17 November 2010

South Australians won three of the six 2010 Telstra Australian Business Women’s Awards announced in Melbourne last week.

The owner of SA’s largest traffic engineering consultancy, the first woman to be Professor of Physics at the University of Adelaide and a cheesemaker who has led the growth of the industry in SA were named as winners of the Awards.

It is the best ever result by South Australian women in the history of the prestigious Awards that recognise the achievements of outstanding business women:

- Melissa Mellen, director and owner of Murray F. Young & Associates (MFR) of Fullarton, won the Commonwealth Bank Business Owner Award;

- Professor Tanya Monro, founder and director of the Institute for Photonics & Advanced Sensing at the University of Adelaide, won the White Pages Community and Government Award – 24 hours after being named the SA Australian of the Year 2011.

- Kris Lloyd, manager and head cheesemaker of Woodside Cheese Wrights and a director of SA’s annual industry CheeseFest event, won the Nokia Business Innovation Award.

Telstra Chief Marketing Officer and Telstra Business Women’s Awards Ambassador Kate McKenzie said the business nous, leadership capabilities and career achievements of the three SA women made them outstanding winners of the Awards.

Melissa Mellen, a chartered professional engineer, worked for Murray F. Young & Associates for a decade before buying the business in 2003. Under her leadership, the business has expanded to provide advice to private and government clients on about 400 traffic engineering projects a year throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Melissa’s company has provided advice to airport redevelopments in Adelaide, Brisbane and Auckland and Awards judges said that she was highly regarded as an expert witness on traffic engineering matters.

Karen James, general manager affiliate business banking, Commonwealth Bank, said: “It is our pleasure to be sponsoring this award because it is a precious moment.

“Commonwealth Bank’s support of these awards and our commitment to our Women in Focus program is all affirmed by these shared moments. We congratulate Melissa Mellen and wish her all the best. She is an inspiration to the next generation of women aspiring to achieve the same success in their own businesses,” she said.

Professor Tanya Munro is recognised in the international scientific community for breakthroughs in optical fibre research. She has generated more than $65 million in research funding for the Institute for Photonics & Advanced Sensing (IPAS) which brings together a multi-disciplinary team of 130 physicists, chemists and biologists to research sensing technologies.

Awards judges said Professor Monro - joint winner of the South Australian Scientist of the Year award in 2010 – is “a dynamic scientist with business skills and infectious energy who had built a sustainable business model for an innovative academic enterprise”.

Michelle Sherwood, GM Marketing, Sensis, said it was terrific to be involved in a program that recognised and celebrated the passion and achievements of women in their workplace, especially in the Community and Government sector.
“Through their dedication and pursuit of excellence, they provide strong and positive role models for our next generation of leaders. Tanya Monro has inspired and impressed me with her leadership qualities and achievements in the international scientific community. The amount of research funding she has generated is remarkable,” Ms Sherwood said.

Kris Lloyd took over Woodside Cheese Wrights in 1999 focusing first on the business fundamentals before turning her hand to learning the craft. She has produced many award-winning cheeses and pioneered a range of seasonal cheeses.

Kris, who says “cheesemaking has no boundaries and allows an individual to experiment and be creative,” formed Cheese SA, a peak body that raises awareness for her industry and established a cheesemaking training course through TAFE.

Judges said innovation was central to Kris’s business success in product development, packaging and marketing.

Tracy Postill, Nokia’s Communication Manager said it was an honour and a privilege to be involved with these awards for the third year running.

“Over the years we have met some remarkable women who have shown true grit and determination to succeed in their chosen field and Kris Lloyd is no exception. We hope that Kris’s story and accomplishments will spur others to follow in her footsteps and fulfill their dreams,” she said.

Winners of the Telstra Business Women’s Awards will receive a share of $200,000 in cash and prizes and become part of an exclusive national business alumni.