15 June 2018

Canberra businesswomen soar high at Altitude Awards

| Ian Bushnell
Start the conversation

Kate Seselja and Lisa LaMaitre at the awards ceremony. Photo: Supplied.

Two Canberra businesswomen have been honoured at the recent 2018 Altitude Awards, which champion business owners across Australia.

Health and event business owner Lisa LaMaitre, and Kate Seselja, whose Hope Project works to help people overcome addiction, received their awards at a ceremony in Sydney.

Ms LaMaitre has been a co-owner of businesses with her husband for 23 years but she is currently the owner of Therapy Masters, a health practice in Civic, and Canberra Wise Women, an event business that showcases inspiring Canberrans.

She won the Strategic Connector of the Year category.

“It’s a great honour to receive the award as Strategic Connector. I love bringing people together and seeing what is created from that introduction. It’s humbling to know that my work is appreciated and recognised beyond Canberra,” Ms LaMaitre said.

Ms Seselja was a finalist in the Purpose Driven Entrepreneur category, but picked up two other awards at the event – Rising Star – Brave Award and Most Inspiring Individual of 2018, with both selected from finalists across all categories.

Ms Seselja’s personal journey through a gambling addiction and her ongoing mission to open people up to their self-defeating habits stood out to the judging panel.

“I am deeply honoured to be recognised for the work that I am doing,” Ms Seselja said. “I believe that this work is essential to create powerful and long-lasting change. We need to build communities where people are supported to move away from their daily struggles, constructively deal with adversity and harness the healing of connection.”

The pair were among eight Canberra businesswomen shortlisted as finalists.

The others included adventurer and women’s health coach Indiana Holley of Three Feathers; PR and communications expert Sheena Ireland from Specialists in Communication; jeweller and influencer Jemimah Ashleigh with Tang’s Design; coach and inspirer Perri Blain; Anna Pino and the team from Lighthouse Business Innovation; and the Canberra-based not-for-profit Women in Aviation International.

The Altitude Awards, now in their fifth year, were created by Andrea Turner-Boys, a businesswoman based in the Blue Mountains who runs two successful networking groups in Sydney – Women with Altitude (WWA) and Men’s Altitude Network (MAN).

“I don’t know of another Awards program that acknowledges the strength, tenacity and inspiration that is seen in our business communities. I am so delighted that through the Altitude Awards we are able to shine a spotlight on these attributes and provide a platform for business owners to be recognised, appreciated and celebrated,” Ms Turner-Boys said.

Meet Kate Seselja. She is a Canberra mum of 6 who shares the story of her recovery from her gambling addiction with Nina Gbor. Kate founded The Hope Project to help others who are facing mental health issues and emotional struggles, and she tells Nina about the personal philosophy that motivates her and how she is working to shift the culture around talking about and recovering from trauma.

Start the conversation

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.