Meet all the finalists in our inspirational 2022 Woman of the Year Awards
From medical pioneers to teen music stars here are the SkyCity, The Advertiser and Sunday Mail Woman of the Year Awards finalists.
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From medical pioneers to arts luminaries and teen music stars to whistleblowers and sports sensations, here are the SkyCity, The Advertiser and Sunday Mail Woman of the Year Awards finalists across six categories.
From the winners of the Leader, Inspiration, Innovation, Rising Star, Community Champion and Hospitality Hero Awards, one incredible individual will be crowned our third Woman of the Year.
Professor Nicola Spurrier was last year’s worthy winner, following on from inaugural winner, Julie-Ann Finney, and the field this year is no less outstanding.
SkyCity, The Advertiser and Sunday Mail Woman of the Year Awards 2022 winners will be announced at a gala ceremony at the SkyCity Ballroom on Monday, March 7.
The winners will be revealed at advertiser.com.au and in The Advertiser on International Women’s Day, this year themed #BreakTheBias.
OCPSE LEADER OF THE YEAR
Professor Helen Marshall
Professor Marshall is one of Australia’s most acclaimed vaccination researchers. She is a lead investigator for the “B Part of It” study. Through this work at the University of Adelaide’s Robinson Research Institute, she delivered the first real-world evidence of direct protection of meningococcal B vaccines in adolescents – the largest such vaccine herd immunity study in the world.
Tjunkaya Tapaya, AO
This torchbearer for her people is an artist and writer, whose works are held in collections, from the National Gallery of Australia to the British Museum. The senior Anangu woman is a keeper of culture and stories, and has been a leader of the Nintintjaku Project, an inter-generational teaching project at Ernabella. She is a prolific writer in Pitjantjatjara, preserving knowledge for future generations.
Michelle Ryan
This dancer has been a shining light in the arts for 25 years. Since 2013, she has been the artistic director of Restless Dance Theatre, working with artists with and without a disability. She has lifted it to new heights, created three acclaimed works garnering awards, and steered Restless through the roadblocks of Covid in 2020-21. Diagnosed with MS at age 30, her life was the subject of multi-award winning film Michelle’s Story.
Justice Laura Stein
Justice Stein’s appointment to the Supreme Court of SA was just the latest achievement in a stellar career spanning more than 30 years. An alumna of Unley High School, this legal trailblazer has ascended through the ranks from High Court Judge’s Associate to the head of the largest division within the Crown Solicitor’s Office, Civil Litigation, She became just the third woman Crown Solicitor in SA history before being appointed to the bench last September.
Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor
As Adelaide’s 63rd Lord Mayor, her mission to make the city of Adelaide the place to be reflects her passion for artistic and cultural pursuits. The role has grown markedly more difficult as the pandemic emptied city streets. She presided over the council’s $7.5m support package to underpin small city businesses struggling with the virtual closure of the CBD by Omicron.
THE ADVERTISER FOUNDATION INSPIRATION AWARD
Sarah Bisba & Joss Adele
This duo founded With Love Formal Wear to dress young people in care at no cost for year 7 graduations and year 12 formals. Sarah came into the kinship care of her aunt Joss in 2009 when she lost her mother. WLFW has supported hundreds of youngsters to choose their dream outfit and shine.
Barbara Spriggs
This whistleblower’s pursuit of justice at a time of great grief honours her late husband Bob with a legacy of better care and respect for older people in aged care facilities around Australia. Her campaign culminated in the release of the aged-care royal commission’s final report, one year ago, with the Australian government’s response published in May 2021.
Melinda Parent
At the helm of an all-female led advertising agency, Oranje‘s Melinda Parent is pushing to drive change in an industry where women are dramatically under-represented in senior creative roles despite being the big decision makers in household consumer spending.
Natasha Wanganeen
An award-winning South Australian Ngarrindjeri, Narungga, Kaurna and Noongar actor and producer with numerous stage and screen credits, she is on the First Nations Advisory Committee for the SA Film Corporation and a powerful advocate for Black Lives Matter and her community.
Zainab Kazemi
Dramatic events in Afghanistan changed the course of the year for this 23-year-old student. As well as her UniSA teaching studies, she was working two jobs, and then began co-ordinating fundraising efforts to help those in her birth country.
GIRL ABOUT TOWN RISING STAR AWARD
Shantae Barnes-Cowan
This actor juggled filming two movies and a miniseries while finishing year 12 in 2021. She did it with the support of “two big families” – her foster carers and biological family. Shantae, an Adnyamathanha woman from Whyalla, has two films due for release this year.
Paige Greco
This athlete claimed Australia’s first medal at the Tokyo Paralympics, winning gold in the C1-3 3000m Individual Pursuit and smashed her own World Record. The SASI Para Athlete of the Year 2021, she has a Masters in Clinical Exercise Physiology from UniSA to enable her to work in the rehabilitation sector.
