Special Reports

ASKING guests to enter a black-tie dinner function through the loading dock was a sure sign the 2010 WA Business News 40under40 awards would continue a tradition of innovation.

Political reality has put an end to a brief period of cooperation between Colin Barnett and Kevin Rudd.

A flurry of high level moves in the Perth legal market leaves the profession asking what the future holds.

THE hive of recent activity in the Western Australian legal market has been added to by the arrival of Norton Rose and Allen & Overy.

THE devil is in the detail of Kerry Stokes’ shock plan to turn a conventional media business into a diversified media and mining services group.

LAST month, my column focused on some of the old-world grape varieties starting to gain favour with Australian winemakers and consumers.

AN influx of new feature film and television productions in Western Australia has prompted one local producer to claim that Perth could become the next Hollywood.

WHEN the global financial crisis hit less than a year after listed property developer Peet had paid $300 million for a 243-hectare land parcel at the northern fringe of Perth, many questioned the wisdom of that purchase.

Property developers are doing it tough as banks keep the sector on their watch lists.

WITH talk of a national economic recovery thanks largely to Western Australia's resources industry, it is perhaps to be expected that those in the state's fashion business are seeing the benefits on their own spreadsheets.

Kerry Stokes’ planned merger of the Seven Network with his giant WesTrac mining services arm is designed to make it the first choice of investors wanting low-risk direct exposure to the China story.

India holds a special attraction for Reg Howard-Smith.

Increased corporate confidence has brought a resurgence in business travel.

APPROVALS for property developments remain a major issue to the sector, which believes the delays caused by bureaucracy and regulatory hurdles are a huge financial burden.

The 2010 1st Amongst Equals winner has built a successful brand by taking a different approach than her competitors.

40 Under 40 winners

ANYONE who has started a business knows how tough it can be, even when the product sells itself and people are queuing around the block to become clients.

WHEN I first chaired the judging for the WA Business News 40under40 Awards in its inaugural year, 2002, the prevailing view was that we would struggle to find a constant supply of talent to match the nominees and winners of that first year.

IN 2005, recognising a gap in the worldwide market for safety gloves, 1st Amongst Equals finalist Damione Wright established Ironclad gloves through his Carlisle-based business, Wrights HardWear.

A TWENTY year old with no formal qualifications and only a handful of low-level administrative-type roles might not sound like a pedigree for business success, but for Rory Vassallo, short-listed for the 1st Amongst Equals award, it was more than enough t

THE global financial crisis was a tough time for most businesses, none more so than sporting clubs that discovered the risks of choosing the wrong sponsor.

“THE dream begins in Perth” is the in-house motto for organisers of the Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships, with 1,500 competitors expected for the Olympic qualifying event.

WA’s major sporting franchises remain bullish about the year ahead after mixed performances in 2009.

It’s not just the collapse of agribusiness schemes in the southern tip of WA that is affecting the region.

WA farmers are playing catch-up in canola while the rest of their sector remains GM free.

PYTHONESQUE humour might have had the managed investment scheme sector crying out “I’m not dead, yet”, but there really is life in the industry despite the dramatic and near-terminal events of 2009.

MINING was the one industry Jyn Sim Baker was determined to avoid

IT’S not a profession that boasts a large number of women, but for those working in the stockbroking sector, gender is irrelevant to what they do.

As WA returns to boom conditions, attracting and retaining female talent may be critical.

WHY would a child immunology PhD graduate and recipient of a rarely awarded scholarship cease their medical science research to pursue a career as a gourmet food and wine provedore and restaurateur?

DURING the past decade, the traditionally male-dominated advertising and marketing industries have undergone a gender shift at the top, with more women filling senior decision-making positions.

In most professions being a woman at the top is a rare occurrence, but it seems medicine is different.