Parramatta’s top businesswomen including Amanda Rose, Allison Taylor and Plate of Origin stars
From rising up the ranks of the corporate world and family law lawyers to those creating lavish cakes, these are the #bossladies who mean business in Parramatta.
Parramatta
Don't miss out on the headlines from Parramatta . Followed categories will be added to My News.
From the legal profession to extraordinary home cooks, Parramatta is home to an army of talented businesswomen. Here we reveal the incredible women making a huge difference in the Parramatta community.
AMANDA ROSE
Western Sydney Women founding director Amanda Rose has her work cut out for her in the often testosterone-charged Parramatta.
“I think it’s got a long way to go,” she said.
“There’s not enough women in higher positions but there’s a sense in Parramatta they’re not as prevalent, not as encouraged, they’re not given a voice.
“I feel that way in this community. It’s just male-dominated.
“It pisses me off.’’
The firebrand is dedicated to empowering women, from mentoring schoolgirls and domestic violence victims searching to enter the workforce, to corporate types who are smashing the glass ceiling.
Ms Rose, aka #BossLady, is a business adviser, trainer and strategist with individuals to major corporations.
She formed workshops that reflect the diversity of women she supports including Western Sydney Executive Women and Western Sydney Business Women.
“We don’t limit and say, ‘Sorry, you have to be poor to be in this and you don’t have to be in a certain area’ but it’s the fact that women in western Sydney don’t have the access and the accessibility and the connections, available to them,’’ she said.
“The approach I take with Western Sydney Business Women is I’m not trying to make them millionaires, I’m trying to make them profitable to give themself a job.
“My goal is to lead the way, break down walls, climb all over men, whatever needs to happen but I’m bringing people with me.”
So what do women offer that men can’t?
“Everything. We have a whole underworld of women with brilliant ideas,’’ Ms Rose said.
“Women have been told that they’re not strategic and they are.
“They see things in a different way, they see potential in people and opportunities. They take risks but they take calculated risks. They’re not impulsive and that is very powerful.
“And even though men call them emotional I find women less emotional than the men. Men become hotheads. And they’re also very empathetic and they know how to facilitate and bring people together.’’
Ms Rose, 41, has a penchant for new challenges and has held least 20 jobs, including with AMF Bowling in her uni days.
“I would volunteer all my free time on the weekends to do their marketing for practice while I was studying,’’ she said.
Continuing her mentoring, encouraging women to study STEM subjects and supporting women over 50 is also part of her focus.
She nominates her finest achievement as having a positive influence on the women she meets.
“I would say the best thing ever is when people say ‘I was in this situation and I froze and I thought ‘What would Amanda do?’
“I just want to equip them with the tools and the strategies and know that I’ve got their back even though I’m not physically there.”
That advice could range from taking up media opportunities, negotiating a business deal to blocking toxic people on Facebook.
ALLISON TAYLOR
Allison Taylor embraces her “spectacular’’ failures.
Like when the Sydney Olympic Park Business Association president started a pop-up book shop venture with her husband Stephen in 2008, on the eve of the global financial crisis.
They signed a five-year lease across 20 shopping malls in Sydney and employed 20 staff after their research indicated it could be sustainable. But it turned out books aren’t snapped up in a recession.
“That did spectacularly badly,’’ she said.
“In hindsight that was a very good experience. OK, we borrowed a lot of money, but we managed to keep our house. Mind you, we’ve got a hefty mortgage on it but it’s all part of life’s ups and downs.’’
The testing times also gave Ms Taylor the knowledge, she says, to steer the Sydney Olympic Park Business Association (SOPAB) members, from retailers to those connected with Qudos Bank Arena, ANZ Stadium, hotels and the business community in the infrastructure-starved neighbouring, rapidly-growing suburbs.
It’s a role that evolved from her theatre background. Ms Taylor grew up in Western Australia’s wheat belt and after working at Myer and as an exchange student in Japan during her youth, she studied at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in her late 20s.
“The theatre crowd is my kind of tribe,’’ she said.
