Philanthropists Enter Businesswomen’s Hall of Fame

Two philanthropic leaders have been named in the Australian Businesswomen’s Network (ABN) 2014 Hall of Fame as part of International Women’s Day.

The online Hall of Fame recognises the achievements of 17 female entrepreneurs from industries as diverse as food, finance, motorbikes and education.

Not for Profit leader Eve Mahlab AO, is described as a social and business entrepreneur, and is the co-founder and current Chairwoman of the Australian Women Donors Network, a small Not for Profit company that aims to alleviate the disadvantage experienced by women and girls. (She is the mother of Pro Bono Australia Founder Karen Mahlab).

The Network says Mahlab is a committed feminist, who has consistently used her credibility as a leading businesswoman for advocacy purposes.

Also named is Carol Schwartz AM, who is described as one of Australia’s most dynamic business leaders with a career now spanning over two decades. Having been nominated an “eminent business leader” by the Federal Government, she has conducted significant inquiries on its behalf.

She has chaired major government boards as well as chairing and participating in high level private company and listed company boards. Some of her current roles include being the Director of Stockland, the Director of Bank of Melbourne, Chair of Our Community and Chair of Women’s Leadership Institute Australia.

The Network says that by founding the Women’s Leadership Institute Australia, Schwartz was able to effectively deal with the alarmingly low number of women in leadership positions across the country.

Each year, the ABN Hall of Fame honours and celebrates Australian female business owners who have been exemplary in their industries, are trailblazers and demonstrate inspiring and aspiring business journeys.

“The ABN Hall of Fame recognises the notable achievements of Australia’s stand out female business owners. Across the board, female entrepreneurs don’t receive as much recognition as their corporate counterparts, not to mention their male peers,” ABN CEO Suzi Dafnis said.

“The women in our Hall of Fame this year were chosen because of their remarkable success and because they are all excellent role models to other aspiring female business owners,” she said.

“Of the two million people in Australia who own or operate a business, 33 per cent are women aged between 35 and 44, according to research from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. But the lower numbers don’t reflect the impact these businesses have on the country’s wealth. Sadly, we just don’t see public recognition of their success.

“The ABN Hall of Fame has been running since 1998 and we never fail to find more than enough women to celebrate. It’s an important program to ensure these successful women are given a stage and honoured for their contribution to the economy and the business community,” said Dafnis.

The inductees of the 2014 ABN Hall of Fame are not all high profile businesswomen. Many are emerging entrepreneurs of small businesses or champions of the community sector.

The 2014 ABN Businesswomen's Hall of Fame inductees are:

• Maggie Beer, Maggie Beer Products
• Liz Davenport, Liz Davenport
• Dr Catriona Wallace, Fifth Quadrant
• Kristina Karlsson,  kikki.K
• Tammy May, MyBudget
• Barbara Etter, BEtter Consulting
• Lisa McGuigan, Lisa McGuigan Wines
• Saskia Havekes, Grandiflora
• Chandra Clements, One Legacy
• Helen Summers, Helen Summers Optometrist
• Eve Mahlab, Australian Women Donors Network
• Carol Schwartz, Trawalla Foundation
• Sam Sheppard, The Buildmore Group
• Viv White, Big Picture Education
• Sonja Cameron, Cameron’s Nursery
• Robbie Sefton, Sefton & Associates
• Christine Kris Macauley of Robbo’s Motorcycles

More information about the 2014 ABN Hall of Fame inductees can be found here.