Indigenous entrepreneur Tara Croker has been recognised on the global stage with one of the top gongs at the 2025 Women Changing the World Awards.

The Proud Wiradjuri woman was the Silver Award winner for the category First Nations Leadership at a ceremony held in London on April 3.

The awards honour women who are driving meaningful change in areas such as sustainability, leadership, education, innovation, social impact, tech and health.

"This is an incredible global recognition of the work we're doing through Yaala Sparkling to celebrate and elevate Indigenous knowledge, leadership, and innovation," Ms Croker said.

"It means so much to be recognised alongside such inspiring women from around the world.

"For me, this award represents the growing momentum behind First Nations businesses and the importance of creating space for our voices and stories to lead change.

"I was incredibly proud to be named alongside such a remarkable group of women who are driving change and doing extraordinary things across the globe."

Ms Croker, who started Yaala Sparkling with her mum, Mel Davey, in early 2023 to increase First Nations representation in the industry, had advice for other women who wanted to start up a business.

"Back yourself even when the path feels uncertain," she said.

"The business journey always easy, but your passion and persistence are powerful tools for creating meaningful impact."

It has a been a whirlwind couple of years for the First Nations-owned business that produces alcohol-free drinks infused with native botanicals

Shortly after the Yaala Sparkling was launched, Ms Croker used all her savvy marketing skills to land a spot on the TV show Shark Tank.

The Sydney-based company ended up getting a $125,000 investment from businesswoman and Shark Tank judge Dr Catriona Wallace.

Since the television exposure, the business has picked up a swag of gongs including the First Nations Business of the Year award at the 2024 SHE-com awards.

Ms Croker told the National Indigenous Times in February, she started the company after discovering less than two per cent of businesses in the native food sector were Indigenous-owned.

"I think it surprises people to learn that despite the knowledge of using these plants coming from our people, we actually only makeup two per cent ownership of the entire native food supply chain," she said.

"And that just really didn't sit right with me because the knowledge of using these plants is coming from our people… but none of those economic benefits were returning to where that comes from.

"So that became my mission to increase that representation, so I worked closely with Indigenous wild harvesters, local farmers, and all the way down the supply chain and across the business with other mob where possible."