“If you’re not in that one per cent it’s very hard to make a living from that and you’re kind of living hand-to-mouth and not knowing when your next gig’s coming from.’’
One of the gigs she landed was at the Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust playing the role of an 18th century barmaid for tourists visiting the pitch, where she was also learning about event management.
“From there, I thought ‘I really like this’,’’ she said.
“Being from a small country community, sport’s really important to the country community and I had a real affinity with the sport; it was a combination of performing and being involved in sport and so I got involved in functions.’’
When her former SCSGT boss and friend Karen Grega left the role of SOPBA president in 2016, taking helm of the organisation was a natural progression for Ms Taylor.
She had the corporate experience, a knack for connecting with people from all walks of life and knew she could keep the association “ticking along’’, from mentoring the business community to working with the NSW Royal Agricultural Society come Easter Show time.
“I’m a country girl and my parents and grandparents were hugely involved in country shows so I had that aspect,’’ she said.
Ms Taylor’s workload at Sydney Olympic Park, largely thanks to the State Government backing out on projects such as an off-ramp from the M4 to Hill Rd, and failure to commit to stage two of the Parramatta Light Rail. She wants to ensure it doesn’t renege on the Metro West.
“My focus is on advancing access to Sydney Olympic Park because that’s what will drive the growth and investment in Sydney Olympic Park, with daily foot traffic that gives it that energy,’’ she said.
“I do want to see it recover from COVID … and transport projects implemented. The Metro West will be the biggest game changer for Olympic Park.
“We don’t want to talk about potential — we just want to get there.’’
JAMAL GERGES AND RACHIDA QUTAMI
You would be hard-pressed to find a catering company with two employees who chop their herbs by hand in Lebanese dishes for up to 1000 people.
But that’s been a winning formula for Greystanes’ Jamal Gerges and her eldest daughter Rachida Qutami, who foundedThe Village Table and are sticklers for tradition.
“It’s all handmade recipes that have been passed down from past generations and it’s authentic as possible,’’ Mrs Qutami, 30, said.
“It’s not really as hard as what everyone thinks it is.
“A food processor doesn’t chop it correctly. It changes the taste then it becomes soggy and it changes the flavour, where as when you cut it by hand you control the size and how you want it to look.
“You can’t be stingy on the flavour. You’ve got to pretty much triple the ingredients and the spices. It’s like second nature to us.’’
The pair has been catering for functions for a decade and the Village Table became a formal business late last year.
Ms Gerges’s food is renowned among the Lebanese community and after she showcased it on Channel 7 cooking show Plate of Origin, the confidence boost from new fans led them to turn their voluntary catering labour of love into a business.
“That’s brought a lot of value and respect to our business,’’ Mrs Qutami said.
“Before people appreciated our food but now they think ‘They got on to the show so they must be doing something right’.
The pair delegate financial duties and non food-related roles so they can focus on their Lebanese finger food and family-style platters — vine leaves, samboosik kibbeh and tabouleh to name a few.
Mrs Qutami has admired her mother for a lifetime, especially when she became a single mother when she was 16 and her sister and brother were 13 and 11.
“She had to be strongheaded and I guess we all adopted those same values.’’
The Village Table will soon expand with masterclasses at The Picnic in Burwood on March 20 and they will start to sell a line of products — fig and apricot jam, fattoush dressing (garlic, olive oil and sumac) and samke harra, which is a tahini sauce used in one of their TV challenges.
Just like their approach to everything, tradition reigns when two other home cooks will join them to host the class.
“I’ve chosen to go ahead with home cooks, not chefs, because these women are between 50 and 65 years old and I just believe they’re the people you need to learn from,’’ Mrs Qutami said.
“Their skills were passed down from their parents and I want their skills to be passed on to the younger generation.’’
Mrs Qutami supplements her income as a receptionist at a medical centre while her mum runs the business full time.
For now, not cutting corners is the best ingredient to use for her business.
“I think being genuine in your business, serving really, really good food and not to cheat with your customers and do the right thing,’’ Mrs Qutami said.
