More than 150 leaders of industry and business joined digiDirect’s third and biggest-ever Golf Day in Sydney, helping raise $270,000 for charity.
The Australian consumer electronics retailer used the occasion to announce its restructure under The digiDirect Group banner, which brings together digiDirect, recently-acquired Booktopia, and other businesses – in health, assets & property and hospitality & lifestyle – owned by founder and CEO, Shant Kradjian.
The digiDirect Group also announced the formation of The digiDirect Foundation; the vehicle through which the organisation’s philanthropic contributions will be made to charities supported by Kradjian and his companies.
In line with this goal, The digiDirect Foundation dedicated $200,000 from the digiDirect Golf Day to its featured charity, the Cambodian Rural Students Trust, as well as a further $25,000 to Make-A-Wish Australia and $20,000 to Galstaun College – the school where Kradjian graduated.
digiDirect director of retail and logistics, Haig Kayserian, said, “This event has grown year-on-year and we accept great pride in bringing together digiDirect’s, and now Booktopia’s, partners in industry and business for what is an enjoyable day with immense networking value, made into an even greater occasion because of the generosity of participants to deliver for our joint moral purpose, which now has a common address at The digiDirect Foundation.”
Canon was the major sponsor for the third year running of the 2025 digiDirect Golf Day, joined by supporting sponsors Sony and Fujifilm, and hole sponsors including PwC, Nikon, Logitech, Panasonic, OM System, CR Kennedy, Lifestyle Brands, Videndum, Outdoor Sports Agencies (OSA), Blonde Robot, Leica, Mastex Corp, Booktopia and Pierge.
Sponsor representatives participated on the golf course and during the charity dinner, along with fellow suppliers and partners of digiDirect, including Zip, Synnex, Dell, Ingram Micro, Seagate, Dicker Data, Afterpay, Spruson & Ferguson, DJI, Harper Collins, Westpac, SJG Law, Maxxum, DStech, Penguin Random House, Wilkinson Butler, Particular Audience, Google, Salesforce, RQ Media, Protog, Feedops, Amazon and Ebay, among others.
The charity dinner to conclude the day’s proceedings began with director of Pierge Asset & Property Management, Sarah Panosian inviting former anchor at Networks Ten, Nine and SBS anchor, George Donikian, who served as Master of Ceremonies. Donikian announced the winning team and runners-up, as well as the victors of the “Nearest the Pin” novelty holes.
The digiDirect Group founder and CEO, Shant Kradjian told the gathered: “You have each helped us grow into The digiDirect Group, which includes digiDirect, Booktopia, and all my businesses in the sectors of assets & property, hospitality & lifestyle, and health.
“It is the culmination of this growth that has allowed me to fulfil a lifelong ambition by launching The digiDirect Foundation, which will help so many charities and causes that are no doubt close to all our hearts.”
The digiDirect Foundation chose to highlight the work of the Cambodia Rural Students Trust (CRST) as the Golf Day’s featured charity. Co-founder Aviv Palti and his team, including three of the charity’s success stories from Siem Reap, were on hand to deliver information about their considerable contributions, which centre around promoting dreamers in Cambodia from the ricefields to boardrooms harnessing the power of education.
“In 2013, my good friend Aviv Palti approached me about his work in Cambodia with the CRST,” Kradjian revealed in his remarks. “He encouraged me and a group of family and colleagues to make the trip and contribute on the ground by assisting in a program that planned to educate locals into dreaming beyond the ricefields they called home.
“I was forever inspired and grateful for the experience. It made me and everyone involved double down, with greater respect and contribution to charity. I remember thinking, if Aviv was doing all of this, I had to do more.”
Aviv Palti, his daughter and the catalyst for launching the family into charity work in Cambodia, Steph Palti, addressed the gathered at the digiDirect Golf Day dinner, as well as three students who are currently benefiting from the work of the CRST, and Annie Bedrosian, who is an Australian businesswoman that has made the pilgrimage to Siem Reap.
“Putting on this event is about all of us at The digiDirect Group mirroring the generosity and commitment to philanthropy of our founder and leader, Shant Kradjian, whose reflex is to share in any of his successes to support those in need,” added Kayserian, who revealed the logos for The digiDirect Group and The digiDirect Foundation.
“This would not have been possible without our partners and friends accepting to join their peers to support our goal of raising critical funds charities supported by The digiDirect Foundation, and it would not have been possible without our staff toiling away for months to ensure such a major endeavour delivered genuine outcomes,” he added.
In his remarks, Canon Australia’s General Manager, Aaron Berthelot explained that his company backed the event as its major sponsor for the third time running because “joining our friends in industry to support the charitable commitment of digiDirect and their founder Shant Kradjian was an honour and privilege for Canon”.
A total of $270,000 was raised among sponsors and individual donors, with an anonymous contribution of $100,000 from a supporter of the Cambodian Rural Students Trust and the live auction presided over by Lorenzo Giunti helping round up to the impressive total.
Director of Operations & Finance of The digiDirect Group, Sina Clayton, closed proceedings with a vote of thanks, highlighting the important contributions of Shant Kradjian and the sponsors to delivering such an outstanding outcome for the charities supported by The digiDirect Foundation.