Winning ways at Women in Industry Awards 2024

The Women in Industry Awards filled the Doltone House Hyde Park Ballroom in late June. Do you know who won?
Image: Prime Creative Media

The Women in Industry Awards filled the Doltone House Hyde Park Ballroom in late June. Do you know who won?

The Women in Industry Awards (WIIA) continues to celebrate the outstanding achievements of women in traditionally male-dominated industrial sectors such as mining, manufacturing, engineering and transport & logistics.

The Awards hope to highlight these industries as great career choices for other women by acknowledging these success stories. In 2024, the 11th annual Awards showcased exceptional examples of industry advocacy, mentorship and broad sector excellence.

Australian Mining, PACE Magazine, Manufacturers’ Monthly, MHD Supply Chain Solutions, Prime Mover, Power Torque, Big Rigs, Inside Construction, Waste Management Review, Rail Express, Roads & Infrastructure Australia, Energy Today, Quarry, Trailer Magazine, and Australian Bulk Handling Review have all partnered with the Awards to acknowledge the exceptional women who have achieved success through their invaluable leadership, innovation and commitment to their sector.

2024 Women in Industry Awards review

2024 saw a record 164 nominations across 11 categories. The gala dinner sold out again. Thirty-two individual media mastheads carried marketing about the Women in Industry Awards.

The judging panel struggled to narrow down the finalist shortlist and to decide the winners. In front of their peers across the country, ten category winners and the Woman of the Year were announced.

Full list of winners

Managing Director wins big

Health Focus Manufacturing (HFM) Managing Director Derelle Mitchell won both the Woman of the Year award (sponsored by Fulton Hogan) and the Excellence in Manufacturing Award (sponsored by PACCAR Australia). The Excellence in Manufacturing Awards seeks to recognise an individual who has thought ‘outside the box’ to implement an outstanding personal contribution to their manufacturing business and the broader manufacturing community.

Mitchell’s background in Account Management and Insurance and her study in Business Management empowered her to bring business acumen, communication skills, and meticulous attention to detail to HFM. She has built a world-class manufacturing facility, ensuring a hands-on approach, focusing on efficient processes and high-quality products while nurturing its partners.

MItchell’s drive to rekindle her career after raising her children led her to seize an opportunity to acquire the assets of a cosmetic manufacturing company in 2011, marking the humble beginning of HFM. Starting with a small team in a “big green shed”, HFM has grown over the past decade to accommodate more than 40 staff members with over 200 years of combined experience.

“I started this business from very humble beginnings,” she said. “The most enjoyable thing I get from my job is getting people jobs, and I love what I do. My husband sees what I’m putting into the business. It takes a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and sacrifices for work every day. I wake up every day at 4 o’clock in the morning, and I love it, especially the people I work with. I wouldn’t be sitting here right now if it wasn’t for them.”

Mentoring supports women in the industry

Having the right mentor or mentors when entering a male-dominated industry is vital for ongoing success. The Mentor of the Year award recognises an individual committed to developing female talent within their organisation or the wider industry.

This year’s winner is Kirstin Reblin, the General Manager of Transformation at Opal Packaging. She embodies the essence of Mentor of the Year through self-driven initiatives and unwavering advocacy for women at Opal. Kirstin has tirelessly fostered female talent at Opal across all functional areas, hierarchy levels, and sites, ensuring inclusivity and empowerment at every turn.

As an NAWO Mentor since 2020, Reblin has spearheaded expanding mentoring programs, including driving Opal’s NAWO Mentoring initiative and engaging senior leaders to participate as mentors. Her dedication to fostering diversity is evident in creating “Thinking Diversity: Women at Opal” in September 2022, a network boasting over 450 members in March 2024. Reblin has championed women’s development through structured catch-ups and individual mentoring, as evidenced by heartfelt testimonials from several mentees and senior leaders.

“I’m so grateful to the Women in Industry Awards,” said Reblin. “When people ask me why I am spending so much time on mentoring, I always thought that doing this basic stuff got me energised by seeing women grow in male-dominated industries. I want to thank everybody who is here and nominated for this award because we are putting ourselves out there to be courageous and go above and beyond.”

Safety key to excellence

Health and safety are vital to an organisation’s successful and continued operations in many industries. As a result, acknowledging the Safety Advocacy Award winner recognises the best work in ensuring people’s safety. This award recognises an individual working actively to improve safety in their organisation and industry.

The winner in 2024 is Kathleen Kelly, a Health and Safety Advisor at McConnell Dowell. With a management background spanning construction, operations, human resources, OH&S, training, WorkCover claims, and injury management, Kelly is passionate about crafting and implementing health, safety, and well-being programs. Her expertise stems from diverse industries like construction, engineering, mining, rail, telecommunications, parks management, toll road networks, and council operations.

Kelly is driven by the goal of aiding employers and employees in achieving organisational objectives through effective programs. She is a contributor to the safety culture established for the New Bridgewater Bridge project in Bridgewater, Tasmania. Throughout her 22-year career in the construction industry, she has earned multiple accolades from projects and organisations alike for her dedication to cultivating a culture of safety excellence.

“I’ve been in the industry for a long time,” Kelly said. “Every single day, I get up at four o’clock in the morning and get to work at five. I love my job. I’ve been blessed with the industries and companies I’ve worked for. I work at McConnell Dowell, and I am proud to work with this company and its fantastic values.”

Transporting success

Getting things from point A to B efficiently and with minimal interruptions is central to high productivity. That’s why the Excellence in Transport Award (sponsored by Kenter Logistics) recognises an individual who has gone above and beyond to improve and positively impact the Australian transport industry.

Representing Swietelsky Rail Australia (SRA) is Anne Modderno. She is the first female Managing Director of any Swietelsky international subsidiaries. She spearheaded the development of the company’s Sustainability Strategy, reflecting her dedication to driving positive social and environmental impact.

SRA provides specialised track maintenance, including ballast cleaning, flash butt welding, resurfacing and rail maintenance services. Based in the Hunter Valley, the team works up and down the East Coast of Australia and across the country. With a dedicated focus and proven capability to deliver quality outcomes for its clients, combined with its fit-for-purpose plant and equipment and skilled team members, means SRA has become a trusted long-term partner within the rail industry.

Beyond her professional achievements, Modderno advocates for inclusivity and diversity within the transport sector, promoting initiatives to increase female participation and close the gender pay gap. Her contributions extend to industry publications, highlighting diversity, inclusion, well-being, and safety topics. She has demonstrated exceptional leadership, mentorship and program management skills throughout her career, successfully delivering large-scale maintenance and capital projects with a steadfast commitment to excellence.

“If you ask any of my staff, family or colleagues here tonight, they will tell you that I have no trouble speaking at all,” said a shaken Modderno. “But when I thought about coming up here and taking credit and being grateful for something I’ve done as an individual, I found it really uncomfortable and nerve-wracking. Then I realised that this is why we need awards like this. We need to get uncomfortable to talk about what we have achieved. We need to get comfortable about being uncomfortable because if we can’t project that, no one else will see it.”

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