Women in Industry Award finalists announced

The contributions of women to major industries in Australia will be celebrated through the Women in Industry Awards 2021, to be held on Thursday 7 April 2022 at Arts Centre Melbourne.

The Awards recognises and rewards the achievements of women working within the mining, engineering, manufacturing, process control industries and commercial road transport industries, and aims to raise the profile of women within industry, as well as promote and encourage excellence.

Winners are chosen across 10 categories: Excellence in Engineering, Excellence in Transport, Excellence in Manufacturing, Excellence in Mining, Mentor of the Year, Safety Advocacy Award, Industry Advocacy Award, Business Development Success of the Year, Rising Star of the Year and Social Leader of the Year.

Women in Industry has also introduced a special category, Woman of the Year, which is sponsored by ifm. All category winners are automatically finalists for the Woman of the Year category.

Rachael Ashfield, winner of Business Development Success of the Year in the 2020 Awards and the Women in Industry Ambassador this year, congratulates the finalists.

“Women bring alternative viewpoints and experiences to a business which often fosters creativity and change. Yet the career pathway for women can be quite challenging, especially in an industry that is not highly represented by women. The Women in Industry Awards give women an opportunity to highlight key aspects and career defining moments of their many years of success and dedication,” says Ashfield, Marketing Manager at ifm.

“ifm Australia is extremely proud to be a major sponsor of the Women in Industry Awards for 2021. We feel the importance is not only nominating but participation by openly discussing and celebrating all women in industry.”

While Weir Minerals, Komatsu Mining and ifm are new sponsors on the Women in Industry 2021, long-term partners Atlas Copco, BOC and BAE Systems have all come back this year as sponsors.

Komatsu is sponsoring the Social Leader of the Year category, recognising an individual who has significantly affected positive change within their local or regional community. In regions across the globe, Komatsu continues to provide products and solutions which address social needs and give back to communities where they do business by leveraging skills and passion of their people.

Weir Minerals, sponsor of the Excellence in Mining category, is a global leader in the provision of mill circuit technology and services, as well as in slurry handling equipment and associated aftermarket support for abrasive high wear applications. Its differentiated technology is used in mining, oil and gas and general industrial markets around the world.

“We are very excited and proud to be supporting the Women in Industry’s Excellence in Mining category, highlighting inspirational female leaders, pioneering initiatives and exceptional talent of today and tomorrow,” says Melissa Davison, Regional Strategy Director APAC at Weir Minerals.

BOC has been supporting the Women in Industry awards for the past seven years. The company is dedicated to fostering and recognising excellence across the industrials sector and is committed to industry safety, sponsoring the Safety Advocacy Award.

Internally, BOC supports its employees to achieve success, with several members of its staff recognised as finalists and winners of the Women in Industry Awards in recent years.

Atlas Copco Compressors has also supported the program for a number of years, first sponsoring in 2016. As a global company, they are committed to maintaining diversity within their business. Atlas Copco believe diversity is a critical driver of success and leads to unstoppable innovation.

“Atlas Copco sponsors the Women in Industry Awards as a part of our specific strategy to address diversity in our business and within the broader industry in which we operate,” says Fiona Halliday, Human Resources Business Partner at Atlas Copco. “For us, it shows we are not just serious about our commitment to celebrating the diversity, but also set ourselves Group wide diversity targets such as having 30 per cent of females in our organisation by 2030.”

The Rising Star of the Year Award, sponsored by Atlas Copco, recognises some of industry’s up-and-comers and future talent that are making a difference already.

Atlas Copco and BOC are joined by BAE Systems, which has renewed their sponsorship for a consecutive year. As one of the world’s largest security, defence and aerospace companies, BAE Systems has one of Australia’s largest teams of engineers and as such, sponsors the Excellence in Engineering award.

“The Women in Industry Awards provide a unique platform to recognise and celebrate the achievements of women in engineering in Australia. BAE Systems is committed to progressing women and addressing gender diversity and balance in the industry,” says Kirsty Bateman, BAE Systems Director, Engineering Capability.

This year’s candidates have been shortlisted from among 83 total nominations. Since the 2020 Awards ceremony was held online due to COVID-19 restrictions, all of last year’s winners are invited to attend this year’s ceremony – which will be held in the Arts Centre in Melbourne on Thursday 19 August.

