Privacy policy Terms of service © Octomedia Pty Ltd 2026
Excellence in customer experience
2026 nominations now open. Select a category below.
The Retailer Awards is the ultimate accolade that recognises retailers at the forefront of excellence in customer experience (cx).
If you have created a customer experience of the highest standard, make sure it’s noticed.
Nominations are opened!
Nominations close 3 December 2025
Finalists announced 14 January 2026
Winners announced 26 February 2026
Our partners
A huge thanks to our partners for making magic happen.
Presented by
Gold sponsors
Retailer Awards 2026
Eleven years strong. Celebrating the best in customer experiences.
The Retailer Awards is marked as the pivotal event for the retail sector. Celebrating its tenth year, the awards highlight customer experience excellence across Australia and New Zealand and attract some of the best talent the retail industry has to offer.
The awards are managed and run by the superstar team behind Inside Retail and Octomedia, one of Australia’s leading B2B publishers.
Winners will be announced at a Gala Evening in Melbourne on Thursday, 26th February 2026.
Meet your judges
Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedules.
Elizabeth Liddle is an Arrernte woman, online retailer, and Chairperson of Aboriginal Retail Australia which is dedicated to helping Aboriginal retailers grow, strengthen participation, and increase visibility in the retail sector.With extensive experience in Aboriginal business and economic development, Liz has delivered major outcomes through the Victorian Government’s Aboriginal Business Strategy, including initiatives that supported retail development and export opportunities. Liz brings first-hand, small business retail experience with the business chamber and industry organisation experience to champion capability building, authentic representation, and greater inclusion of diverse Aboriginal-owned businesses across Australia’s retail landscape.
Elizabeth Liddle
Aboriginal Retail Australia
Rachael Hockaday has decades of experience in consumer behaviour, shopper marketing, franchisee businesses and retail strategy, understanding what’s truly important to customers.
Rachael partners with leading retail brands, as Managing Director at Haeday, to drive performance and deliver results that strengthen both brand and business. Her experience is proven working with some of the world’s leading companies such as Subway, Source Bulk Foods, Terry White Chemists and Super Retail Group.
2025 marks the 15th anniversary of Haeday, which continues to thrive by delivering insights and unique strategy to retailers about the power of in-store marketing, local area marketing, POS, window display, effective merchandising; curating the brand and retail experience. Rachael, together with the Haeday team, have built their proprietary local area marketing platform, MyLAMP™, offering brands the ability to tap into their neighbourhood DNA and uncover insights that can supercharge their marketing efforts. Retailers can now understand not just who is in their local community, but how they behave and how best to engage with them.
Recognised retail expert Rachael is an experienced speaker and awards judge with a wealth of knowledge working with retail and multi-location organisations.
Rachael Hockaday
Haeday
Nick Gray is rapidly emerging as one of today's leading voices in the retail industry. His thought leadership and insights have shaped the strategies of globally recognised retailers, brands, and wholesalers, leaving a lasting impact on the industry.
With over 25 years of experience in the wholesale and retail sectors, Nick's journey includes pivotal roles at world-renowned companies like Adidas, Nike, Sneakerboy, Diesel, and Westfield. His work is deeply rooted in the belief that people, emotions, and customers should be at the core of every business decision.
Nick Gray
IGU Global
Colleen Callander has over three decades of unparalleled expertise in the retail fashion industry, having served as the award-winning CEO of two iconic Australian brands, Sportsgirl and Sussan, for 13 years. During her tenure, Colleen was renowned for building brands, fostering winning cultures, and creating environments that ignite high performance. Her visionary leadership has left a lasting impact on Australia's fashion landscape, shaping the future of retail and inspiring the next generation of leaders.
Beginning her career in retail at the age of 16, Colleen embarked on an extraordinary 30-year journey, culminating in her role as a modern thought leader. She is the founder of Mentor Me Women, widely recognised and sought after keynote speaker, business and leadership advisor, and co-founder of Human Elevation.
A two-time author, Colleen launched her debut book, 'Leader By Design,' in 2021, which received critical acclaim and became a finalist in the Australian Business Book Awards. Her second book, co-authored, 'ELEVATE – Unlock Your Extraordinary Potential,' was released in December 2023.
Colleen Callander
Mentor Me Women
Tong Van was born and educated in Vietnam and travels around Southeast Asia frequently. A graduate of Ho Chi Minh City Law School majoring in Legal English, Van has been a content writer for several years. With Inside Retail Asia she has researched the Top 50 Innovative Retail Leaders in Hong Kong for three years running and writes news. Her retail interests include fashion, health & beauty and food.
Tong Van
Inside Retail
Adam Thorn leads an international team of editors to produce Inside Retail’s global features content, including exclusive series, in-depth analyses of key trends and premium quarterly print magazines and reports. With almost two decades of experience as a journalist, he has previously worked for fashion and lifestyle publications in the UK and Australia, including Esquire, GQ, Gentleman’s Journal and Cosmopolitan. Adam has also presented hundreds of B2B podcasts on a variety of topics, as well as curating and moderating major business events.
Adam Thorn
Inside Retail
Stephanie Caite Chadwick is the Features and Premium Editor of Inside Retail Australia. She contributes to Inside Retail’s content for paid subscribers and is the Editor of the publication's quarterly print magazine. As part of Inside Retail’s editorial team, Stephanie has covered numerous retail conferences, brand launches, fashion weeks, earnings reports as well as executive interviews.
Stephanie Caite Chadwick
Inside Retail
Humii robot
Humii robot
Humii
Contact
Have a question? Let us know at: events@insideretail.com.au