Brisbane region’s female innovators, new leaders, creators, young achievers and those dedicated to the community were recognised at the 3rd annual Greater Brisbane women in Business Awards Gala Awards Lunch on Friday 21 September.
Forty-seven women and young students from across the region were recognised as Awardee of Merit with finalists selected and the winners announced at the Greater Brisbane Women in Business Awards Official gala Awards Ceremony and Lunch in front of more than 300 guests including the City’s most preeminent business leaders, politicians, past Award winners, media and captains of industry. Carla Wall of Construction Industry Solutions (COINS) was named the Greater Brisbane Woman in Business, Caitlin O’Loan of Cocom PR won the Business Achiever Award, Susie Longman from The Big Issue took home the Community Dedication and Social Justice Award, Megan LeLievre of EvacMate the Innovation and Technology Award, and Maddison Lawrence of Slick Azz Protective Coatings the Aspiring Young Business Women’s Award. Mahala Karen from Brisbane School of Distance Education won the Empowering Young Women’s Award, Rachelle Panitz of So Brave won the Creating Change Award, and Jade Cox of Aviation High School received the Rising Star Honour.
This year’s Greater Brisbane Woman in Business of the Year Carla Wall is the Managing Director of COINS Australia, a global enterprise resource management provider that generates annual revenues in excess of $71 million. Carla has more than 20 years experience in the software and construction industries and as a qualified accountant she has operated in positions at both a corporate and major project level, across the UK, Asia and Australia. Over the years, Carla has project managed and implemented many COINS instances and has the unique ability to work across different cultures and work environments. As Managing Director, Carla provides leadership and vision for COINS operations in Australia and assists with the development of long-range global plans. She also oversees regional development, customer account management, professional services, business process re-engineering, project management, consulting, support, pre-sales and training.
Awards Founder and Executive Director Karen Phillips said the awards provide a platform to showcase the broadness and depth of emerging business talent across the region as well as give the entrants the opportunity to reflect on their achievements and connect with like-minded innovators. “Whether you are a school student showing leadership qualities right through to a young entrepreneur breaking out of the traditional business model, the Awards give the individual and their business a unique profiling opportunity,” Karen said.
The annual awards feature more than $80,000 in prizes including a diamond pendant from My Jewellery Shop for each of the seven category winners. Finalists and winners also become part of Awards Alumni. The Brisbane awards include the regions of Logan City, Moreton Bay, Redlands, Ipswich, and Brisbane City.
The Greater Brisbane Women in Business Awards sought out the city’s outstanding and emerging female achievers through honouring exceptional and successful businesswomen, innovators and community achievers as well as aspiring young visionaries. With seven different categories, the annual awards encourage ambition, empower confidence and inspire new female leaders now and into the future while providing a unique platform for both personal and business growth and profiling.
Readers also enjoyed these Socials from the Women in Business Awards event.
