POWER 50 2025: Vicki Gordon (Australian Women In Music)

BACKGROUND CHECK:

A creative producer, cultural advocate, and founder of the Australian Women in Music Awards (AWMA), Vicki Gordon is an undeniable powerhouse of Australian music. With a career spanning three decades and boasting myriad roles – including those within the worlds of management, labels, and consultancy – Gordon is dedicated to crafting change. With initiatives that have included the Australian Women’s Rock Institute and a Human Rights Commendation for her contributions to the promotion of women’s rights in the Australian music industry, Gordon is a vital component in the efforts for change.

In 2018, she founded the Australian Women In Music Awards, and has since built it into a powerful, visible platform that not only celebrates outstanding women in music, but also sparks real conversations around inclusion, leadership, and systemic change. AWMA has since grown year on year, all the while spotlighting female, First Nations, and gender-diverse talent through awards, conferences, and networking opportunities. Along the way, Gordon has continued to push for progress, calling out industry imbalances and ultimately advocating for a music scene in which everyone has a seat at the table.

THE YEAR IN AUSTRALIAN MUSIC:

With a commitment to equality, inclusion, and cultural connection within the Australian music industry, Gordon’s continued efforts to make the local scene a more balanced and equitable environment are the very definition of admirable. With AWMA at the forefront of her efforts, its continual growth has been a testament to her work on these frontlines.

While the 2025 edition of the AWMAs united artists, First Nations leaders, and industry partners through the First Nations Women’s Music Showcase, Youth Music Showcase, National Conference, and Awards Concert in Meanjin/Brisbane, her leadership has also resulted in strong partnerships with ABC, APRA AMCOS, ARIA, and the Queensland Government.

At a time when equality is needed more than ever, and gender imbalances within the music industry continue to exist, Gordon’s efforts to level the playing field are not just welcome, but vital.

THE MUSIC SPEAKS:

Vicki Gordon is one of the industry’s most forthright and outspoken voices. With the most nominations in this year’s Power 50, her power is in her ability to not only put herself forward, but to inspire others to do the same. It’s not about her ability to speak (which is unquestioned), but her ability to create a movement that gives others the confidence to do so as well. 

The Australian Women In Music Awards is now a much-revered institution, with Gordon threading a needle of being able to create a program that gives accolades, while providing an important platform, not for the richest or most visible industry members, but for the ones that deserve the recognition. There’s an art to running an awards that HAVE winners, without being ABOUT the winners and anybody who has been in the room at an AWMAs (or been touched by the halo of media and chatter around them) will understand the magic of the event. 

The AWMAs is now much more than a single night. Gordon has created a movement that’s both constructive and positive, showing a mature way forward for betterment rather than cancellation, while not allowing backsliding for an industry that unfortunately still needs a watchful eye.