Canberra, Australia - NEC Australia, a leading ICT solutions and services company, has been selected as this year’s winner of the prestigious Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment’s Investment Award, recognising NEC’s significant investments in Australian innovation over the past decade and further contributions of nearly half a century to Australia’s thriving ICT industry.

The Investment Award, a part of the Australian Export Awards, recognises the achievements that leading Australian companies have made to improve Australia’s global competitiveness.

Australia’s Minister for Trade, Tourism, and Investment, the Honourable Steven Ciobo MP, presented the award to NEC’s Chief Operating Officer, Mike Barber this week. The ceremony was held at Parliament House in Canberra.

Austrade and Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry jointly host the Australian Export Awards to celebrate outstanding private sector contributions to Australian innovation and ICT exports.

Mike Barber, Chief Operating Officer at NEC Australia, said: “Today, innovation is the key to knowledge and we’ve demonstrated that open collaboration with our partners and customers is an empowering force that can improve the way we do business and how we serve our customers and the community.”

NEC has invested more than A$200 million in Australia over the past 15 years, including its Melbourne-based R&D facilities, the A$4.8 million NEC Global Security Intel Centre in Adelaide, and a A$40 million investment in New South Wales’ Illawarra region at the University of Wollongong’s Innovation Campus.

“At a time when the value of international trade is being questioned, we’re living proof it has a positive impact,” said Mr Barber.

“The mutual support from Australia and Japan allows us to create value through sharing knowledge in a way that delivers benefits to everyone through innovation that boosts value and drives down costs.”

NEC Australia won the Investment Award on the merits of its lasting contributions to Australia and the fact it introduced innovate business practices and technologies. It also stood out as a company with strong corporate governance and as a company that helps Australia become part of a global supply chain in a high-value market.

Investments from Asia Pacific, including Australia, forms an important part of NEC’s global sales.

Since opening its doors in Australia in 1969, NEC Australia’s headcount has grown from a modest five to more than 1800 today. NEC Australia has also transformed from a telephony company to a fully-fledged IT services firm that provides critical support from the remote regions in the Northern Territory to Melbourne.

The commitments NEC has made over the past 50 years has harnessed NEC Australia’s ability to bring innovation in security, biometrics, public safety, telephony and data services to SMB, enterprise and government customers Australia-wide. Through partnerships with regional IT providers, NEC Australia helps customers in the most remote towns in outback Australia.