Gary Smith

EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Class of 2024, Australia
CEO of BioPak

Share the joy of Gary Smith’s winning moment at Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Australia.

Gary Smith is breathing new life into the packaging industry with sustainable solutions.

Gary Smith doesn’t just think outside the box — he reimagines it entirely. For almost two decades, his company BioPak has been unpacking the potential of plant-based packaging, offering a green alternative to the plastic that has long contained our food. He has grown BioPak into a symbol of sustainability, pushing the envelope of ecofriendly design. 

Gary, who has been building companies since he was 17, has the keen ability to take calculated risks and transform ideas into profitable businesses. His knack for recognizing opportunities — and the knowledge that most produced plastics aren’t recycled — led him to cofound BioPak years before sustainability became a hot topic. Since then, BioPak has helped thousands of businesses, including food service industry giants, improve their environmental impact by educating them and shifting them to certified compostable packaging.  

While BioPak has grown exponentially, Gary’s ambition isn’t boxed in by commercial success alone. The company’s corporate identity is green at its core, as demonstrated by its B Corp status and the 5% of profits it pours into philanthropy. And through his composting crusade, Compost Connect — Australia’s first national initiative of its kind — he’s planting the seeds of waste reduction and sprouting educational initiatives that aim to contain environmental damage. This fertile endeavor has branched out internationally, rooting a commitment to a waste-free planet in four other countries. 

Looking ahead, Gary is excited about a future where technology and social media make “sustainable change go viral,” he says. “This drives progress.”