Top business award for woman behind healthy troops
27 Sep 2011
The Navy officer responsible for the health of many of the nation’s defence personnel has been named the 2011 Telstra ACT Business Woman of the Year.
Dr Robyn Walker, Director-General of Health for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and of Health Capability for the Australian Defence Force (ADF), has been recognised for her service and widespread reforms to improve the health of our armed forces.
A medical practitioner and specialist in underwater and submarine medicine, she has also overseen the delivery of vital health and medical support to troops in Iraq, East Timor and the Solomon Islands.
In 2005, she led a post-tsunami humanitarian mission to Banda Acheh. The crisis was compounded further when a helicopter carrying health personnel crashed. Dr Walker held the Defence team together while it provided first aid and morgue facilities for colleagues involved in the crash and continued to help tsunami victims.
Dr Walker leads an organisation that delivers Defence health materiel to more than 100 facilities with an annual budget of up to $40 million.
The first woman to achieve the rank of Commodore, she was awarded an Order of Australia in 2010 for her exceptional service as a medical officer to the ADF. In December, she will take on the role of Surgeon- General and become the Navy’s first female Rear Admiral.
Dr Walker also won the White Pages Community and Government Award at the Telstra Business Women’s Awards presentation in Canberra today.
Kate McKenzie, Telstra Group Managing Director for Innovation, Products and Marketing and TBWA Ambassador, said: “Telstra established the Awards program in 1995 to celebrate the success of inspirational business women and provide motivation for others.
“The Awards judges were impressed with Dr Walker’s leadership style and understanding of the importance of engaging, communicating and being decisive. They recognised her development of a strategic plan for health services and her implementation of strong financial management so that the service is delivering within budget,” Ms McKenzie said.
Michelle Sherwood, Executive General Manager Strategic Marketing at Sensis Pty Ltd, said: “White Pages® is proud to be associated with an awards program that recognises the significant achievements of women, especially those who work in the Community and Government sector.
“Dr Walker is an inspirational role model for every woman who aspires to be the best in their profession,” Ms Sherwood said.
Barbara Reid, who has responsibility for 900 nurses and 135 doctors as Head of Surgery, Oral Health and Imaging at Canberra Hospital, won the Nokia Innovation Award.
The former nurse and midwife launched a new surgical assessment unit to help reduce waiting times and expedite the transfer of non-critically ill surgical patients in the hospital’s emergency department, which treats 60,000 patients a year.
The ACT winners proceed to the national finals of the Telstra Business Women’s Awards which will be announced in Melbourne on 18 November.
Winners of the 2011 Telstra ACT Business Women’s Awards are:
Telstra ACT Business Woman of the Year
Dr Robyn Walker Department of Defence, Canberra.
Commonwealth Bank Business Owner Award
Karen Nicholas Learning Options, Manuka.
When the training organisation she worked for went into voluntary administration, Karen Nicholas decided to open her own business. Learning Options offers more than 40 nationally accredited qualifications in management, business administration, leadership and project management for individuals, corporations and government. Many people who achieve qualifications through Learning Options have not been in a classroom for years.
Hudson Private and Corporate Sector Award
Janine Yokom Westpac, Belconnen.
Over the past five years, Janine Yokom has led Westpac’s Belconnen branch to perform in the top seven of the bank’s 650 national branches. The former nail technician, who switched to banking 14 years ago after a back injury, leads 11 staff and cites her influencing skills and strong business development drive as keys to achieving consistent strong results.
White Pages Community & Government Award
Dr Robyn Walker Department of Defence, Canberra.
Nokia Business Innovation Award
Barbara Reid ACT Government Health Directorate, Woden.
marie claire Young Business Women’s Award
Julie McKay UN Women Australia, Canberra.
As Executive Director for non-profit organisation UN Women Australia. 28-year-old Julie McKay aims to achieve gender equality for women globally. Recognising a need to diversify UN Women Australia’s income sources, Ms McKay launched a corporate partnerships strategy, working with corporate human resources departments. The strategy has increased her operational budget from $200,000 to more than $1 million.
More information on the Telstra Business Women’s Awards can be found at
www.telstrabusinesswomensawards.com
Media contacts:
Elizabeth Coad | 0404 644 848 | Lighthouse Communications Group
Karina Keisler | 0419 523 776 | Telstra
www.telstra.com.au/abouttelstra/media-centre/
Reference: 282/2011
Download press release
Telstra Business Women's Awards Network