Martin Nix, Aptella CEO, awarded the Jamie Williamson Memorial Award and Harry Katsanevas, Aptella founder, recognised with Spirit of Excellence Award.
This award has a long history of recognising pioneers in the construction industry that have made significant contributions and helped to shape it into what it is today. This year it was awarded to Harry Katsanevas, a founder of Aptella, who was deservedly recognised for his relentless drive, energy and passion for the industry, Aptella’s customers, and its people.
“Harry always has the customer front and centre, he has a rare ability to envisage the solution and work through all the different components to get there,” Martin Nix, CEO of Aptella said. “He’ll go to the end of the earth to figure out how to solve a problem for a customer and his ideas and determination have helped make me a better engineer and product developer,” added Richard Jackson, Senior Vice President of Product Management at Topcon.
“When you truly understand what the customer needs and what technology is capable of and you connect them together as Harry does, magic happens,” said Ray O’Connor, Topcon Positioning Systems Chairman.
“I have worked with and learned from some amazing mentors in my career, and I am humbled to accept this award,” Harry said. “I’m fortunate enough to know several former winners and to count myself amongst them is a great honour.”
This award recognises lifetime achievement of an industry leader in honour of Topcon’s former Vice President Jamie Williamson, who passed away in 2022. Jamie was highly regarded for his business and leadership skills, specific to developing a thriving workplace culture and having a positive impact on the lives of people around him.
The award is given to someone that exemplifies these qualities and values. This year’s recipient was Aptella’s CEO Martin Nix, acknowledging his encouraging and inclusive leadership style, as well as his advocacy for ethical business practices including Aptella’s support of The Smith Family, a charity that assists young Australians experiencing disadvantage to realise their potential through education.
“Martin has empathy, and like Jamie, knows that business success matters, but people matter more,” said Murray Lodge, Topcon Positioning Systems Executive Vice President. “I’ve witnessed first-hand Martin’s ability to support many individuals to develop and accomplish things that they probably didn’t think they were capable of,” said Ian Petherbridge, Aptella Chairman. “He gives comfort knowing you’re working with someone that will challenge you, inspire you and make you think,” added Greg Macklin, Aptella COO.
“I am surprised and touched to have received this award,” Martin said. “I was lucky enough to learn from Jamie’s attributes over many years and am thankful that the Aptella and Topcon teams, along with my family, gave me their full support.”
To mark the special occasion, Topcon arranged for Martin and Harry’s families to travel across from Australia in secret, to surprise them on the night and share in the celebrations.
“Topcon’s commitment to fostering and honouring relationships is remarkable and unmatched by any other business I have ever encountered,” said Martin Nix. “Our thanks to everyone in the Topcon family, it is a great privilege to continue our long and successful partnership.”
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