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Frank Vale Award

“Recognising Outstanding Young Professionals in the Australian Cold Chain Industry"

 

Frank Vale Award 2026 Nomination Form

The Frank Vale Award has been awarded annually since 1993 to acknowledge talented young people within the industry, who are 35 years of age, or younger, have worked in the cold chain industry for a minimum of three years, and who have demonstrated to their employers that they have the potential to become future leaders, and make a positive contribution to the development of the Australian Cold Chain Industry.

2025 Frank Vale Award Winner

The RWTA is pleased to announce Jack Steen, General Manager - Revenue at HDS, as the 31st recipient of the Frank Vale Award.

Jack brings impressive experience across logistics, transport and supply chain leadership, and is widely recognised for his strategic, commercially focused approach to driving growth, strengthening customer partnerships and delivering sustainable outcomes across the cold chain. His leadership reflects a strong commitment to performance, collaboration and innovation, setting a benchmark for emerging industry leaders.

We are proud to announce the conclusion of the 31st Frank Vale Award, continuing the RWTA’s long-standing tradition of recognising excellence, leadership and future potential within the Australian cold chain industry.

This year, we had four exceptional candidates who showcased dedication, innovation, and leadership:

  • Jack Durbridge, Lineage (SA)
  • Idavia Fa’amasino, Americold (QLD)
  • Vanessa Foliaki, Americold (NSW)
  • Jack Steen, HDS Distribution & Storage (VIC)

Each participant demonstrated remarkable skill and commitment to excellence. We applaud their efforts and contributions to advancing our industry.

Thank you to ASKIN Performance Panels for your continued support of this prestigious award.

We look forward to another year of innovation and excellence within the RWTA community!

The Frank Vale Award has been awarded annually since 1993 to acknowledge talented young people within the industry, who are 35 years of age, or younger, have worked in the cold chain industry for a minimum of three years, and who have demonstrated to their employers that they have the potential to become future leaders, and make a positive contribution to the development of the Australian Cold Chain Industry.

2024 Frank Vale Award Winner

The RWTA is proud to announce the 30th Frank Vale Award Winner in 2024 is Noah Heldt , Operations Manager, Linfox WA.

Noah exemplifies remarkable leadership qualities and innovative approaches within the cold chain sector, setting a high standard for future aspirants.

We are proud to announce the conclusion of the 30th Frank Vale Award, marking three decades of recognising outstanding achievements in the cold chain industry.

Take a moment to hear what Noah has to say about the Frank Vale experience!  

2023 Frank Vale Award Winner and GCCA NextGen Award Winner

The RWTA is proud to announce the 29th Frank Vale Award Winner in 2023 is Stacey Cook from NewCold!

The Winner of the 2023 Frank Vale Award, presented at the 2023 RWTA 81st Conference and Exhibition, Stacey Cook of Newcold, has won the GCCA NEXTGEN, the International Cold Chains future leaders award!! The Global NextGen Award recognizes outstanding young professionals in the world’s cold chain industry.

Congratulations Stacey, you've done Australia proud!!

Being the national winner of the Australian Cold Chain’s Frank Vale Award entitled Stacey to compete at the International GCCA's Next Gen Award in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Congratulations also to the 2023 GCCA NextGen Award finalists; 

  • Jared Argabright, North America
  • Stacey Cook, Australia
  • Gonzalo García Calderón, Latin America
  • Megan Graaf, Africa
  • Bruno Nahas, Brazil

Among other eligibility requirements for the award, finalists demonstrate excellence in their work; the potential to excel further in many facets within the industry; and insight into their organisations strategic values, direction, policies and ways of working.

“The Global NextGen Award Competition showcases the talent of our industry’s rising stars on a global stage,” said Greg Laurin, Chairman of the Global Cold Chain Foundation. “This competition proved to be exceptionally challenging due to the high level of talent showcased on stage. They all exhibited dedication and talent by playing a role in advancing the global temperature-controlled warehousing and logistics industry.”

 As part of the selection process, each finalist was interviewed and judged by a panel of industry leaders from around the world. Candidates were evaluated on their knowledge level of the industry, track record of excellence, communication skills and leadership skills. In addition, each candidate delivered a presentation from the Convention general session stage. 

