Chief Economist and Statistician at the Australian Financial Security Authority (ASFA), River Paul has been named as the 2019 Telstra ACT Business Woman of the Year.
Telstra Marketing and Chief Brand Officer Jeremy Nicholas said Ms Paul has implemented solutions that have seen AFSA’s processes become “globally regarded as best practice”.
“She leads the way in providing human-centred solutions to issues including personal insolvency. A leader in her field, she strives to make the greatest positive impact she can and dares to work differently.”
Ms Paul provides insight about the economy of the future and works to educate and empower decision makers, both in households and businesses, aiming to give the power back to the public, allowing them to understand what to expect if things go wrong in the economy.
“As technology continues to transform our world, algorithms, data and analytics will continue to grow in importance,” Ms Paul said.
She established the statistics and economic analysis function in AFSA, which involved a rapid expansion of published statistics so information is open and easily accessible to the community.
Ms Paul also took out the ACT Public Sector and Academia Award, which recognises those who make an impact in education or the public service.
The Small Business Award was given to Catherine Smith, Director of Wholistic Financial Solutions, while the Medium and Large Business Award went to CEO of BAE Systems Australia, Gabrielle Costigan. The Emerging Leader Award was awarded to Fiona Grimmer, Marketing Manager at HorizonOne Recruitment.
Co-Founder and CEO of MissingSchool, Megan Gilmour was awarded the For Purpose and Social Enterprise Award. MissingSchool works to ensure sick children maintain connection with school and education. The organisation was founded in 2012 when Ms Gilmour and two other mothers came together after their children survived critical and life-threatening illnesses.
Mr Nicholas congratulated the ACT winners, and said they are “all inspiring examples of leaders challenging the status quo within and beyond their industries”.
“These winners are undoing traditional business practices by using their own unique approach to rewrite what it means to be successful,” Mr Nicholas said.
All State and Territory winners proceed to the national awards which will be announced in Sydney on Thursday 16 May.
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