Page 26 - Australian Defence Magazine February 2022

26 WOMEN IN DEFENCE AWARDS 2021
FEBRUARY 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
Rayner of Military Wife Life, Amelia De Angelis of Kinexus, Corporal Natalie Ekonomopoulos of Royal Australian Air Force and Dr Rebecca Jackson of Providence Consulting.
And the winners are: Squadron Leader Shamsa Lea and Major Lyndsay Freeman of the ADF.
Squadron Leader Shamsa Lea and Major Lyndsay FreemanareCo-FoundersofthePropelHer-Defence Women's Leadership Series. SQNLDR Lea is currently serving as the Logistics Spe-
cialisation Capability Advisor within Air Force Headquar- ters. MAJ Freeman is cur- rently serving as the Senior Instructor Gender, Peace and Security at the Peace Opera- tions Training Centre.
Through #PropelHerAUS,
SQNLDR Lea and MAJ Free-
man have empowered women
to shape their careers and
enhance their professional
development by creating an accessible, inclusive and di- verse community for respectful discourse. Their advo- cacy for Defence women has directly enhanced female participation in military blogging. They provide a repu- table, intersectional and supportive platform for ‘Guest Authors’ of all genders, ranks and roles to share their knowledge and insights into career, life and personal de- velopment topics for women.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Awarded to the defence community’s most outstanding fe- male individual working within project management.
A Special Mention has been awarded to the Digger Works Women in Combat Team.
The finalists in the WIDA 2021 Project Management category are: Maddy Rentmeester of Capa- bility Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG), Claire Milton of AeroPM, Air Vice-Marshal Catherine Roberts of Royal Australian Air Force, Deb Herberz of No- etic and Naomi Smith of Boeing Defence
Australia.
And the winner is: Air Vice-Marshal
Catherine Roberts of Royal Australian Air Force.
AVM Roberts has established Air and Space capability as a new division that includes strategy, procedures, and initial
structures for management of the entire capability life cy- cle for all airborne capabilities, whilst implementing a re- vised Capability Program Management Architecture. AVM Roberts was nominated for her superb contributions as a champion for diversity and inclusion, not only in Defence but across the broader Australian community; for her ex- emplary staff development and mentorship; as a significant role model for women; her superior skill as an internation- ally recognised engineer; and as a successful national pro- gram manager for a number of major RAAF programs.
RISING STAR
Awarded to the defence com- munity’s most outstanding fe- male individual aged under 30 years.
The finalists in the WIDA
2021 Rising Star category
are: Lieutenant Commander
Rebecca Avila of Royal Aus-
tralian Navy, Private Victoria
Waid of the Australian Army,
Bilin Zhou of Boeing Defence
Australia, Madeline Bonfini of RD Consulting and Olivia Blight of Rheinmetall Defence Australia.
A Special Commendation has been awarded to: Private Victoria Waid of the Australian Army.
Joining Army in 2018 as a reservist, whilst undergoing her initial training, PTE Waid was concurrently complet- ing a double degree in a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Global Studies. She has participated in a range of courses and training opportunities including Exercise Talisman Sa- bre. Victoria speaks publicly about her time in the Austra- lian Army Reserves at every opportunity through a number of organisations.
And the winner is: Madeline Bonfini of RD Consulting.
Madeline’s overarching role with Army is delivering communication strategy and advice. She is the com- munication team lead for Career Management - Army, where she has worked in collaboration with the branch to overhaul its communication channels as part of a broader all-encompassing communication strategy revamp. She delivers a broad range of communication products and services, including design work, writing articles, driv- ing the use of ForceNet, producing videos for internal and external audiences, supporting the Director General and Future Plans team in committee presentations and enhancing SharePoint to establish a consistent internal platform for increased transparency and accessibility of information.
TECHNICAL TRADE
Awarded to the defence community’s most outstanding fe- male individual working within operations, production or trade fields.
The finalists in the WIDA 2021 Technical Trade category are: Alicia Pollock of Serco Asia Pacific, Chief Petty Officer Jodie Katherine Matters of Royal Australian Navy, Jenny
Gigliotti of Ventia, Leading Aircraftwoman Belynda Pettit of Royal Australian Air Force and Warrant Officer Electron- ics Technician Suzie Peterson of Royal Australian Navy.
And the winner is: Alicia Pollock of Serco Asia Pacific. Alicia was the Tug Boat Mas- ter & Vessel Operator/Main- tainer at HMAS Coonawarra until recently when she relocat-