Celebrating the success of our business women

Business Asia, March, 2001

2001 Telstra Business Women's Awards

Perth businesswoman Patria Jafferies once dreaded the thought of public speaking. Now, the 2000 Telstra Business Woman of the Year relishes the opportunity to inspire women and men across Australia with her business success story.

Patria won the prestigious 2000 Telstra Business Woman of the Year Award from an overall field of 1,200 successful business women for her significant achievements as Managing Director and co-founder of Dome Coffees Australia.

"I was overwhelmed by the response from people all over the country. It was such a positive experience -- one that has reinforced the quality of our business and product in the minds of existing and potential clients as well as confirming our position in the market," said American-born Patria.

Patria and her business partner, Phil May, started Dome Coffees Australia with a small coffee outlet in Cottesloe, Western Australia in 1990. Within ten years, Dome Coffees has developed into a multi million international enterprise with over 61 cafe outlets in countries including Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates, operating two coffee roasting facilities, supplying more than 250 operators worldwide.

"The exposure for me and Dome Coffees through the Awards far exceeded anything money could buy. Now that the Dome Coffees brand is recognised internationally, we are confident we can go anywhere in the world!" said an excited Patria.

Discover a world of opportunities

Since winning the Award, Patria has been inundated with invitations to address various organisations and industry groups around Australia, including the Ministry of Premier's Awards, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Small Business Development Corporation, Ecotourism Australia, Queensland Council for Businesswomen, Citibank, Rotary and Deloitte Executive Women.

"The speaking engagements I've been involved in since winning the Telstra Business Women's Award have given me the chance to inspire women and men in business across Australia, which is a hugely rewarding experience.

"Public speaking has also given me the chance to talk about our plans to roll-out Dome Coffees to the east coast of Australia over the next three years. We've marked out 300 hot-spots where we hope to open Dome shops. This is a very exciting time for the company."

Patria was nominated for the Telstra Business Women's Awards by one of her employees. She jumped at the chance, aware of the prestige of the Awards and the benefits of entering. Patria also acknowledges the reluctance of several business women to nominate themselves for an Award.

Take pride in entering and enjoy the process

"Women should take pride in entering themselves in the Awards. It's simple to self-nominate yourself for the Awards, or ask a colleague or friend if you are uncomfortable doing it yourself.

"I found the selection process challenging and enjoyable. It's quite rare to be in a situation where you can place your achievements in some form of perspective," said Patria.

"It's a rewarding experience for women, both professionally and personally. The calibre of the judges is very high, having all enjoyed successful careers in diverse areas of business.

"I encourage women from all areas of business to enter the Telstra Business Women's Awards for an opportunity to network with other successful business women and be rewarded for your contribution to the Australian business community.

"I think women put a lot of barriers up around ourselves and my advice is don't believe in glass ceilings because then you have to break through them. They may exist in some form, but don't buy into them.

"Embrace the opportunity to tell your story and be recognised as a leader in your field, and a successful business woman across industries. Everything you do or don't matters. Great businesses can provide valuable mentors to the young, providing examples of courage, innovation, initiative, focused effort and belief in the power of dreams."

This zest and determination is reflected in Dome Coffees' e-mail tagline, `Life is a grindstone. Whether it grinds us down or polishes us up depends on us'

Winning the Award has opened doors to a range of exciting opportunities for Gabrielle Molnar.

The 31 year old Sydneysider who won the 2000 Alcatel Young Business Women's Award never dreamt she'd find herself speaking to a group of over 180 Year 12 students from her old school, St Patrick's College in Sutherland on their `muck-up' day. "I spoke to them about the importance of goals, aspirations and having a belief in themselves, regardless of their final year results", Gabrielle said.

Like Patria, Gabrielle is inundated with requests to speak at various functions across the country to motivate her audiences.

As Director of the recently listed recruitment firm HJ&B Group, Gabrielle has been instrumental in the company's expansion from one Sydney office to a national presence and is jointly responsible for the success of one of their key divisions, Markham Appointments.