“Don’t ever downgrade quality. Your customers see that and word of mouth is huge. Word of mouth kept our business going.’’
TRACEY WILSON
Being on maternity leave inspired Tracey Wilson to start her lavish business, Allsorts Cakes, from her North Rocks kitchen.
She always had a knack for creativity and embraced cake making 10 years ago before starting the business Allsorts Cakes after her daughter Lillian was born seven years ago.
“I think I’ve always done creative things and generally when people say ‘You’re quite good at that’ I tend to run with it. I made my 30th birthday cake and thought ‘maybe I want to do this more’.’’
She had worked in the Ryde TAFE administration office and was surrounded by plenty of sugar-laden inspiration at its Australian Patisserie Academy but desired more flexibility after becoming a mum.
“I generally don’t make more than five cakes a week because I heavily based my business on my lifestyle,’’ she said.
“I run my business, not it runs me.’’
She and fiance Damian Conway were renovating their kitchen and remodelled it with an island dedicated to cake decorating, as well as two ovens, a commercial mixer and two fridges and freezers.
The kitchen is the epicentre of captivating, quirky cakes, especially Ms Wilson’s favourite “food” creations, such as replica McDonald’s meals, sushi, licorice or iceberg lettuce.
The meticulous productions have notched up four Easter Show ribbons — first, two seconds and a highly commended.
The public’s appetite for cakes to mark celebrations and word of mouth have ensured Allsorts is profitable and can sustain Ms Wilson’s true calling.
“Passion equals success,’’ she said.
“I would not do it if I didn’t love it. I think it’s such an honour to be doing something you love and support your family at the same time.
“If you let me run free I’ll run wild.’’
Ms Wilson also loves the flexibility of choosing her own hours after overcoming cancer. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2003 and it returned in 2017 when her treatment was interrupted because of complications.
“After all I’ve been through I’ve learned what’s important in life is balance and I really have perspective after going through cancer a couple of times,’’ she said.
CAROLYN MUNK
Coming from a “convent” school, Carolyn Munk learned a lot about the world working at Parra Leagues in the 1980s.
Her shifts in the dining room from 1980 to ’86 saw her deal with all walks of life “co-operative, non co-operative, lonely … it was a really good education”.
“If you were a diehard Eels fan you were in heaven because on a Sunday night after the game all the players came back to the club with their families.’’
The Matthew Folbigg family law principal and former St Anthony’s Girraween and Loreto Normanhurst student started her career in law in 1985 at Watson Stafford Family Lawyers.
She worked in criminal law for 18 months before practising family law exclusively since 1987, representing clients between Fairfield and Parramatta courts.
Within two years of starting at the firm, she was made partner and worked there until 2009 when it merged with Matthew Folbigg at Parramatta.
Mrs Munk appears regularly in the Family Court of Australia and Federal Magistrates Courts at Sydney and Parramatta, the Supreme Court of NSW and Local and District Courts of NSW.
The 59 year old has worked as a court registrar at the Family Court, an “invaluable experience” in advocacy and dispute resolution.
She has dealt with more divorces from couples who have been married for decades.
“Particularly I’m dealing with people who have been married 30, 40 years and calling it a day, which is usually a test to people’s resilience, they’re finally saying ‘enough’.
“Usually women are just incredibly patient and that’s been their existence for so long until there’s a tipping point. Sometimes it’s not even an affair — it’s just somebody really, really hard to live with. Somebody was incredibly patient and said ‘enough’.’’
Parramatta’s Family Court is the fourth busiest in Australia with a catchment that encompasses
western Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the central west of NSW and regions to the north and south.
After Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney CBD, Parramatta has the fourth highest number of filings of Australia’s family law courts and is served by eight judges.
It’s a workplace that Mrs Munk loves.
“The Parramatta court has got an amazing work culture,’’ she said.
“It’s the best placed to have the busiest court because they make it happen, from filing staff to judges that work incredibly hard.’’
