Dr Jennifer Fitzgerald named 2016 Telstra Victorian Business Woman of the Year

Disability advocate and CEO of Scope (Aust), Dr Jennifer Fitzgerald has been named 2016 Telstra Victorian Business Woman of the Year at an event in Melbourne. Dr Fitzgerald is also the winner of the 2016 Telstra Victorian Business Women’s For Purpose and Social Enterprise Award.

Dr Jennifer Fitzgerald has worked in the health, aged care, community and disability sectors throughout her career, spanning 34 years. During that time, she has honed her leadership and managerial skills and developed a strong understanding of the political and policy environment.

In 2012, Jennifer was appointed CEO of Scope, an organisation supporting people with physical, intellectual and multiple disabilities and developmental delays. With a team of more than 1,500 staff across Victoria, Scope provides services such as therapy, supported living, respite, community inclusion and education to more than 6,000 people.

In her role, Jennifer is responsible for successfully leading Scope through a time of substantial change as the disability service sector moves choice and control from government and provider to the individual. Jennifer says that this shift will shape a consumer-driven marketplace over the coming months. In preparing the organisation for this, she developed Scope 2020, an organisation-wide project that will ensure all people, systems, services and practices are aligned with the industry changes.

Jennifer will join other State and Territory category winners in Melbourne for the National Awards judging, culminating in a glittering Gala Dinner on the night of Wednesday 16 November 2016. For information about the Awards and to purchase tickets to the Awards Dinners, please call 1800 817 536 between 9am and 7pm AEST Monday to Friday.

Other business women recognised at the 2016 Telstra Victorian Business Women’s Awards in Melbourne are:

Jacqueline Savage

2016 Telstra Victorian Business Women’s Entrepreneur Award winner

In 2013, Jacqueline Savage graduated from Swinburne University with a Bachelor of Product Design Engineering, specialising in Biomedical Engineering. She began working for Outerspace Design where she obtained invaluable experience and the confidence to establish her own venture, MedCorp Technologies in 2015.

MedCorp Technologies is an early-stage digital health company developing wearable technologies and devices for the healthcare industry. Recently, the company has successfully completed product trials of its core temperature-sensing platform: a wearable, non-invasive temperature monitoring system. The device is worn adjacent to the patient’s skin providing continual 24-hour wireless data extraction and feedback to healthcare professionals, enabling the early signs of infection to be detected in at-risk patients.

As founder and CEO of MedCorp Technologies, Jacqueline is responsible for the development and growth of the company, including raising capital, commercialisation of products, manufacturing and distribution.

Dr Rowan Brookes

2016 Telstra Victorian Business Women’s Public Sector and Academia Award winner

After leaving school at 15, Rowan Brookes was told that she would never accomplish anything with her life. She took it as a challenge and two decades later, she has re-written her life story from troubled teen to a successful academic and educator with a mission to inspire students.

As a mature student, she discovered a passion for learning which saw her earn a Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Science and a PhD. The real accomplishment, Rowan says, was discovering that she could light a fire in young people, something which has inspired her career.

As director of Education for the School of Biological Sciences and the course leader for the Bachelor of Science Advanced – Global Challenges at Monash University, Rowan seeks to transform the way STEM education is taught to prepare students for the challenges of tomorrow.

Diana Taylor

2016 Telstra Victorian Corporate and Private Award winner

Diana Taylor graduated from Deakin University with a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and achieved admission to the Supreme Court of Victoria in 2000. Following a successful career as a lawyer in firms and large corporate environments, in 2011 Diana became the executive director and regional manager for Victoria and Tasmania of the CT Management Group.

CT Management Group is a national management consultancy business with its head office based in Geelong. Services are provided across the areas of organisational development, financial management, asset management, service planning, project and contract management and professional placements.

Outside her professional role, Diana is also the first female president of the Melbourne Western Region Football League and in 2010 became a director of the Geelong Football Club. Diana also chairs the Geelong hospice and end of life care organisation Anam Cara House Geelong.

Anna Ross

2016 Telstra Victorian Young Business Woman of the Year

In 2009, Anna Ross founded Kester Black, a leading manicure and skincare brand built on beautiful design and uncompromising ethical values. Kester Black offers consumers sustainable, Australian-made, vegan, and cruelty-free beauty products. Anna is the sole proprietor and director of the start-up and is wholly responsible for the success of the business from strategy to execution.

An important aspect of her business is bringing the products to consumers who might otherwise be marginalised by the beauty industry, such as vegans and Muslim women. Devout Muslim women are unable to wear regular nail polish because of the washing involved in daily prayers however, Kester Black offers a water permeable nail polish, or ‘breathable polish’, which allows water vapours to pass through to the nail.

Anna is also dedicated to giving back to the community and is currently in a partnership with YGAP’s ‘Polished Man’ initiative to support ending violence against children. In addition, for every online sale, a dollar is donated to the customer’s choice of four partnered organisations.

Now in their 22nd year, the Telstra Business Women’s Awards are Australia’s longest running and most esteemed women’s awards program in Australia. They recognise and reward the courage, leadership and creativity of brilliant business women. Nominations for the Telstra Business Women’s Awards are open year-round. If you, or a brilliant business woman you know, deserve recognition, nominate today: https://www.telstrabusinesswomensawards.com/nominate/