Queensland Entrepreneurs Honoured
27 August 2012 at 11:44 am
Queensland’s top entrepreneurs have been acknowledged at the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Central region awards ceremony in Brisbane.
Ernst & Young Brisbane Office Managing Partner, Jenny Parker said this year’s Queensland region winners demonstrated the high calibre of entrepreneurial talent that the State had to offer.
“Entrepreneurs play a vital role in creating jobs, boosting economies and improving communities, both locally and at a national and global level,” Parker said.
Minister for Science, Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts, Ros Bates, said the Northern region winners highlighted the high standard of entrepreneurship in Queensland.
“Entrepreneurship is vital to economic growth, providing a competitive edge to our industries and companies in global markets which are increasingly dominated by low labour cost economies,” Bates said.
The overall Australian winner will then go on to compete in the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of The Year awards in Monte Carlo next year.
2012 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year category winners, Northern region:
Category: Emerging
Brendon Levenson – Jetts
In 2007, Brendon Levenson launched a fitness club concept that revolutionised the Australian gym landscape. His no frills, 24/7 club model took an opposite end approach to the traditional gym model, turning the conventional thinking of the industry on its head. Jetts Fitness is now the largest operator of fitness clubs in Australasia with over 165 clubs, servicing 160,000 members.
Category: Industry
Phillip Di Bella – Di Bella Coffee
Phillip Di Bella is the owner and founder of Australia’s largest and most awarded specialty coffee company. In just 10 years, Phillip turned minimal capital into a thriving enterprise and a leader in one of the most competitive and saturated environments. The company has recently expanded into Asian markets, with offices in India and Shanghai.
Category: Services
Gary Gardner – FK Gardner & Sons
Gary Gardner has been at the helm of FK Gardner & Sons (FKG) for over 36 years. Modest beginnings in construction saw the business expand over two decades, and eight years ago Gary seized the opportunity to move into the civil construction arena. FKG has a number of divisions, with construction, civil, plant hire, commercial development, farming and camp services rounding out the organisation’s Queensland-based operations.
Category: Technology
Janine Garrett – charmHealth
Drawing on her experience as a clinical pharmacist, in 2000 Janine Garrett started developing software for the health industry. charmHealth is a market leader in clinical software, which is used by clients in hospitals and private practice to improve patient care and safety. A consulting team helps with implementing software and business analysis. More than 50,000 cancer patient treatment episodes per year are managed by charmHealth.
Also recognised as a non-competitive award recipient:
Thérèse Rein – Ingeus and Assure Programs
Thérèse Rein is the Founder and Managing Director of Ingeus, an Australian company operating from more than 150 locations across the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, South Korea, Poland, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Australia and New Zealand. Ingeus has provided employment services since 1989 and today assists more than 100,000 socially and financially excluded people into independence every year through their journey into suitable, sustained employment.
In addition to her work with Ingeus and Assure Programs, Thérèse also plays an active role in her patronages for a number of organisations which support people with a disability and their carers. In 2010, Thérèse was awarded the Australian Human Rights Medal for her ongoing work in improving the lives of people with a disability.
