Financial Review shortlists innovative City of Coffs Harbour
Published on 13 June 2024
City of Coffs Harbour has been shortlisted for the 2024 Australian Financial Review’s prestigious Most Innovative Companies list.
“This is a significant achievement in itself and a reflection that we are shaking up industry standards and transforming the organisation from the inside out,” City of Coffs Harbour General Manager Natalia Cowley said.
“Innovating to better serve the community is one of our key drivers and it’s already seeing results.”
The City has been shortlisted in the ‘Government, Education and Not For Profit’ category.
Entries for the Financial Review’s competition opened in April, and the City told its story of the service innovations taking place in the new Harry Bailey Memorial Library and in the organisation itself.
“Our transformation has been far-reaching, thorough and ongoing,” Ms Cowley said.
“It began with a restructure last year when the City was $5.3 million in the red and saddled with an unrealistic capital works book. Reimagining how the City should serve the community sustainably saw us march to a position of $15 million in surplus in the year of the restructure – which is practically unheard of.”
The library spread across three levels of the state-of-the-art Yarrila Place is the standard bearer of the City’s entry.
“Together with Yarrila Arts and Museum, the community now has access to innovative discovery, with the ability to hire everything from books through to cake tins and Lego sets,” Ms Cowley said.
“There’s also 3D printing, laser cutting, sewing machines, a digital studio, green screens, PlayStation gaming and a soundproof vocal recording studio.
“We are planting the seed for the next class of innovators.”
Support for the innovative library is underscored by the numbers.
More than 200,000 poured through the doors to 31 March – and library services membership is the equivalent of 55 per cent of the population of the Coffs Harbour Local Government Area.
Famously, the Harry Bailey Memorial Library has become a generational melting pot where birth dates are left at the door – as seniors and teenagers mingle seamlessly.
“The out-of-the-box library is emblematic of a City which embraces the need to do things differently – we are catering for our existing community and inspiring the next generation,” Ms Cowley said.
The Financial Review has partnered with Cognizant to identify Australasia’s ‘Most Innovative Companies’, and the search will culminate with a glittering awards night on 8 October.
In addition to the industry categories, the Financial Review will present several special awards including Best Innovation Program; Best Product Innovation; Best Service Innovation; Best Marketing Innovation; Best Internal Innovation; Best Social Impact Innovation; and an award for the 2024 Most Innovative Company across all industries.
“Challenging the status quo where it can lead to better, smarter outcomes for the community is now in the DNA at City of Coffs Harbour,” Ms Cowley said.
“An innovative approach without boundary is one of the pillars of that mindset. Being shortlisted in these prestigious national awards is a recognition that we are successfully turning inspiration into impactful innovation for the benefit of the community.”