Telstra Business Women's Awards

A champion for women and indigenous communities whose welfare service touches more than half of rural NSW has won a 2010 Telstra Business Award.

Sister Margaret Flynn, CEO of the catholic welfare organisation CentaCare Wilcannia-Forbes, was announced as the winner of the White Pages Community and Government Award at the sixteenth Telstra New South Wales Business Women’s Awards in Sydney.

Other winners at the Awards included the 2010 Telstra New South Wales Business Woman of the Year Danish-born entrepreneur Karin Adcock, who introduced the popular PANDORA collectible charm bracelet to Australia. Ms Adcock also won the Hudson Private and Corporate Sector Award.

Sr Margaret launched the service in 1996 with a budget of just $3000. Today she manages a budget of $16 million and CentaCare branches at Bourke, Forbes, Macquarie/Barwon, Narromine and Broken Hill, serving an area that covers 52 per cent of NSW. Of CentaCare’s 125 staff members, 85 per cent are women and 20 per cent are Indigenous.

A former school principal and family counsellor, Sr Margaret also worked as a Loreto Sister volunteering in soup kitchens, refugee centres and shelters for the homeless.

She also has a successful track record for lobbying government to provide funding for remote rural areas of the State.

Telstra Country Wide Western NSW Area General Manager, Darren Smith, said the leadership and achievements of Sr Margaret should provide inspiration for women throughout the State.

“As the founding CEO of CentreCare Wilcannia-Forbes, Sr Margaret has been responsible for the development of the business from its inception in 1996 – shaping its culture and ethos and responses to the needs of rural and remote communities, including Indigenous communities, across the western half of NSW,” Mr Smith said.

“Judges were impressed with the way she has fostered an environment of trust and integrity to build a strong leadership team that has a reputation for responsible business management and stable and professional structures.”

Michelle Sherwood, General Manager of Marketing White Pages, said she was pleased with the quality of finalists and congratulated Sr Margaret on winning the White Pages Community and Government Award.

“It’s terrific to be involved in a program that recognises and celebrates the passion and achievements of women in the workplace, especially in the Community and Government sector. As sponsor of the Community and Government category we are thrilled to be able to showcase the leadership, business acumen, passion and enthusiasm of women in the workplace,” Ms Sherwood said.
“Through their dedication and pursuit of excellence, they provide strong and positive role models for our next generation of leaders.”
The NSW winners proceed to the national finals of the 2010 Telstra Business Women’s  Awards which will be announced in Melbourne on 11 November. They will join an alumni of more  than 430 winners of the Telstra Business Women’s Awards since the program was launched in 1995.

Winners of the 2010 Telstra New South Wales Business Women’s Awards are:

Telstra New South Wales Business Woman of the Year
Karin Adcock, Pandora Jewelry, Warriewood. Securing the Australian distribution of international jewellery brand PANDORA in 2004, Karin Adcock has developed the company from the ground up. Starting from a garage in Avalon, Karin now runs a highly profitable business with 280 staff, 34 branded concept stores and 732 retail accounts in Australia and New Zealand. As Managing Director she is responsible for all aspects of the business, from future direction to sales, marketing, operations, human resources and finance. Many of the initiatives Karin and her team have launched in the Australian market are used worldwide in other PANDORA markets.

Commonwealth Bank Business Owner Award
Corinne Bot, Polyglot Group Pty Ltd, Glebe. As a part-time consultant, French-born Corinne Bot identified a niche in the human resources market while sourcing staff for French businesses in Australia. So in 1995 she established recruitment business Polyglot Group which provides customised multicultural and multilingual solutions to international companies investing in Australia and Australian companies expanding overseas. Ms Bot, an advisor for French Foreign Trade, has achieved average business growth of 30 per cent a year and expanded throughout Australia.

Hudson Private and Corporate Sector Award
Karin Adcock, Pandora Jewelry, Warriewood.

White Pages Community and Government Award
Margaret Flynn, CentaCare Wilcannia-Forbes, Forbes.

Nokia Business Innovation Award
Marnie Douglas, Ergoworks Physiotherapy and Consulting, Sydney. Marnie Douglas founded Ergoworks, a physiotherapy clinic at Circular Quay in 2003. After treating many patients with injuries related to poor ergonomic (workstation) setup, the physiotherapist expanded her business to include a national ergonomics consultancy that assists companies to manage staff wellbeing. Ms Douglas has developed an online workstation assessment tool, ErgoAssess, to determine the risk of injury for people using a computer and therefore minimise workplace injuries and absenteeism.

marie claire Young Business Women’s Award
Lauren Brown, Pulse Marketing Group, North Sydney. After five years as a marketing consultant at McDonald’s Australia and a short stint as marketing director for a food retailer, Lauren Brown established her own consultancy Pulse Marketing Group. The North Sydney business has grown to employ 14 staff, attract blue chip clients and win an international award for a TV campaign for Natural Gas. As Managing Director, Ms Brown developed a product that streamlines the preparation of tailored packages of marketing and creative requirements for small business clients.
Media contact:
Lighthouse Communications:                                        Telstra:
Craig Regan - Ph 02 9262 3868 or 0408 448 527                Darren Smith – Ph 0409 553 966
Further information on the Telstra Business Women’s Awards can be found at www.telstrabusinesswomensawards.com