Nicole Bilman, Chief Executive Officer of PSW Energy and Perth Solar Warehouse, was named runner-up for Emerging Leader of the Year at the Smart Energy Council Excellence Awards on 6 May 2026 at Doltone House, Sydney. The category recognises individuals shaping the next generation of Australia’s renewable energy industry. Nicole was the only Western Australian finalist in the category.
Thirteen years in the industry
Five and a half at PSW
Nicole began her career in the energy industry in 2013 with NJP Electrical, where she spent 7 years across operational and administrative roles before joining the McKercher Corporation group on 6 July 2020 as an Administration Manager at Perth Solar Warehouse.
What followed was a five-and-a-half-year arc that does not fit into a single sentence. By 2022, Nicole was overseeing manufacturer relationships across the group’s residential and commercial brands. By 2024, she was leading the ISO certification programme, resulting in Bureau Veritas Certification for ISO 9001 quality, ISO 14001 environment, and ISO 45001 safety. On 2 February 2026, the board appointed her Chief Executive Officer of PSW Energy and Perth Solar Warehouse.
During that period, the operating headcount grew from 10 to over 50. The business opened a second base at Neerabup in Perth’s north, complementing the original Bibra Lake site in the south. Tesla Premium Certified Installer status was held consecutively from 2022 through 2026. Sigenergy Gold Installer status attained, the inaugural Gold tier in WA. The 2026 SunWiz Awards recognised PSW with four awards: #1 Local Solar Hero for Perth South West (second consecutive year), Top 5 volume Energy Storage Western Australia, Top 5 volume Solar PV Western Australia and Top 2 Most Popular (customer sentiment) Western Australia.
Recognition In the category
The Smart Energy Council Emerging Leader Award is judged against five criteria: when the nominee’s career in renewable energy began, their professional background, how they demonstrate leadership in the industry, the impact of that leadership on the sustainable energy sector, and what winning would mean to them. The award is administered by the Smart Energy Council, Australia’s peak independent body for the renewable energy industry, with finalists assessed by an independent panel.
The category is described in the Council’s 2026 Awards Information Pack as supporting “early-career innovators demonstrating initiative, creativity, and influence in shaping the next generation of Australia’s renewable energy leaders.”
Representation for Western Australia
Western Australia operates on its own grid. The South West Interconnected System has its own rules, its own regulator, its own export framework, and its own technical standards layered on top of the national requirements. Building a clean energy business in WA means working through that complexity every day, not as an afterthought to a national strategy.
The West Coast is also under-represented in the national award conversation. WA-based finalists in renewable energy categories are the exception, not the rule. Nicole’s runner-up placement is one of a small number of WA recognitions in this year’s round.
The Smart Energy Council Awards also named the McKercher Corporation group a finalist for Smart Employer of the Year in the same round, a separate category recognising the workplace and culture behind the business Nicole now leads. Both finalist placements were determined by the same independent panel.
Image (Left to Right): David McElrea, Derek McKercher, Nicole Bilman, John Grimmes.
The runner-up placement is recognition, not a finish line. The work the category measures, leadership impact on the sustainable energy sector, continues regardless of which name is read out on the night. Nicole’s first full year as CEO covers a period in which Western Australia’s grid rules have been rewritten (the SWIS export framework changed on 1 May 2026), the residential battery market has shifted under the federal Cheaper Home Batteries programme, and the commercial sector is moving from solar-only to solar-plus-storage as the default specification.
McKercher Corporation congratulates Nicole on the recognition and on the leadership it reflects.
Extended references:
Smart Energy Council: Smart Energy Excellence Awards 2026 Celebrates Industry Leaders ›
PSW Energy: Nicole Bilman recognised as an Emerging Leader ›
Perth Solar Warehouse: PSW CEO named Emerging Leader runner-up at the 2026 Smart Energy Council Awards ›
