The Annual Staff Dinner is the biggest calendar event for the CMV Group, where we are thrilled to take the opportunity to honour the achievements of our employees and businesses, and give hardworking employees and their guests the opportunity to socialise and celebrate together.

This year, the CMV Group Annual Staff Dinners in Melbourne and Adelaide saw record attendance in both states. With more than 800 attendees in Melbourne, and 1100 in Adelaide, these dinners marked a great milestone for the Group, and is a reflection of the exciting growth the company is experiencing.

Victorian guests gathered at the Melbourne Showgrounds, with main room hosting guests across 98 tables, which is an impressive jump from last year’s 75 tables. It was fantastic to see a number of trucks on display. With a Volvo FH, Kenworth K220, a historic Diamond T 201, and a Hino 300 Series inside the venue, and another ten trucks displayed outside.

The South Australian dinner was again hosted at the Adelaide Convention Centre, with guests spread across more than 100 tables, sharing the room with 16 vehicles! Inside the main hall, displays from our dealerships included a Kenworth K220, DAF CF530, Volvo FH13, Mack Super-Liner, UD, Hino 300 Series, Foton iBlue Electric Truck, Lexus RZ 450e Sport, Mercedes-Benz Maybach S680, Toyota Corolla Cross, Hyundai Kona, Ford Ranger Wildtrack, VW Tiguan R, and a Suzuki S-Cross.

We were thrilled to have the amazing Amelia Mulcahy of Channel 7 Adelaide return as MC for both Victoria and South Australia’s events. Ever the professional, Amelia directed the evenings formalities with charm, showing respect and care for the culture of the CMV Group. 

Work Health and Safety, Staff Volunteering and an overview of the Group’s financial performance were among the evenings presentations, but the major topic of discussion was CMV Group’s recent announcement of an Executive Leadership transition. 

Managing Director, Paul Crawford took to the stage to discuss the transition in further detail, and outline the process of change as fourth generation family members, Daniel and Miles Crawford take over as Joint Managing Directors in early 2024

Following this, Daniel and Miles were joined on stage by other fourth generation business leaders, Jono, Drew, Ross, Pip, Miles, Heidi and Ryan to present on the business’s growth and developments.

The most important part of the evening is to celebrate our employees and award the high-achievers across the CMV Group.

First up, Director of Group Operations, Anthony Casey, and Derrimut General Manager, Ross Grieg, presented the Safety Award Winners, which recognise those staff whose personal dedication to safety has seen them nominated by their managers for recognition.

Safety Award Winners

Next, Anthony and Ross took the opportunity to acknowledge the performance of some of our businesses, who in the eyes of the Safety Board Committee, have exhibited excellence in their approach to safety over the last year.

Business Award Winners

Awarded next were the Employee and Apprentices of the Year, which recognise individuals within each business who over the past year have displayed remarkable work ethic and performed at the top level. Congratulations to the 2023 Employees of the Year!

Employees of the Year

Apprentices of the Year

As a family-owned business with a culture of placing high importance on our staff, we’re so proud to have a large number of longstanding employees within our businesses. That is why we celebrate them at every opportunity, including at the Annual Staff Dinner. A big congratulations to the following Long Service Award recipients! 

Adelaide Long Service Awards

Melbourne Long Service Awards

In addition to celebrating these achievements, we took a moment to acknowledge the retirement of a very influential figure for the CMV Group - Finance Director, David Skopal. David has worked for the CMV Group for more than 40 years and has been a key driver of the success of this company. Well done to David on a fantastic career.

To all who attended, thank you for joining us for the most successful Annual Staff Dinner yet! Thank you especially to those who transported vehicles, organisers, and speakers, for contributing to the night’s success. We look forward to an even bigger event next year!