective fields today and tomorrow.

“Another common factor of Best Managed Companies is their collective belief in sustainable growth and management. The environmental impacts of their operations are proactively managed, while workforce wellbeing and employee satisfaction is always an utmost priority.

“We congratulate our winners. These purpose-driven companies are industry leaders and key employers, setting an impressive benchmark for what success can look like for private businesses in Australia.”

Faull also acknowledged Google Cloud, the Best Managed Companies program sponsor. 

“Google Cloud is a highly valued supporter of the Best Managed Companies program. We thank them for their passionate advocacy for business excellence, and for the expertise they share with program winners and participants,” Ms Faull said.

2024 Deloitte Best Managed Companies – winner profiles

• BizCover  - BizCover is an online platform that simplifies comparing and buying business insurance from some of Australia’s leading insurers. 
• Craig Mostyn Group - Craig Mostyn Group is one of Australia’s leading diversified food and agribusiness companies servicing customers and suppliers both domestically and overseas.
• Incat Tasmania  - Incat Tasmania, a shipbuilder specialising in the design and construction of aluminium passenger and vechicle ferries.
• Kinetic IT - Kinetic IT is a technology integrator and service provider, transforming and securing customer environments with innovative IT solutions and modern service offerings.
• QBD Books - Founded in Queensland in the late 1800s, QBD Books is the largest Australian-owned and operated bricks and mortar book retailer in Australia.
• Talent - Talent International is a global digital and technology recruitment specialist with a vision to empower people to build a better world of work for all.
  

About the Deloitte Best Managed Companies program

Best Managed Companies was established in 1993 in Canada and has become the most significant business award of its kind. The program is active in 46 countries in the Americas, Europe and Australasia, has recently launched in the UK, and is launching across Africa. 
The program recognises privately held companies for their organisational success and achievement and provides a distinct framework for management teams to challenge themselves and benchmark against some of the best private companies in the world. 
Companies are evaluated by an independent judging panel comprised of representatives from program sponsors, in addition to special guest judges.
Over an eight-month period, winners receive coaching from leading business advisors, networking opportunities via invitations to exclusive events including premium sponsor events, and key branding and promotional opportunities. 
For more: bestmanagedcompanies.com.au