- Sydney-based startup Abundium named among Australia's top 100 workplaces in the Hyer 2025 Breakthrough Culture Awards, selected from over 5,000 companies
- The company's culture is built on three core principles: lead with love, we before me, and flex for success
- Abundium supports local leaders of foreign-owned multinationals, reaching over 10,000 global businesses operating in Australia
- The company was recognised for its values-led approach, which shapes leadership, hiring, growth and partnerships
- The award was based entirely on employee feedback, joining previous winners including Canva, Calm, and AirTree
Abundium Named One of Australia’s Top 100 Places to Work
Sydney-based startup Abundium recognised in the Hyer 2025 Breakthrough Culture Awards
Sydney, 7 August 2025 — In a business landscape where more than 70% of transformation efforts fail due to cultural breakdown, Sydney-based startup Abundium has been named one of Australia’s top 100 companies to work for — recognised for putting people, purpose and performance on equal footing.
Selected from over 5,000 companies and 20,000 employee responses, Abundium was named a winner in Hyer’s 2025 Breakthrough Culture Awards, standing out for its values-led, performance-driven approach to growth.
“It’s easy to talk about culture. Walking it is harder,” said Rich Hirst, co-founder and CEO. “We built this company with values as the operating system — not a side project. It shapes how we lead, hire, grow and partner with some of the world’s biggest brands.”
Abundium supports local leaders of foreign-owned multinationals, a sector that employs nearly one million Australians. Its leadership programs, peer forums and advocacy now reach over 10,000 global businesses operating in Australia.
Its culture is anchored in three deceptively simple principles: lead with love, we before me, and flex for success.
“Our values show up in everything — how we work together and how we work with our members,” said co-founder Dani Matthews. “It’s not soft. It’s structured, practical, and a big reason we’ve grown so quickly.”
That growth hasn’t come from chasing scale, but from attracting aligned, ambitious people who want to build something meaningful.
“‘We before me’ reminds us we’re building something bigger than ourselves,” Matthews added. “It keeps the team energised and the community strong.”
Even the idea of “love” in leadership — rare in corporate settings — is taken seriously at Abundium.
“It’s not sentimental,” said Hirst. “It means trusting first, speaking truth with compassion, owning our impact, and striving for outcomes where everyone wins. They’re hard to live, but they unlock real performance.”
The award process was based entirely on employee feedback, reflecting a culture that’s consistent, not just advertised.
“The people we attract are ambitious, curious and community-minded,” Hirst said. “They want to do work that matters — and that starts with how we treat each other.”
Abundium joins past honourees including Canva, Calm, Dash Water, Pipe, Terracycle, Thrive, Immutable, MKG and AirTree, with its human-first, high-performance model gaining national attention.
“We’re proof that culture isn’t just good for people — it’s good for performance,” Hirst said.
About us:
About Abundium
Empowering global companies to grow locally Abundium is Australia’s only cross-industry network for CEOs and senior leaders of foreign-owned multinationals. It helps global organisations grow locally through transformative programs, peer connection and strategic learning. Its mission is to make multinational growth easier by fast-tracking performance, wellbeing and impact inside the world’s most complex organisations.
Contact details:
For interviews with co-founders Rich Hirst and Dani Matthews, please contact:
Randal Killip — 0425 714 159 | [email protected]
