The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson has congratulated the winners of the Western Sydney Women Awards, many of whom are outstanding small and family business owners.

The awards, held virtually last night, recognised the resilience and agility of community leaders, entrepreneurs and professionals who have navigated their own pathways to success throughout the pandemic.

“Congratulations to the winners and finalists – who are all exceptional women,” Mr Billson says.

“It’s inspiring to see these enterprising women recognised for their hard work in fearlessly facing the challenges presented over the past two years.

“Alison Covington – founder and MD of Good360 Australia – was named Western Sydney Woman of the Year and I congratulate Alison for being a leader in her field as well as an innovator and social entrepreneur.

“Like many women-led businesses, Alison is a problem-solver who founded Good360 as a solution to reduce waste by matching excess goods with those who need them most.

“I wish Alison every success at achieving her goal to provide $1 billion worth of brand-new goods to Australians in need by 2025.

“A big shout out to Cassandra Kalpaxis of Kalpaxis Legal who took out the Western Sydney Women Small Business Growth Award, who has carved a reputation as a disruptor of the legal industry and founder of the Dispute Resolution Centre Australia.

“My office is a proud partner of these awards and supports the efforts of Western Sydney Women, which aims to help women in the region advance their business and career goals.

“Research shows the most successful small businesses are run by those who have a network of mentors for support. Western Sydney Women offers a critical mass of enterprising female role models, which is especially important at a time when two-thirds of new businesses formed are led by women.

“It was an honour to take part in this year’s Western Sydney Women Awards, celebrating the achievements of these talented women.”