She is equally proud to work at the firm and says she has been fortunate enough not to encounter sexism over her long career.
“Matthew Folbigg is probably the only firm in Parramatta that has an equal balance of men and women as owners and it’s not because they had to, but because that’s what worked, that’s where people’s strengths are,’’ she said.
“I’ve been lucky to work in a place where people have a good culture. We love to mentor and grow our lawyers.’’
When asked what her finest career achievements were, she says her “incredibly patient’’ children, who have followed her career path in the profession. Her 31-year-old son is a lawyer in London and her daughter, 28, is a legal aid lawyer in Canberra.
TAHERA NASSRAT
She is no longer working in war-torn Pakistan or Afghanistan with UNICEF but Tahera Nassrat is still making a formidable difference as the director of T&R Accountants, Parramatta.
The second youngest of nine children, Ms Nassrat initially wanted to become an engineer like her father but always loved figures and was fortunate enough to gain an education.
“In Afghanistan, it’s really, really hard for women to work or to be educated,’’ she said.
“As a woman you're not allowed to leave the house without a man. It’s a man-dominated society and so if you’re a woman and educated it’s because you have strong support from men and your dad.
“I was lucky enough in that sense because my father was also an English and Dari translator with the Red Cross.’’
After leaving school Ms Nassrat worked as an assistant accountant with Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders) when the Taliban advanced into northern Afghanistan in 1998, forcing her to cut her university studies short and flee to Pakistan with her father and brother, cloaked in a burqa in a van for two days of perilous, life-risking travel crossing the border.
When returning to Kabul, which was likened to a “dead city’’ from a ‘horror movie,’’ her role with UNICEF encouraged men and women to secure jobs and find childcare to enable employment. Discrimination was the norm.
“Every single day I had an argument with a man,’’ Ms Nassrat said.
“They told me ‘Why are you wearing jeans, why are you not covering your head?’ It was like a nightmare.’'
“They were trying to push me down and I said ‘No, piss off, I can do it.’’
She worked in the Ministry of Finance with the British High Commission in Kabul for two years and was one of 20 students from a group of 300 candidates who qualified for a university scholarship in the US.
Her journey, however, took her to Australia in 2001 and she established T&R Accountants at Parramatta in 2010.
The business employs six full time staff who keep finances in check for more than 5000 clients.
“When I started my business, the first thing I thought of was ‘This is Australia, there’s a lot of businesswomen up there’,’’ Ms Nassrat said.
“There was something saying ‘You’re from a war country, a women doesn't have an education and equal rights’. Regardless of how much I was given from my community, that was always at the back of my mind.’’
But her belief “I’ve got too much to give the community’’ prevailed.
Ms Nassrat was recently appointed the State Government’s Business Connect adviser for the Afghan community, using her native Dari language to encourage people to establish their own business and financial independence instead of relying on welfare.
The program was established as a way to help jobseekers and businesses bounce back from the COVID-19 slump.
In 2019 the single mother of two from Harris Park formed he Afghan Peace Foundation in which she holds workshops for women, youth, fundraisers and harnesses talent for men and women, while being motivational speaker.
“When I start something, that’s my attitude, I want to finish it,’’ she said.
“I didn’t want to rely on anyone. I wanted to do it myself. If you want to be successful, draw a plan, try to work hard, try to achieve it.
“I have over 5000 followers on Facebook and I’m actually an idol for a lot of women out there.’’
Her proudest career moment? “The proudest achievement was being a success in the 11 years with no single loss. I have always been profitable, touch wood.”
HELEN HAMILTON-JAMES
Helen Hamilton-James, Deloitte western Sydney’s managing partner at its Parramatta office, can probably thank enduring some bleak UK weather as a teenager for inspiring her accomplished career in auditing.
“My very first job was delivering morning papers six days a week for which I earned 3 pounds 50 pence,’’ she said.
“My round started at 6am and because it was in Scotland it was often very dark and very cold.
“I was drawn to a career in auditing because I was keen to have a job that allowed me to travel to anywhere in the world.”