 Take a moment to hear what Stacey's thoughts on this process and her experiences! 

2022 Frank Vale Award Winner

The RWTA is proud to announce the 28th Frank Vale Award Winner in 2022 is Mark Jackson from Linfox!

Mark is the Distribution Centre Manager, managing the Bega Chullora Cold storage and Erskine Park ambient facilities for Linfox Logistics Australia. His track record in successfully leading and transforming multi-site operations in a highly competitive logistics, supply chain and transport market has led him to where he is today. His belief in establishing a strong organisational vision, he has delivered value to shareholders in the form of continuous improvement projects that have delivered safety and cost benefits to both Linfox and to their customers. Mark recognises that logistics is a people business, and to lead he has endeavoured to lead by example. Mark has enjoyed learning from those around him and and enjoys watching his team grow and develop. A stong advocate in enabling staff, this way of thinking has directed his professional life. Mark’s ultimate goal is to be the leader people feel comfortable approaching, one who enables growth within the business through continual improvement and optimisation and growing the team that he leads.

2021 Frank Vale Award Winner

We congratulate Liam Neilly as this year’s Frank Vale Award Winner, announced in March 2021 at Noosa Heads RWTA Conference!

Liam is Team Leader at Lineage Logistics in South Australia, which he has taken on recently.

He is responsible for productivity, planning, rostering and commercials within the DC2 operation.

Liam has enjoyed the opportunity to learn more aspects of the business and to develop his skill sets further. Although initially he had seen cold storage as a way in which to fund travelling, over the years he has enjoyed the progressive nature and learning that the cold chain brings.

Liam has observed many changes in the last few years and welcomes especially those around safety. He is keen to continue working within a company that has innovation at the forefront. He is excited by automation as a way of the future and its introduction into Lineage sites across Australia and look forward to the challenges, growth and increased efficiencies that will occur as a result.

We wish Liam the very best in his cold chain career and welcome the opportunity for him to compete internationally at the GCCA Next Gen Awards in the USA later this year, COVID willing!

2019 Frank Vale Award Winner

We would like to introduce Demi Hiriaki, the 2019 winner of the Frank Vale Award!

After a stint at Emergent Cold Demi is now working with  GRT, Iceland Cold Storage’s transport division; a company that has been active in the refrigerated transport service industry for over 10 years.

Demi has evolved with Iceland/GRT,  as she initially joined the business with an intention to work alongside the transport team and then, after witnessing process challenges and inefficiencies within the warehouse sector, she invested time to understand both sides of the business. After becoming heavily involved in the development of continuous improvements within the operation, Demi was offered a senior management role, Warehouse Operations Manager.

Demi has the opportunity to travel to Dallas, Texas, to attend and compete at the GCCA Global NextGen Award at the Global Cold Chain Expo in September, 2020.

On behalf of all RWTA members we wish to congratulate Demi on becoming the Frank Vale Award Winner for 2019, and we wish her all the best for the future. 

2018 Frank Vale Award Winner

The Refrigerated Warehouse & Transport Association of Australia (RWTA) is proud to announce Anthony Crowhurst as the recipient of the 2018 Frank Vale Award.

“The Frank Vale Award process, from the moment you’re nominated, is both challenging and exciting. The entire process is about self-development; although completely out of my comfort zone, it was an amazing experience. The support I received from everyone involved was inspiring; I will remember the experience for years to come.”

Anthony Crowhurst, went on to compete at the Global Cold Chain Expo in Chicago in 2018. Although he didn’t take home the International Award he conducted himself with professionalism and passion.

 This was no easy feat for Anthony as it stretched his confidence by learning to promote himself, mastering public speaking and travelling to compete on the International Stage while juggling work and family life. By his own admission this was a quantum leap in  personal growth and feels now that he is completely and irrevocably UNSTOPPABLE!

Anthony has taken part in the Executive Coaching supplied by Logistics Executive and feels that it has added a dimension to his work practices and growth as a person.  

On behalf of all RWTA members we wish to congratulate Anthony on becoming the Frank Vale Award Winner for 2018, and we wish him all the best for the future.