Below is a full list of finalists for the 2021 Women in Industry Awards.

Social Leader of the Year

Proudly sponsored by Komatsu

Finalists:

Anne Williams – Plant Operations Manager Rail, John Holland
Jane Tiller – Ethical, Legal & Social Advisor, Monash University
Jo Withford – Senior Project Engineer, Transport for NSW
Penelope Twemlow – Director, KPMG
Pranjal Pawar – Project Manager, Development Victoria

Rising Star of the Year

Proudly sponsored by Atlas Copco

Finalists:

Deanne Heier – Product Performance Specialist, Norkse Skog
Isabella Freeman – Project Manager, RoadTek / Department of Transport and Main Roads, QLD
Kirstie Looke – Crude Scheduler, Viva Energy Australia
Louisa Jansen – Site Engineer, Fulton Hogan
Monique Yap – Graduate Engineer, Weir Minerals

Business Development Success of the Year

Finalists:

Katherine Walton – Cyclone Specialist, Weir Minerals
Kylie Hollonds – Managing Director, GF Oats Australia
Lacey Webb – Founder & Director, Resource Hub
Louise Johnson – Scientific Specialist, BOC
Puneeta Chellaramani – Director, KPMG Australia

Industry Advocacy Award

Finalists:

Gina Rinehart – Executive Chairman, Hancock Prospecting
Hermione Parsons – Director, Centre for Supply Chain and Logistics, Deakin University
Jo Sainsbury – Director, Kickass Women
Kylie Ward – Asia Pacific HR Director, Stantec
Megan McCracken – Chair, NAWO

Safety Advocacy Award

Proudly sponsored by BOC

Finalists:

Ainsley Fish – Project Systems Representative, RoadTek / Department of Transport and Main Roads, QLD
Grace Kube – Graduate Process Engineer, Norske Skog
Merry Manton – Board Member, Transport Women Australia Limited
Sabrina Sequeria – Project Engineer, Lighting Protection International
Stephanie O’Dwyer – Manger Health, Wellbeing and Innovation, BlueScope Steel

Mentor of the Year

Finalists:

Angela Wiggins – Chief Counsel, BAE Systems Australia
Christine Morris – Director Strategy & Performance, Komatsu Mining
Kylie Fraser – President of Consumer & Healthcare Group, Linfox
Larissa Rose – Director Consultant, Glowing Green Australia
Lidia Trehane – Software Engineering Manager, Bosch Australia

Excellence in Manufacturing

Finalists:

Cori Stewart – CEO, ARM Hub
Heidi Bergman – Director, Manufacturing Sciences & Technology, Seqirus
Julie Jones – General Counsel and Company Secretary, Matrix Composites and Engineering Ltd
Noelle Parlier – Chief Engineer, PACCAR Australia
Sabrina Sequeria – Project Engineer, Lighting Protection International
Shay Chalmers – Director, Strategic Engineering Australia Pty Ltd

Excellence in Mining

Proudly sponsored by Weir Minerals

Finalists:

Carly O’Loughlan – Director, Ore Contracting WA Pty Ltd
Carrie Heaven – Superintendent Mine Services, Glencore
Christine Morris – Director Strategy & Performance, Komatsu Mining

Excellence in Engineering

Proudly sponsored by BAE Systems Australia

Finalists:

Amelinda Ilardi – Project Manager, ANCA
Ashleigh Fulcher – Mechanical Engineer, Viva Energy Australia
Bronwyn Evans – CEO, Engineers Australia
Narelle Dobson – Director Special Projects, Department of Transport and Main Roads, QLD
Rachel Barrett – Senior Verification and Validation Engineer, Bosch Australia

Excellence in Transport

Finalists:

Catherine Baxter – Chief Operating Officer, Metro Trains
Heather Jones – Director, Pilbara Heavy Haulage Girls
Kirstyn Glass – Rail Operations Consultant, Trapeze Group Asia Pacific
Merry Manton – Board Member, Transport Women Australia Limited
Penny Ford – Executive Director (Transport Planning Services), Department of Transport and Main Roads, QLD

The Awards will be held on Thursday 7 April 2022, 6:30pm-late at Arts Centre Melbourne. To get your tickets, click here.