A local Chartered Accountant, Amanda Gascoigne, was recently announced as Businesswoman of the Year at the 21st annual Hunter Region Business Excellence Awards.
Having formed her own firm Gascoigne Consulting in 1999, Amanda has over 20 years experience advising small and medium sized business owners. The business started out as a home based business and now has an office in East Maitland with four staff.
Amanda says that working as a accounting tutor gave her a great foundation.
“Not only do I “do” accounting and tax, I also teach and explain accounting and tax concepts to businesses, to help them have a better understanding,” Amanda says. ‚Ä®‚Ä®
Gascoigne Consulting were also honoured in the Business Services category.
Kerry Hallett, Hunter Region BEC Manager, said there were over 100 nominations received with 59 finalists.
“The judges worked hard throughout August to come to their final decisions and the standard of applications was exceptional,” Kerry said.
“The businesses were judged based on their applications, as well as a site visit.”
“We would have loved all of our finalists to have received an award but unfortunately there can only be one winner. The big winners on the night were Hummingbird Electronics who took out the trophy for Innovation and Business of the Year, Amanda Gascoigne of Gascoigne Consulting won Businesswoman of the Year, Courtney Turton of Oxygen Allstars secured the Young Entrepreneur and Norman Ballard of Hummingbird Electronics was our inaugural Business Leader of the Year.”
The awards, originally known as The Cessnock/Kurri Kurri Small Business Awards, started in September 1993 covering the businesses of the Cessnock Shire only. Over the years they have grew to encompass the Maitland and Dungog shires and became known as the Lower Hunter Business Excellence Awards. In 2007 the awards were renamed the Hunter Region Business Excellence Awards and were opened to businesses throughout the Hunter region.
2014 Hunter Region Business Excellence Awards winners list:
- Business of the Year
- Businesswoman of the Year
Amanda Gascoigne, Gascoigne Consulting
- Business Leader of the Year
Norman Ballard, Hummingbird Electronics
- Young Entrepreneur of the Year
Courtney Turton, Oxygen Allstars
- Arts Crafts and Giftware
Sue Linton
- Hospitality and Tourism
- Internet-based business
- Hairdressing/Beauticians
Jimmy Figg’s Bare Knuckle Barber
- Retail
- Business Services
- Health Services
- Construction/Trades/etc
- Financial/Real Estate
LJ Hooker Cessnock & Kurri Kurri
- Not for Profit
Newcastle MBA Group Training & Personnel
- Innovation
- Home Based Business
- New Start Business
Learning for Life Child Care & Preschool and Kis Marketing
- Environmental
- NEIS
Lamb’s Electrical Hunter Valley
- Customer Service
