Poolwerx wins accolades at the Australian Franchise Industry Awards

Poolwerx celebrated a successful night at the Franchise Industry Awards (FIA), taking home two major accolades, including Excellence in Franchise Innovation and Marketing Manager of the Year.

Poolwerx CEO Nic Brill says the innovation award highlights their leadership in scalable innovation, recognising systems and solutions designed to improve consistency, efficiency and performance across the entire network.

“Winning at the Franchise Industry Awards reflects the strength of our network and the dedication of our franchise partners,” he says.

“As one global family, our focus remains franchisee success and profitability. By investing in innovation that improves both client experience and franchise partner efficiency, we’re driving stronger outcomes across the network. This recognition from the FCA reflects the power of collaboration, innovation and a commitment to excellence.”

He says the Excellence in Franchise Innovation award was won for its Healthy Pool Plan (HPP), a solution developed to address the inefficiencies and inconsistencies of traditional paper-based pool inspections while creating greater value for clients.

Originally developed to digitise paper-based inspections, the Healthy Pool Plan (HPP) evolved into a full redesign of the technician and client experience. The AI-assisted, mobile-first platform enables real-time assessments, personalised reporting and on-the-spot recommendations from a single system.

By streamlining administration, improving consistency and delivering clear, actionable pool health insights, HPP enhances efficiency for franchise partners while strengthening client trust and engagement. It has since become a scalable benchmark for innovation within the network and is now being adopted internationally.

Marketing Manager of the Year

Poolwerx’s marketing strength was also in the spotlight, with Global Chief Marketing Officer, Nicola Votier taking home the title of Marketing Manager of the Year.

“Nicola was celebrated for delivering high-impact, integrated campaigns that strengthened brand awareness and generated strong lead pipelines across the franchise network,” says Brill.

Over the past 12 months, Nicola has led a series of integrated marketing initiatives that have delivered measurable commercial outcomes for franchise partners, including a 20 per cent increase in Early Buy program adoption, a five per cent uplift in retail average transaction value and overall retail sales growth exceeding 111 per cent year-on-year in 2024.

She helped build long-term capability across the network through scalable initiatives such as the Healthy Pool Plan and Campaign in a Box.

“We're incredibly proud to see Nicola recognised with this award. Nicola has been instrumental in elevating the Poolwerx brand while ensuring our marketing efforts deliver meaningful results for franchise partners. From driving record campaign performance to supporting innovation across the network, her leadership has had a measurable impact on our business,” says Brill.

Additionally, Phil Colburn was recognised as a finalist in the Field Manager of the Year category.

Image: Nicola Votier taking home the title of Marketing Manager of the Year. (Supplied, Poolwerx.)