20 Oct Reflections of a Finalist
Entrepreneur of the Year 2016 FINALIST | Telstra Business Women’s Awards
Friday night was a celebration of Queensland’s leading Business Women, and I was incredibly honoured to be standing amongst them. I never believed that this was a possibility, and after hearing from the awards organisers that they had received a record number of applications for the Entrepreneur category, I was even more amazed that I had made it to the final 3 selected for Queensland. The accomplishments of the two other women are truly extraordinary and I extend my sincere congratulation’s to Patrice Brown for taking out the Entrepreneur of the Year award and to Tanya Titman for becoming a fellow finalist. I’ve made new connections and formed new relationships through these awards, one of which is with Queensland’s newest Telstra Business Women of the Year, Tracey Vieria the CEO of Screen Queensland, who was handed the batten from last year’s winner Dr Catherine Ball.
I’m just so incredibly proud to have been recognised as a Finalist and that this award is a celebration of the achievements that I have made in my business.
But we all know that success isn’t achieved alone and without the incredibly talented people in my team none of this would have been possible. One person in particular that I’d like to thank is my dear friend and colleague Kathryn for coming along with me on the ride. Having her there beside me from the beginning has made all the difference.
Marsden Collective was formed just over 3 years ago. We’ve had an amazing journey to date and this year has been a total whirlwind; we grew from 4 to 10 staff in the space of 3 mths earlier this year. We’re working on projects all over Australia from our Brisbane base, with Global clients, creating International Airline Lounges, Workplaces of the Future, Hotels, Sports Training Facilities, Universities and Retail Lifestyle precincts… And all this snow balled off the back of being part of these awards in 2011…
At Marsden Collective we are influencing our industry by infusing Interior Design with Business Strategy. We work with corporate clients to understand their business, their strategic goals, their vision, mission and values, their people, how they work, communicate and the tools they need to do their job. We then wrap an environment around that, which supports them and enables their people and the business to perform at its peak.
We are passionate about what we do and love working with like-minded people.
I wanted to create a business that stood for something. I wanted people to love where they worked. That embraced what I valued and addressed a burning issue, not only in our industry but across so many. To create an environment that supports women in returning to work. We are a female dominated industry and far too much talent is lost due to women being unable to return to work, due to in-flexible working arrangements, lack of support and understanding.
Being at that awards ceremony on Friday night, standing amongst such an incredibly talented group of women is beyond words. It is the pat on the back that tells me that what I have been striving for is working and that the essence of the business that I have set out to create is amongst the best in Queensland and that is something that makes me feel so incredibly proud.
The Telstra Business Women’s awards are such a fantastic opportunity to showcase the talents of our female business leaders in Australia and I thank Telstra for continuing to host these awards.
I must also extend A HUGE thank you to Comm Bank and the Women in Focus team. This team are a catalyst for change and have influenced so many women’s lives for the better. In 2011 I was fortunate enough to be a finalist in 2 Categories at these awards, and following that Women In Focus invited me to join their 2012 Annual Conference in Noosa. That conference changed my life and set me on a new course that brings me to where I am today. I quit my job and set about creating a business that lived true to what I felt was important, I wanted everyone to love going to work everyday as much as I do.
I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me on this incredible journey and am so excited about the opportunities that await me off the back of these awards.
Thank you.