The people, ideas and ambition driving Queensland forward
In August 2026, InDaily Queensland celebrated some very special young Queenslanders.
From pioneering medical research and regenerative farming to creative businesses, mental health advocacy, fundraising and world-class events, the 2026 InDaily Queensland 40 Under 40 award winners are making their mark across the state and beyond.
Their paths are anything but conventional, with stories of resilience, reinvention, innovation and purpose. Together, this year’s award winners represent a generation of Queensland leaders who are challenging the status quo, creating opportunities and using their ideas, businesses and expertise to make a meaningful difference in their communities and industries.
Tiffany English
Named winner of the First Among Equals Award presented by InDaily, Tiffany English’s story is a true inspiration to others.
When a medical crisis in 2021 left English partially paralysed, she faced a choice: walk away from the business she had built or find a new way forward.
She chose to reinvent it.
As founder and CEO of Access Offshoring, English has built a thriving bridge between Australian businesses and Filipino professionals, creating meaningful careers while helping Australian companies build stronger, more capable teams.
Through her people-first approach, cultural intelligence and technology, she has challenged the traditional offshoring model and created opportunities that improve lives on both sides of the relationship.
Her story is one of resilience, reinvention and purpose.
Alex Thompson-Welch
Alex Thompson-Welch – winner of the Emerging Industries Award presented by Piper Alderman – took an unconventional path into agriculture, leaving behind a career in education and IT to join the family farm and embrace the tangible rewards of growing food.
As owner and manager of Eastwell Farms, Thompson-Welch is now pushing traditional farming in new directions, combining regenerative agriculture with technology, direct-to-consumer sales and innovative distribution.
From developing a 24/7 self-serve local produce shop to creating AgriLoop, a platform designed to connect small farms with restaurants and consumers, Thompson-Welch is tackling some of the biggest challenges facing local producers.
The result is a more connected, accessible and sustainable food system.
Arutha Kulasinghe
Winner of the Game Changer Award presented by Felons Brewing Co, Associate Professor Arutha Kulasinghe is helping reshape the way cancer is understood and treated, with a simple but powerful idea: treatment should be as individual as the patient.
As Chair In Spatial Medicine at The University Of Queensland’s Frazer Institute, his pioneering work looks beyond the tumour itself to understand how cancer cells are organised and how they interact with their surroundings, opening new possibilities for more personalised treatment.
He has built a world-leading research program in Queensland, established Australia’s first hospital-based Spatial Biology Centre and, during Covid-19, helped map how the virus affected different organs.
Through his research, collaborations and mentorship, Arutha is helping turn cutting-edge science into better outcomes for patients.
Augusta Puttkammer
Winner of the Food Innovation Award presented by The Weekend Edition, Puttkammer is co-founder and managing director of premium, handcrafted dessert brand Happy Pops.
The Cordon Bleu-trained chef established Happy Pops with a simple ambition: to bring something more creative, premium and memorable to the dessert market.
What began as a single Noosa store in 2018 has grown into a Queensland brand with sites across Mooloolaba, South Bank and Hastings Street, alongside wholesale and a national franchise model.
Puttkammer has been at the heart of every stage, from scrubbing freezers and writing procedures to building the brand and supporting her team through cyclones, construction disruption and financial challenges.
Her hands-on leadership and determination have turned a small business into a growing enterprise creating opportunities for others.
David Neal
David Neal – winner of the Inspiring Future Leaders Award presented by The Alva Hotel Brisbane – has built The Eighth Mile around a belief that leadership is about service, accountability and leaving something valuable behind.
Over seven years, he has grown the organisation from a self-funded Queensland business into a nationally recognised leadership development organisation, working with organisations and leaders at every level.
His work extends beyond the corporate world through initiatives such as Ad Meliora, which supports incarcerated veterans as they work to rebuild their lives and reduce reoffending.
For David, the real measure of success is not personal recognition or business growth, but whether his work creates lasting value for people and communities long after he has left the room.
Erin McCabe
Erin McCabe’s championing the power of fundraising to bring people together and create meaningful change saw her take out the Inspiring Female Leaders Award presented by Blazeaway.
As general manager of fundraising at the Royal Flying Doctor Service Queensland Section, she combines strategic leadership with a genuine passion for the people behind the profession.
Beyond her day-to-day role, Erin mentors emerging fundraisers, volunteers, speaks at industry events and shares her expertise to help raise the profile of fundraising as a skilled and strategic profession.
A Fellow of Fundraising Institute Australia and a Certified Fund Raising Executive, she is committed not only to raising vital funds but to strengthening the sector and the people who make its impact possible.
Geneva Vanderzeil
Winner of the Creative Thinker Award presented by InReview, Geneva Vanderzeil has turned a love of making things into a Queensland-born creative business with a truly global reach.
What began as a small DIY blog has evolved into a thriving creative education and media platform spanning books, online courses, products and brand partnerships, inspiring millions of people to make, create and see potential in the everyday.
Through Geneva’s DIY School and Collective Gen, she champions creativity as a tool for sustainability, self-expression and wellbeing, while making creative skills more accessible to people around the world.
Her journey shows how a simple idea, nurtured with imagination and purpose, can grow into a powerful global creative enterprise.
Lachlan Stuart
Lachlan Stuart – winner of the Social Impact Award presented by Children’s Hospital Foundation – has built The Man That Can Project around a mission to help men become healthier, more resilient and more purposeful.
What began with grassroots men’s circles in Brisbane has grown into a national coaching, speaking and content platform, supporting men through challenges spanning health, mindset, relationships and purpose.
In 2025, Lachlan took that mission to an extraordinary scale, running 58 marathons across 58 consecutive days to raise more than $161,000 for mental health.
Through his podcast, coaching, corporate work, book and documentary, he continues to turn his own experiences into practical tools that help others challenge themselves and create meaningful change.
Peter Cunningham
With more than a decade of international television production experience, Peter Cunningham is a standout winner of the Entrepreneurial Award presented by Solstice Media.
The director of Glo Events co-founded the company to combine world-class production with a distinctly local creative vision.
Alongside Anthony Ikin, Cunningham has grown Glo into a sought-after event production business and launched Glo House, a striking venue in the City Botanic Gardens where the setting itself becomes part of the experience.
With a focus on memorable events, strong industry relationships and Brisbane’s growing global profile, Cunningham is helping shape the city’s next chapter as an events destination.
View the full list of this year’s 40 Under 40 inspiring young entrepreneurs and leaders here.
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