With tears in her eyes, an overwhelmed Rhonda Brighton of eyewear and eye care company, Luxottica, accepted the 2009 Telstra NSW Business Woman of the Year award at the awards ceremony at The Westin in Sydney today.
As the winner of the Hudson Private and Corporate Sector Award, Brighton was in contention to with the overall Telstra NSW Business Woman of The Year Award and graciously accepted the award, joking that her mum had no idea what she did but was going to be very proud nonetheless.
As the senior vice president of HR and Communication, Asia Pacific and Africa for Luxottica – the world’s largest eyewear and eye care company – Brighton develops and delivers the strategies which influence the working environment of 8,500 of the company’s regional employees.
Luxottica has brands such as Ray-Bans, Oakley and Arnette, holds exclusive licenses for the likes of Prada and Chanel, and has leading retail brands such as OPSM and Sunglass Hut.
Brighton lives by the philosophy of: “Never let the role overtake who you are and be open to whatever is around you.”
Speaking of the win, Brighton said: “It’s an incredible privilege to be recognised for doing something I feel passionate about every day. My advice to other women – be yourself, be proud and follow your passion.”
Now in its 15th year, the Telstra Business Women’s Award program recognises and nurtures the vital role of women in business.
According to Holly Kramer, group managing director, Telstra product management and Telstra Business Women’s Award ambassador, the participants in the program share the important qualities of resilience, adaptability and dedication.
NSW category winners included:
Commonwealth Bank Business Owner Award
Annalise Law – The Kanga Group
Hudson Private and Corporate Sector Award
Rhonda Brighton – Luxottica
White Pages Community and Government Award
Romilly Madew – Green Building Council of Australia
Nokia Business Innovation Award
Dr Cathy Foley – Chief research scientist at CSIRO
Marie Claire Young Business Women’s Award
Andrea Culligan – Unimail
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