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Inspirational WA business women head to Awards finals

A young fitness professional who recovered from stroke symptoms to build a burgeoning health business in Perth is among 16 finalists for the 2011 Telstra Western Australian Business Women’s Awards.

Pippa Hutchinson launched her first pilates class in 2006 – for four students in a school hall – when pilates was very new to the fitness industry. A year later, at only 23, a blockage in her brain caused her to lose feeling in the left side of her body.

She refused to give up on her budding business and, after using pilates techniques to aid her recovery and hiring a consultant to help develop a new business plan, she returned to teaching pilates with renewed energy.

Today, with husband Clive, she oversees LIVe Pilates, a health and fitness business that operates almost 200 pilates classes from seven studios each week, 66 outdoor fitness classes at 12 locations and two physiotherapy clinics.

Ms Hutchinson, one of five finalists for the marie claire Young Business Women’s Award, is joined by inspirational business women from mining, stevedoring, health, Aboriginal services and other sectors.

Other finalists include archeologist Fiona Hook, founder of Archae-Aus, which provides cultural heritage impact assessments for mining and infrastructure projects, and Lisa Cunningham, CEO of the not-for-profit David Wirrpanda Foundation and career counsellor for the West Coast Eagles and the Fremantle Dockers AFL teams.

Finalists from the Community and Government sector include Catherine Stoddart, WA’s Chief Nurse and Midwifery Officer who is responsible for professional leadership of the State’s 12,000 public nurses, former corporate taxation adviser Mandy Mason who heads the LEARN Foundation for Autism and Lee-Anne Smith, founder and CEO of The Halo Leadership Development Agency for Aboriginal youth.

Kate McKenzie, Group Managing Director of Telstra Innovation, Products & Marketing and Telstra Business Women’s Awards Ambassador, said the Awards program celebrates the success of extraordinary women and is part of Telstra’s commitment to gender equality.

“For 17 years Telstra has shone the light on leaders in business who inspire, connect and achieve so much. Their achievements, leadership and entrepreneurial drive have impacts that go well beyond their workplace,” Ms McKenzie said.

Jackie Frank, founder of fashion magazine marie claire in 1995 said: “marie claire celebrates talented and inspiring women across Australia and we are proud of our continued support of them through the marie claire Young Business Women’s Award. Now in our third year, we look forward to meeting the 2011 entrants and being inspired by their stories and sharing their achievements with our readers,” Ms Frank said.

Winners of the 2011 Telstra Western Australian Business Women’s Awards will be announced at a gala luncheon on 20 September in Perth. The winners share in $200,000 in cash and prizes and become part of an exclusive national business alumni.

The Western Australian winners proceed to the national finals of the Telstra Business Women’s Awards that will be announced in Melbourne on 18 November.

Finalists for the 2011 Telstra Western Australian Business Women’s Awards are:

Commonwealth Bank Business Owner Award

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Telstra Business Women's Awards Network

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