Tahlia McGrath
Australia’s all-format all-rounder is killing it in Australia’s cricket colours, and captained the Strikers to the WBBL final. It has been a tough 12 months personally with her mum Linda diagnosed with breast cancer and undergoing chemo while the cricketer was touring in NZ.
Adelaide High School Call4Action leaders
Sophia Zavlagkas, Rira Janghorban, Anna McGrath and Martha Trayans, pictured, led a large protest demanding action on the alleged “toxic, sexist culture” at school.
They delivered a letter to the state parliament urging statewide action to make schools safer.
Tahlia Borg and Cahli Blakers
Better known as The Teenage Joans, this punk duo only formed in 2018 but they’ve already kicked some massive goals. They dominated the 2021 South Australian Music Awards, scooping six gongs after taking out Triple J’s coveted Unearthed High competition. Their debut extended play was released last May.
INNOVATION AWARD
Associate Professor Hannah Keage
This UniSA researcher’s work into detecting and preventing post-operative delirium aims to save lives and improve outcomes for older patients. Her research could enable hospitals to potentially cut the number of delirium cases by up to a third.
Dr Amal Osman
This Flinders University researcher is developing the first “awake” sleep apnoea test to qualify breathing difficulties for sufferers worldwide, bringing personalised treatments for a very common disorder that impacts health, lifestyle and even relationships.
Dr Hannah Wardill
As the NHMRC CJ Martin Biomedical Research Fellow at University of Adelaide, her mission is to improve the quality of life of people living with or beyond cancer in innovative ways from faecal transplants to the use of medicinal cannabis.
Luisa Panuccio
This civil and architectural engineer works as a project manager for major infrastructure projects and uses her platform to be a role model for girls looking to pursue a career in STEM.
Dr Alicia Byrne
This UniSA alumna’s trailblazing research is helping understand the causes underlying stillbirth and newborn death by taking a genomic approach to autopsy, examining the DNA of impacted families to identify the genetic variation responsible. This work has already provided answers and informed reproductive planning for more than 100 families in Australia and has the potential to help many more. She is now affiliated to the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, working on the Clinical Genome Resource.
COMMUNITY CHAMPION AWARD
Anastasia Bougesis
The Flinders University alumna is the chief development officer at Disaster Relief Australia, a charity that unites the skills and experiences of military veterans with first responders to rapidly deploy emergency response teams when disaster strikes. Now SA commander for the charity, she previously led relief operations overseas.
Chanceline Kakule
This young woman leads the Mount Gambier chapter of E-Raced – which aims to “erase racism one story at a time”. It schools refugees in public speaking and helps them share their experiences through speech, music or dance at schools, unis and public events. Her family fled war in Congo.
Christina Vithoulkas
Paraplegic drift car racer and influencer Christina Vithoulkas is breaking down the stigma of spinal injury with candour and positivity. She was riding high as a motocross and freestyle motorcyclist when her life changed in an instant after an accident in 2018. She returned to her childhood home of Barmera and now spreads her message through her YouTube and Instagram accounts, as well as podcasts.
Dawn Jones
Through Coober Pedy Animals’ Second Chance, she watches over strays, along with making house calls to pets whose owners need help looking after them. The group also transports animals for adoption.
Zoe Simpson
This teen is the founder of the Mount Gambier Hay Run. It began when devastating bushfires struck in late 2019, when she was 16. Today, the group is still raising funds and delivering hay where it is needed – from Riding for the Disabled to farmers over the border.
SKYCITY HOSPITALITY HERO AWARD
Karena Armstrong
The owner and chef at award-winning McLaren Vale restaurant Salopian Inn has been named co-director of the 2022 Tasting Australia Festival. She is the first woman to fill the role.
Sharon Romeo
This front-of-house dynamo was named Gourmet Traveller’s national 2022 Restaurant Personality of the Year. The co-owner of Fino Vino and Fino Seppeltsfield is a 30-year veteran of the industry who has worked tirelessly to maintain staff morale through testing times and to continue to deliver an exceptional and warm experience for diners.
Laura Sharrad
This MasterChef grad continues to go from strength to strength, opening New York-style CBD Italian restaurant Fugazzi last year – a sister restaurant for Nido. With more than 100,000 followers on Instagram, she also made headlines in 2021 for calling out online abuse.
Charlotte Hardy
The joyous spirit of Charlotte Hardy as a winemaker was recognised when she took top honours as Australia’s Young Gun of Wine for 2021. She launched her Charlotte Dalton Wines label in 2015 and has made her mark producing accessible, elegant wines that win awards. With broad international experience, she is now based on the Fleurieu Peninsula.
Nikki Govan
The esteemed Business SA chairwoman co-owns and manages the famous Star of Greece restaurant in Port Willunga and the Victory Hotel at Sellicks Beach. With a background in tourism and events, she is also the chairwoman of the Adelaide Economic Development Agency.
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