TELSTRA GROUP LIMITED 
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Six women delivering tangible educational improvements in local communities and overseas are among 17 finalists for the 2013 Telstra New South Wales Business Women's Awards.
Pymble Ladies' College Principal Vicki Waters is a finalist for the Community and Government Award and has led a successful transformation of the school's culture and infrastructure. She has also developed a long-term strategic plan to future-proof the school for generations to come and gained global recognition for its boarding facilities.
Dr Dianne Jackson, CEO of Connect Child and Family Services, a not-for-profit organisation that delivers childhood education and intervention programs in Sydney's outer west and the Blue Mountains, and Julie Anne Mitchell, Director of Cardiovascular Health Programs for the National Heart Foundation of Australia, are also finalists.
Ms Mitchell developed Australia's first national five year women and heart disease program that increased awareness of heart disease in women from 20 to 39 per cent. Ms Mitchell says: "Passion to make a difference was something I inherited from my family who taught me that if you want change you have to be a part of it."
Women improving lives in overseas communities are also being recognised.
Susan Biggs is CEO of The ISIS Foundation, which provides education, health and other essential services in remote areas of Nepal and Uganda, and is a Community and Government Award finalist. Annabelle Chauncy, founder of School for Life Foundation which is building skills in the rural town of Katuuso in Uganda and teaching farmers to grow coffee and chilli crops to fund local schools, is a Business Innovation Award finalist.
Cherie Barber has educated more than 4,000 people on getting more value from their renovations. She started Renovating for Profit based on her own successes as a self-employed renovator when aged in her 30s and is one of five finalists in the Business Owner Award.
Regional New South Wales leaders are among the finalists. They include Anni Brownjohn, founder of The Right Food Group Pty Ltd in Murwillumbah, and Dr Jennifer Wray of Lighthouse Surgery in Narooma who are finalists in the Business Owner Award. Jeannine Biviano, Deputy Director General of the NSW Department of Trade and Investment in Orange is a finalist in the Community and Government Award.
Kate McKenzie, Group Managing Director Telstra Innovation, Products and Marketing and Ambassador of the Telstra Business Women's Awards, said the Awards celebrated the hard work and determination of business women in New South Wales.
"For 19 years we've run the Awards to inspire leading business women to realise their potential and celebrate their success. We believe the 2013 New South Wales finalists are entrepreneurs, innovators and managers who can inspire our nation and the following generation," Ms McKenzie said.
CommBank's Women in Focus program, which opens doors to opportunity for women across Australia, is an Official Partner of the Telstra Business Women's Awards.
Karen James, General Manager, Women in Focus and Affiliate Business Banking said: "Partnering with the Telstra Business Women's Awards for the fifth year is vital to our purpose. The Alumni inspire the womeninfocus.com.au community through speaking at our events, sharing their story and expertise online, and mentoring women in the community."
Winners of the 2013 Telstra New South Wales Business Women's Awards will be announced on Friday 18 October in Sydney. The New South Wales winners proceed to the national finals in Melbourne on Thursday 14 November.
For winners across Australia, the awards offer a share in $200,000 in cash and prizes.
Previous winners of the Telstra New South Wales Business Woman of the Year Award include Audette Exel, CEO of ISIS Asia Pacific, and Catherine Burn, Deputy Commissioner for Corporate Services of the NSW Police Force, who was also named the Telstra Australian Business Woman of the Year in 2011.
Finalists for the 2013 Telstra New South Wales Business Women's Awards are:
Cherie Barber, Renovating For Profit, Balmain
Anni Brownjohn, The Right Food Group Pty Ltd, Murwillumbah
Nahji Chu, Misschu, Darlinghust
Dr Catriona, Wallace Fifth Quadrant Group, North Sydney
Dr Jennifer Wray, Lighthouse Surgery, Narooma
Lisa Claes, ING DIRECT, Sydney
Dr Sarah Goldsmid, The Animal Referral Hospital, Homebush
Sarah Marshall, Lend Lease, Chatswood
Tessa Ogle, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Sydney
Susan Biggs, The ISIS Foundation, Rozelle
Jeannine Biviano, NSW Dept of Trade and Investment, Orange
Dr Dianne Jackson, Connect Child and Family Services, Hazelbrook
Julie Anne Mitchell, National Heart Foundation of Australia, East Sydney
Vicki Waters, Pymble Ladies' College, Pymble
Cherie Barber, Renovating For Profit, Balmain
Anni Brownjohn, The Right Food Group Pty Ltd, Murwillumbah
Annabelle Chauncy, School For Life Foundation, Sydney
Lisa Claes, ING DIRECT, Sydney
Annabelle Chauncy, School For Life Foundation, Sydney
Gina Lednyak, Lednyak & Associates Social Media Surry Hills
Zrinka Lovrencic, Great Place to Work Australia, Sydney
Tessa Ogle, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Sydney
More information can be found on the Telstra Business Women's Awards website.
Ingrid Just,
0477 355 600
media@team.telstra.com
Reference Number: 208/2013
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