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MEDIA RELEASE: Friday 27 February 2009
Today, the judges of the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award released the names of the four amazing Australian finalists for the 2009 Award. They are:
The winner of the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award 2009 will be announced on March 11, 2009, by Her Excellency, Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO, Governor of New South Wales.
The Australian judging panel comprises a previous winner of the Award, Janet Holmes à Court AC; as well as The Honourable Justice Annabelle Bennett AO; Director of Marketing and Special Events for Consolidated Press Holdings, Deeta Colvin; Chairman, Future Fund Board of Guardians, David Murray AO; Director, Paspaley Pearls Group, Marilynne Paspaley AM; Managing Director of Moët Hennessy Australia, James Paton; and CEO of the Bennelong Group, Alison Watkins.
The Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award began in France in 1972 to commemorate Madame Clicquot, and to honour women who also possess her qualities of vision, innovation, entrepreneurial drive, leadership, individuality and tenacity. It is a global award given to a leading woman entrepreneur in 17 countries annually. 2009 is a landmark year, the fifth consecutive year of the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award in Australia, and 150 years since Veuve Clicquot was first shipped to Australian shores.
For further enquiries or information on the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award 2009, please contact:
Brooke Tabberer
BLACK Communications
Tel: 02 8399 3005, Mob: 0409 844 467
Email: brooke@blackcommunications.com.au
Mandy Foley-Quin – CEO, Stedmans Hospitality
Mandy Foley-Quin is the CEO of Stedmans Hospitality, a leading hospitality and staffing agency which she helped found in 1986 and now owns. The business was built around a unique idea, a one-stop shop assuming all responsibility for staff, superannuation and payroll for hospitality personnel on behalf of its clients. It revolutionized the hospitality industry and is now the model for many other similar businesses. Stedmans employs over 1,500 casuals annually, and Mandy is passionate about the training of young people. Her leadership has taken Stedmans offshore; Mandy and her team have worked with the Olympic Games in Sydney, Athens, Torino and Beijing. The business continues to evolve in new directions, with a division set up to service the payroll needs of the film and television industry and the recent establishment of a theatrical management agency.
Nicole Hollows – Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Macarthur Coal
Nicole Hollows was just 35 when she was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Macarthur Coal, a top 150 ASX listed coal mining company with a turnover in excess of AUD$400 million, and was 36 when she was appointed Chief Executive and Managing Director. Macarthur Coal is based in Queensland and is the largest low volatile PCI coal exporter in the world. Under Nicole’s leadership, Macarthur Coal has made some brave moves that have paid off, in particular a strategic change in operations from contractor-based to owner-operator at its main mine. The business has also grown from 50 employees to over 300 employees and delivered strong profits in a challenging environment. It’s not the career that Nicole envisaged when she started out as a chartered accountant, but it’s one about which she is passionate. Nicole is President of the Queensland Resources Council and is a committed spokesperson for the industry, covering issues such as the management of environmental impacts and the development of clean coal technologies.
Elizabeth Lewis-Gray – Managing Director, Gekko Systems
Elizabeth Lewis-Gray is co-founder and Managing Director of Gekko Systems, a company which specializes in the design, development and distribution of innovative mineral processing equipment. Elizabeth began her career in stock-broking and strategic planning, and in the 1990s, identified an opening for a company which could provide environmentally improved and low-cost metallurgical solutions for the mining industry. She started Gekko with her husband in 1996 and raised venture capital in 1998. The business grew rapidly, moving from its home base in Avoca to Ballarat in early 1999. Gekko Systems’s success has led to international expansion, with offices established in Johannesburg in 2000 to service the increasingly important African market and in Vancouver in 2002 to service the North American market. The company has installed over 400 units in 40 countries worldwide and is now regarded as the leader in its field.
Naomi Simson – Founder and CEO, Red Balloon
Following a career as a corporate marketer with companies such as IBM, KPMG, Ansett and Apple, Naomi Simson decided to back her own marketing ideas. Naomi realized that the internet seemed to offer a way to create a truly scalable business, and she set out to build a brand online based on listening to customers and responding. With just an idea and persistence, Naomi launched Red Balloon in 2001 in the early days of the internet. redballoon.com.au has now been listed in the BRW fast lists for the passed 5 years and also named as the #1 website by Hitwise for half a decade. Red Balloon provides people with experiences they can share with one another, making a difference not only to families and friends but also workplaces across Australia and New Zealand. Red Balloon delivered 175,000 experience gifts last year and is well on its way to achieving its goal: to change gifting in Australia forever.