Laurent Boillon wins EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ for Australia

• Boillon founded Laurent Bakery, which delivers premium baked goods across Australia and the world
• Awards mark the 25th anniversary of EY recognising the best of Australian entrepreneurship
• Cumulative impact of winning Australian firms exceeds $30B annual revenue, 80,000 jobs¹

Sydney, Australia – 15 October, 2025 – EY Australia today announced that Laurent Boillon has been named EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ for Australia.

Boillon, a French-born baker from Aix-en-Provence, founded Laurent Bakery in Melbourne in 1993. With a career spanning Europe and the Caribbean, he brought artisanal French baking to Australia. Today, he oversees 18 stores and two production facilities, delivering premium pastries and breads across Australia and internationally.

Selected from a group of 22 National finalists, Boillon was recognised as the 2026 Australian winner at a national awards ceremony in Sydney, attended by the country’s leading entrepreneurs, judges, and previous winners of the prestigious business award.

Naomi Simson, chair of the independent judges and one of Australia’s foremost business leaders said, “The quality of entries for the 25th anniversary of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year award is a true testament to Australia’s entrepreneurial spirit.”

“These awards are about seeing opportunities where others don’t. Laurent has demonstrated truly innovative ways of scaling artisanal, delicious food and making them available for everyone. He has developed markets abroad and at home, and he has an incredible growth story and trajectory.”

Boillon was also named the Industry category winner alongside five other impressive Australian entrepreneurs, who took home national category wins. These winners include:

• Emerging Winner: David McGiveron and Bianca Tarrant, Our Cow
• Services Winner: Matthew Rear, PPS Water Group
• Technology Winner: Ben Thompson, Employment Hero
• Social Impact Winner: Ashley van de Velde, LifeFlight

Colin McNeil, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Australia Program Leader said, “This year’s national winners set the standard for Australian entrepreneurship through their innovation, ingenuity, and determination. Their achievements span industries and sectors and are the driving force behind the country’s economic growth and prosperity. We are proud to honour Laurent and all of our winners who are shaping the nation’s economic future.”

The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year program has been celebrating and supporting Australian entrepreneurs for 25 years. Previous winners include Jack Gance of Chemist Warehouse, Jo Horgan of Mecca, and Dr Peter Farrell AM of ResMed.

The collective economic impact of the entrepreneurs who have won the award over the past quarter century is equivalent to that of a small nation, with a handful of winners now generating an estimated AUD$30 billion in annual revenue, an estimated AUD$70 billion in market capitalisation or valuation, and more than 80,000 jobs¹.

Selina Short, EY Leader for Clients and Industries, Oceania said, “Success stories like Laurent’s show us that great ideas can come from anywhere, but need capital, capability and confidence to create global impact.”

“For our nation to truly harness the impact of entrepreneurs, our policy settings must be updated to foster innovation and boost productivity. Modernising the tax system for research and development, implementing intellectual property incentives, and enhancing business cashflow are some ways to help turn Australia’s bold ideas into commercial success.”

As the national winner, Boillon will travel to Monaco in June 2026 to compete against national winners from more than 60 countries for the chance to be recognised as the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2026.

The EY organisation has long recognised the potential of entrepreneurs. Since 2001, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year program has recognised ambitious leaders who build and sustain successful, dynamic businesses that leave a lasting positive impact in the communities in which they operate.

In Australia, there are over 1,700 entrepreneurs in the Entrepreneur Of The Year Alumni community.

For more information on the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ program visit www.ey.com/au/eoy

-Ends-

Media Contact:

Andrew Sroufe
Andrew.sroufe@au.ey.com
+61 420 761 536

About EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™  

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ is the only global program of its kind that supports entrepreneurs as they unlock their ambitions. Established in 1986, this flagship program operates across more than 60 countries and jurisdictions and boasts a global ecosystem of over 30,000 distinguished entrepreneurs.

Program participants benefit from lifelong connections, learning resources and insights to help navigate their growth journey, and opportunities to raise the profile of their companies. Each program concludes with a competition and announcement of a winner who goes on to represent their country or region in the ultimate global competition and event for entrepreneurs: EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™. ey.com/eoy  

About EY

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