As the winner of the Disruptor Category, Symons is being acknowledged for helping to create and revolutionise his industry. He was selected by an independent panel of judges based on six global criteria: entrepreneurial spirit, financial performance, innovation, national and global impact, personal integrity/influence, and strategic direction.
“It is an honour to be recognised among some of the most inspiring business leaders and entrepreneurs in the state”, says Symons.
At the age of 19, Symons joined his father Paul in the budding family business, PC Locs. They worked out of a shed in the backyard, designing a locking system for desktop computers to combat the rising issue of theft Paul had witnessed as a former teacher. Global expansion became a focus for James Symons, and now 20 years later, the company has 3 brands, 9 offices worldwide and sells to more than 20 countries daily.
“I have somehow convinced the incredible people that I work with that the journey is worth the sacrifice and I am so grateful for how loyal and passionate they are. They literally do the hard work. Having the support of my Dad as co-owner and business partner is more than I could ever ask for. He is the ultimate visionary, inventor and entrepreneur, and I am privileged to carry on what he started”.
PC Locs and LocknCharge employ 18 research and development employees in order to continuously evolve their cutting-edge product line and solve pain points for the end user. While the need for secure stations and carts that effectively store and charge mobile devices is still very prevalent, today the company also offers iOT-connected smart charging lockers and is investing in cloud technology to link multiple towers via a single portal from anywhere in the world. The newest brand, TechDen, weaves together a physical location for storing and charging personal devices with an app for parents and children to smoothly manage device usage and screen time together.
PC Locs and LocknCharge protect around two million devices for more than 22,000 business customers globally and has commercial relationships with some of the largest technology companies in the world, including Apple, Dell and Google.
EY describes the Entrepreneur Of The Year program as a chance to recognise and celebrate exceptional individuals who help shape the future. “By challenging orthodox methods and creating new markets for goods and services, entrepreneurs positively disrupt the way we do business and help enhance our quality of life.”
James will join his fellow National finalists representing Western Australia at the regional national celebration dinner on October 24th in Sydney where National category winners and the 2019 Australian EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ will be announced.
—
About PC Locs and LocknCharge
PC Locs and LocknCharge are privately owned, multi-national brands, with the main headquarters in Perth, Australia. The vision is to be globally recognised as the most innovative and trusted brands in developing solutions for managing deployments and healthy use of mobile technology. The mission is to make peoples’ lives easier – those managing deployments of mobile technology and those using it.
Learn more about the brands:
www.lockncharge.com
www.pclocs.com.au
www.techden.com
About EY Entrepreneur of the Year™
EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ is the world’s most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The program makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential, and recognises the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global award of its kind, Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognising them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries.
The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ program, launched in Australia in 2001, is one of the country’s leading business awards programs. It has so far recognised over 1,500 leading Australians for their entrepreneurial business success and each year, through its global program, acknowledges thousands of entrepreneurs worldwide. Founded and produced worldwide by EY, the program in Australia is sponsored by Commonwealth Bank (Principal sponsor), Qantas (Sponsor) and Austrade (Supporter).
Further information about the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year program can be found at ey.com/au/eoy.