Director of Illawarra Women In Business, Glenda Papac, was named 2020 Wollongong Electorate Woman of the Year today by Member for Wollongong, Paul Scully.
Ms Papac has been the director of Illawarra Women In Business (IWIB) since its creation in 2007.
For more than a decade under the leadership of Ms Papac, IWIB has grown to become the largest professional and business women’s network in the Illawarra. IWIB fosters women to learn, share ideas and collaborate with others for mutual success.
IWIB brings together women from a wide range of professional backgrounds providing a range of experiences to foster great relationships between professional women across the Illawarra and encourage the growth and success of women in the workplace locally.
The Local Woman of the Year award is presented each year to a woman who has made a great achievement or provided a great service to the community. Previous recipients in Wollongong have included community campaigner, Rebecca Lachlan, and cancer care advocate Nesrin Salem.
Mr Scully said that Glenda’s name had been suggested to him a number of times as being very worthy of recognition for her work over many years to support local women and her dedication to building a support network for women in business or starting their own business.
“Illawarra Women in Business is a great organisation providing support for women of all ages in our community – whether they are coming into the workforce for the first time, changing directions, or finding a business passion in retirement.
“The work that Glenda has done in establishing IWIB as the largest professional women’s network in the Illawarra has been phenomenal, Mr Scully said.
“I have watched it grow and grow over the years, not only providing professional interactions between local businesswomen but also growing a support network where people can swap ideas, create business and employment opportunities and engage in social networking.
“Glenda has been able to help so many women across the Illawarra to succeed, and she deserves to be recognised for all of the work that she has done for over a decade”, Mr Scully said.
Ms Papac is joined by Port Kembla woman, Kirli Saunders, who was named NSW Aboriginal Woman of the Year for 2020 last week.
“Whether it was the women who led the campaign to get work at the steelworks in the 1980’s or women like Glenda and Kirili who have been recognised in recent days, women in Wollongong continue to set new examples for all of us every day and that is something our city should be incredibly proud of”, Mr Scully said.