Itchy feet led her to London Deloitte as a graduate before moving to Sydney in 1997 as part of its global development program. She became a partner in 2004 and is employed to audit and advise many multinational organisations.
She was the managing partner of Deloitte’s Papua New Guinea practice, chief operating officer of Deloitte Private and is now managing partner of the firm’s western Sydney base, where there are 29 partners and 425 staff at its Station St tower.
The $104 billion western Sydney economy is Australia’s third largest and the region is home to 47 per cent of Sydney’s population.
Ms Hamilton-James has been “immensely proud of the other people that I have helped to coach and support into partnership roles in the firm both here and in Papua New Guinea’’ and now loves working in Parramatta.
“Being a businessperson in western Sydney at this time is fantastic – the region has so much potential and there is so much happening across many sectors – I am thrilled to be able to contribute to the future of western Sydney,’’ she said.
The coronavirus pandemic threw the firm and business leaders “the biggest challenge we’ve been faced with in our lifetimes’’.
For the mum of two girls aged 11 and 14, the inevitable deadlines and long hours that come with the job put pressure on family life and she suggests turning to colleagues.
“Build a strong network and don’t be afraid to reach out to others for support, particularly other women,’’ she said.
“It can seem hard to juggle work and family but it can be done and many of us have lots of experiences we can share.’’
For Ms Hamilton-James, her skills aren’t confined to the Deloitte boardroom. She sits on the board of non-profit SDN Childcare Services and was the Equestrian Australia financial director.
KAYLENE HUBBARD
As a businesswoman and mother of two teenage sons and an 11-year-old daughter, Kaylene Hubbard has tackled the family-work life battle.
The tax specialist and partner at KPMG Parramatta found herself in a unique predicament compared to her colleagues at her previous firm when she became pregnant upon returning from maternity leave 15 years ago.
“Really the only women who had children either had husbands who stayed home full time or had nannies,’’ she said.
“All the male partners who had wives who stayed home but that has changed.’’
Men who carried out traditional female roles would get lots of praise and notch up the “super hero’’ tag.
“I still feel there’s a bit of that but I find from my experience at KPMG I feel nothing but supported and flexible,’’ Mrs Hubbard said.
The 46 year old grew up in Lumeah and went to the selective Hurlstone Agricultural High School at Glenfield before studying law at Macquarie University where she would experience the stigma of being a westie.
“I didn’t really experience it until I started university,’’ she said.
“I lived on campus which sounds silly but then it would have taken 2 ½, three hours each way and the connections weren’t there so I lived on campus.’’
A manager of the student accommodation once told her: “So you’re a Campbelltown girl made good, then?’’
“It doesn’t bother me now because it’s just perceptions but I was taken aback by it.’’
Mrs Hubbard is a 24-year industry stalwart and works for KPMG’s enterprising division, which allows her to continue her love of helping clients from ASIC-listed companies to manufacturing businesses, and mentoring younger staff and relishing the “intellectual vigour’’ of tax in the expanding Parramatta office.
“It’s an exciting place to be because it’s growing,’’ she said.
“We tend to get more manufacturing and industries out here.’’
She also holds voluntary roles on the board of Arthritis Australia and children’s cancer organisation Fair Fight.
“It sounds cheesy but I do like to do something that’s not just for myself and it gives me skills and it gives me experience, if I’m honest.’’
MORE NEWS
More Coverage
North Rocks: Dylan and Rachel Falecki plan to open micro distillery
Dundas, Merrylands, Parramatta childcare centres: New centres planned for western Sydney
Future Olympians! Try-fectas, close calls in Next Gen 7s battles
There were blowouts, close calls, a hot boot and multiple try-fectas in the opening round of the Next Gen Sevens rugby series in Sydney. Stars, great photos and Rd 1 result wrap.
Read more
‘It’s a special thing’: Australia’s rare rugby result in New Zealand
Rugby’s U18s rising stars have done something few other Aussie teams have managed in recent times - completing a shock and awe mission across the ditch for two wins. Stars, result wrap
Read more