The InDaily 40 Under 40 Awards is entering its sixth year of celebrating the passion, vision and achievements of South Australia’s young entrepreneurs and business leaders and Joel Abraham will lead the panel of judges to determine the next 40 to join the influential group of 200 alumni.

“I am a proud South Australian who is passionate about uncovering developing the talent that exists, and promoting the achievements that the rest of society needs to know about,” said Abraham, who invests in high-growth SMEs, and coaches several South Australian CEOs directly as well as through his role as Growth Specialist at the University of Adelaide’s ThincLab incubator.

“I am keen to support this prestigious award and continue on the great work of previous Chairs while working alongside the judging panel of diverse industry experts,” he said.

With more than 20 years of commercial experience, Abraham is a marketing and finance graduate from Flinders University, holds an International Certificate in Corporate Finance from Columbia University and has undertaken the Company Directors Course from AICD.

Between 2005-2018 he was the joint- CEO of the Australian Institute of Business and led its turnaround from a small family business to the largest MBA provider in Australia and one of the largest private higher education institutions in Australia – culminating with his exit to a top- decile private equity firm.

Abraham also sits on several boards, including the Australian Institute of Business, Business SA and Trellis Technologies.

Abraham said that he hopes the 40 Under 40 nominations “uncover talent and achievements that don’t often get the airtime that they deserve”.

“We will be looking for leadership, innovation and disruption in both entrepreneurial, commercial and non-commercial settings,” he said.

Abraham said he has two views on the talent pool in South Australia.

“There is a lot of high potential talent that exists in SA that needs to be identified, nurtured and developed,” he said.

“There are roles that Adelaide punches well above its weight in, but we need to continue to build a state that not only keeps high-quality talent but also encourages inbound movement because the environment is so attractive.

“There are certain roles that we seem to keep losing to the eastern states or overseas.”

Nominations for the 40 Under 40 Awards open on 27 February, with candidates asked to answer why they should be in the cohort, evidence of their successes and setbacks and what they do for the community.

The judging panel will meet after nominations close at the end of March to determine the top 40 and individual awards before the ceremony on 8 June at Adelaide Oval.

Abraham said that anyone uncertain about if they should apply should “just give it a go”.

“It’s a high-profile award that will not only help you in your career but also encourage others to push harder at whatever they are pursuing in their career,” he said.

“You’ll be in great company, with an alumnus of 240 of South Australia’s highest achievers.”