Pioneering business leader and MECCA Brands founder and Co-CEO Jo Horgan has been named Melburnian of the Year at the Melbourne Awards.
Recognised for her exceptional leadership and contribution to the city, Horgan has grown MECCA from a single South Yarra store into a beauty empire with more than 110 stores across Australia and New Zealand.
Horgan has supercharged Melbourne’s retail renaissance – redeveloping the Bourke Street store, while maintaining Melbourne heritage and charm into the largest beauty store in the world, bringing in more than 50,000 visitors a week.
Through MECCA’s M-POWER and M-PACT programs, she also continues to champion equality and education for women and girls, making a lasting impact well beyond the beauty industry.
The Young Melburnian of the Year is Dr Belle Lim, recognised for advancing diversity, equity and inclusion for international students and women in STEM.
A cancer genetics researcher and founder of Future Forte, Dr Lim has built programs reaching more than 2,500 participants from over 50 countries, and as National President of the Council of International Students Australia in 2020–21 led advocacy benefiting more than 550,000 students.
The 2025 Melbourne Awards have recognised the individuals and organisations driving positive change across the city – celebrating leadership, creativity, and community spirit at Melbourne’s highest civic honour.
Held at Melbourne Town Hall on Saturday 15 November, the annual ceremony acknowledged excellence across eight categories that reflect the city’s diversity and progress: Aboriginal Melbourne – ganbu guljin, Access and Inclusion, Arts and Events, City Design, Community, Knowledge and Innovation, LGBTIQA+, and Sustainability.
The City of Melbourne thanks its event partners and supporters for helping to celebrate those shaping the city’s bright future.
