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Mining and construction hospitality manager among Awards finalists

A Springwood woman who runs an industrial hospitality business at remote mine sites for ‘fly-in, fly-out’ workers is among 18 finalists for the 2011 Telstra Queensland Business Women’s Awards.

Fiona Berkin, Managing Director of Morris Corporation, is one of five finalists for the Hudson Private and Corporate Sector Award.

Ms Berkin is responsible for an Australian team of more than 1,000 employees who provide catering, laundry, bus-driving, and management of airport, accommodation and ground maintenance activities at mining and construction sites in Western Australia, Queensland, NSW, Tasmania and the Northern Territory.

Morris Corporation’s largest client is Fortescue Metal Group in the Pilbara where it provides up to 18,000 meals a day at three mine villages. Other clients include Rio Tinto, Xstrata and Woodside.

Ms Berkin said many of the projects are extremely remote, adding “sometimes the address supplied consists of two numbers, longitude and latitude.”

Ms Berkin began her hospitality management career at 17, later gaining a Bachelor of International Business before joining Morris Corporation in 1997. She became General Manager in 2004 and since then annual turnover has risen from $11 million to $140 million.

Another finalist named today was Dr Dimity Dornan A.M., Managing Director of Hear and Say, a leading paediatric auditory-verbal business. She is one of five women in contention for the White Pages Community and Government Award.

Dr Dornan founded her business after coming across a crying boy who she could not console because he was deaf. Hear and Say, established in 1992, teaches deaf or hearing impaired children to listen and speak and aims for them to achieve speech and language in the typical range for their age by the time they are six years old.

Hear and Say assists 500 children and families every year across Queensland from centres in Auchenflower, the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba and Cairns. Dr Dornan also Chairs First Voice, an alliance of Australasian organisations that benefit children with hearing loss and their families.

Other finalists include Bravehearts founder Hetty Johnson, Jean Madden, founder and Managing Director of charity Street Swags, and Elena Gosse, a former Russian actress who is director of Brisbane chlorine generator exporter Australian Innovative Systems.

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.

Mark Steyn, CEO of Hudson Australia/New Zealand, said: “Hudson has been a proud sponsor of the Telstra Business Women's Awards for the past 10 years and it's a privilege to be associated with an event that showcases the excellent calibre and quality of talented women working across Australia.

“As Australia's leading provider of integrated talent solutions we consider it crucial to raise awareness about the imperative role that women play in the Australian workforce today.”

Winners of the 2011 Telstra Queensland Business Women’s Awards will be announced at a gala luncheon on 11 October in Brisbane. The winners share in $200,000 in cash and prizes and become part of an exclusive national business alumni.

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

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

Commonwealth Bank Business Owner Award

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Telstra Business Women's Awards Network

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