Mission Australia State manager Anne Russell-Brown has been named the 2004 Telstra Western Australia Business Woman of the Year.
Ms Russell-Brown was named out of 24 finalists from various fields around the State for her work with Mission Australia’s Employment and Community Services in both metropolitan and regional areas.
During her six years with Mission Australia, Ms Russell-Brown has been instrumental in growing the organisation to 260 staff and from an annual turnover of $8 million in 1998-99 to $15 million 2003-04.
She also extended Mission Australia’s coverage from 13 locations in 1998 to 23 locations in 2003.
Ms Russell-Brown also won the Hudson Community and Government Award, which is awarded to employees of government, statutory bodies or not-for-profit organisations.
Brookton Shire councillor Cathryn Wood, who is also the owner of Stumpy’s Gateway Roadhouse in Brookton, was awarded the Westpac Group Business Owner Award.
Kimberley Diamond Company engineering superintendent Danielle Turley of Derby won the Australian Government Private and Corporate Sector Award.
Sands Pharmacy proprietor Josephine Rose Jennings won the Panasonic Young Business Women’s Award for women aged 30 years or younger.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Telstra Business Women’s Awards, which recognises successful Australian business women across all levels of business.
Austereo general manager Linda Wayman, who was 2003 WA Business Woman of the Year, said the awards bestowed the responsibility on the winners to pave the way for other women in business.
This year more than 2,600 women were nominated for the awards, up 20 per cent on the previous year.
The category winners will travel to Melbourne on October 23 to represent WA at the National Telstra Business Women’s Awards.
National winners share in a prize pool of $200,000.
