Congratulations to two of The Weekly’s Women of the Future contenders that have been nominated as finalists for the 2016 NSW Young Australian of the Year Award.
2014 Women of the Future Winner, Laura O’Reilly is the CEO of Fighting Chance – a company working with adults with severe and profound disabilities that limit their life quality, to provide both social and employment opportunities.
Melissa Abu-Gazaleh founded the Top Blokes Foundation in 2006 and today, with eight staff, it reaches 1100 young men each year to address issues such as mental health, suicide, gender equality, alcohol abuse and the effects of pornography.
Nipuni Wijewickrema – who has been nominated for the 2016 ACT Young Australian of the Year award – is a self-proclaimed “regular 22-year-old who is trying to change the world, one flower at a time”. Nipuni established GG’s Flowers out of concern that her younger sister, Gayana – a 16-year- old with Down Syndrome – would not be able to find employment after finishing school. A family-run business, GG’s Flowers now provides employment opportunities for people with special needs in Canberra.
L-R: Laura O’Reilly, Nipuni Wijewickrema and Melissa Abu-Gazaleh.
Women of the Future is an annual award that celebrates talent and entrepreneurship.
This year, our finalists were announced at a dinner at the NSW Art Gallery that was attended by politicians, celebrities and the nation’s top business leaders. Guest speakers on the evening included Peta Credlin, the former Chief of Staff to Tony Abbott, Jesinta Campbell and Annabel Crabb.
The winner of NSW Young Australian of the Year, along with NSW Australian of the Year, Senior Australian of the Year and Local Hero Award recipients will be announced on Monday 16 November at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney.
Entries will open in early-2016 if you would like to nominate yourself or someone else to be a 2016 Women of the Future.
