Hort Innovation has been named a winner of the Breakthrough Culture Awards 2025, recognising Australia’s top companies that are redefining what it means to be ‘people first’. 

This award celebrates organisations that go beyond surface-level culture initiatives to build workplaces where employees genuinely thrive. Hort Innovation stood out among thousands of companies reviewed and over 20,000 employee interviews conducted nationwide. 

Hort Innovation’s recognition was based on verified employee sentiment and innovation benchmarks. 

According to the organisation, some of the key factors that contributed to this recognition include: 

• “Progressive workplace initiatives such as our values refresh, an initiative which spanned six months and involved extensive consultation with all team members. The result is a set of values that are clear, meaningful and authentically reflect who we are and aspire to be. We reinforce our values by regularly recognising team members who live them, both at team forums and within individual teams.”  
  
• “Prioritisation of employee-driven innovation and feedback. Our Employee Engagement Survey is a cornerstone of how we listen to our people. Importantly, we don’t just collect feedback, we act. This commitment is reflected in our ‘Action’ metric, which rose from 35% favourable in 2022 to 82% in 2024.” 
  
• “Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, demonstrated through the creation of seven DE&I working groups in 2024. Each group, covering RAP, First Nations Engagement, PRIDE, Age, Culture & Heritage, Gender and All Abilities is led by team member leads and supported by executive sponsors. These groups have driven meaningful change, including the delivery of our Reflect RAP and the development of long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with growers from diverse backgrounds.”
  
• “Future-focused culture strategies that build capability and enrich careers across the organisation. Initiatives like our Capability Framework, Leadership Development Program, and Ways of Working groups help shape a workplace where every team member can grow and thrive.” 

“This award is a testament to the incredible people who make Hort Innovation a great place to work,” says the organisation.

“We’re honoured to be recognised and remain committed to evolving our culture in meaningful ways.”