McKercher Corporation has been named a finalist in two categories at the 2026 Smart Energy Council Awards.
The company, which operates PSW Energy and Perth Solar Warehouse, has been shortlisted for Smart Employer of the Year, with Chief Executive Officer Nicole Bilman separately named a finalist for Emerging Leader of the Year.
Two finalist positions at one ceremony is a rare result for a Western Australian clean energy business.
Key points
- McKercher Corporation has been named a finalist in two categories at the 2026 Smart Energy Council Awards: Smart Employer of the Year and Emerging Leader of the Year (CEO Nicole Bilman).
- Two finalist positions at one ceremony is a rare result for a Western Australian clean energy business. The Smart Energy Council is Australia's peak industry body, and finalists are selected by an independent industry panel.
- Smart Employer recognises the conditions the work happens under: training, retention, in-house workforce, and progression. Emerging Leader recognises an individual under 40 shaping the Australian sustainable energy industry.
- The shortlisted positions reflect the same approach viewed from different angles: how the business is built, and who built it.
Smart Employer of the Year
The Smart Employer of the Year category is presented annually by the Smart Energy Council, Australia’s peak body for the clean energy industry. It recognises clean energy businesses that demonstrate measurable investment in their teams: training pathways, safety culture, retention, career development, and the professional standards that shape the industry’s next generation of installers and technicians.
Finalists are selected by an independent judging panel from a national field of nominees. It is not a public vote. It is not a paid-entry programme. Being shortlisted is the recognition.
The team has grown from 10 employees to over 50 across both bases at Bibra Lake and Neerabup, with more than 15 ethnic backgrounds represented and an in-house installer ratio held above 80% throughout the growth period. Career pathways are structural, not aspirational. The Administration Manager who joined the company in July 2020 became Chief Executive Officer in February 2026. In the same month, Phraewa Jongjet joined the team to begin her career as an electrician in renewables. A woman entering the electrical trades through a solar business.
Those two pathways, bookending the same organisation in the same month, capture what the Smart Employer category is designed to recognise. Full details via PSW Energy ›
Emerging Leader of the Year
The Emerging Leader category recognises an individual under 40 shaping the Australian sustainable energy industry. It is judged by industry peers from a national field of nominees.
Nicole Bilman joined the company on 6 July 2020 as Administration Manager. By 2022, she was overseeing manufacturer relationships across Tesla, Sigenergy, and the broader partner stack. By 2024, she led the company’s ISO triple certification programme through Bureau Veritas. On 2 February 2026, she was appointed Chief Executive Officer.
Under her leadership the company achieved ISO triple certification (9001 quality, 45001 safety, 14001 environmental), retained Tesla Premium Certified Installer status for a fifth consecutive year, reached Sigenergy Gold Installer level (the inaugural Gold tier in WA), and opened a second operational base at Neerabup. Full details via PSW Energy ›
“I made the promotion effective 2 February 2026 because Nicole had already been doing the job in every way that mattered. Watching her grow into the leader she is today has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career.”
Derek McKercher, Director, McKercher Corporation
Compounding Factors
The two finalist positions land inside a stretch of external validation for the group. In the past 12 months, the company has renewed its NETCC Approved Seller certification through to May 2027, been named in the Solaris Awards Top 5 Solar Installer WA and Top 5 Battery Installer WA, and held SolarQuotes Legendary status for a third consecutive year (a tier held by roughly 10 companies nationally).
Smart Energy Council recognition adds something the others don’t. It is independent, national, and peer-judged on how the business is run internally. Two finalist positions at one ceremony, on two different criteria, from the same panel, is the kind of result that is hard to manufacture and easy to verify.
