Sydney businesswoman Christine Kininmonth has been named as the 2014 St.George Banking Group AusMumpreneur of the Year at a gala cocktail party in Melbourne on Saturday.
Christine, who is the founder and director of maternity and baby goods retailer Fertile Mind, took out the major award against nine other finalists who were vying for the title of Australia and New Zealand’s top business mum.
Mother of four Christine was presented with her award by naming sponsor St.George Bank’s Head of SME Chris Screen. Christine said she was excited to be named the 2014 St.George Banking Group AusMumpreneur of the Year against such a talented line up of finalists.
“There are women doing amazing things and I met so many over this weekend. I think that all of us have something to offer and I’m thrilled to be recognised in this group,” Christine said.
“Some of the best advice I could give is get advice, get mentoring and talk to women who have already been in business. If I could go back and do it differently I would have probably gone to more conferences to meet other women who’d done it before,” she said.
St.George Bank is keen to support Australian entrepreneurs like Christine and her fellow AusMumpreneur Award winners, Mr Screen said.
“Small business plays an important role in the Australian economy and women are playing an important role on the small business industry.
“Mums who are achieving outstanding business success should be recognised and that’s what the St George Banking Group AusMumpreneur Awards are all about,” he said.
This is the fifth year the AusMumpreneur Awards have run, with the business mum community growing at lightning speed as mothers look at opportunities to join the ranks of small business owners.
AusMumpreneur Network owners Peace Mitchell and Katy Garner said the awards show the passion of women who want to realise their entrepreneurial dreams as well as be great mums.
“Christine is a such a great ambassador for mumpreneurs. She is an outstanding role model for women in business and is living proof of what you can achieve when you put your mind to it,” Peace said.
There are 11 categories in the 2014 St.George Banking Group AusMumpreneur Awards, with three judged and eight open to public voting. Winners are as follows:
AusMumpreneur of the Year: Christine Kininmonth, Fertile Mind
Rising Star AusMumpreneur: Jackie Hall, Parental Stress
Emerging AusMumpreneur: Marlies Hobbs, Paleo Cafe
Customer Service Award: Sasha Deacon, Beau Hudson
Blog Award: Jo Whitton, Quirky Cooking
Eco-Friendly Award: Lynsey Nichols, Gilbert the Garbage Truck
Handmade Award: Lauren Harris, Tadah Patterns
Make a Difference Award: Jenine Dilts-Bayman, Mums with Bubs Fitness
Product Innovation Award: Kate Curtis, Nits in the Ditch
Service Business Award: Belinda Jennings, Mum Central
Retail Business Award: Caroline Africh, Attipas Shoes
The 2014 St.George Banking Group AusMumpreneur Awards were presented at a gala event on Saturday at Rydges Swanston, Melbourne, during the AusMumpreneur Conference.
For more information on the AusMumpreneur Awards visit: www.ausmumpreneur.com or contact Peace Mitchell on 0431 615 107 or info@ausmumpreneur.com
For more information about St.George Banking Group visit: www.stgeorge.com.au.
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