Meet the judges of the 2022 Australian Business Book Awards
More JUDGES will be announced soon
Our judging panel comprises experts and authorities in traditional publishing, self-publishing, editing, design, printing, ebooks, audiobooks, bookselling and book coaching. All of the judges are giving their time and expertise freely with no financial gain. Judges who have played a role in the development and/or production of a specific book that falls into their judging category advise the award organisers of this conflict and take no part in the judging of that particular book.
Andrew Griffiths
Andrew Griffiths is highly regarded as one of the leading small business and entrepreneurial authors in Australia. He has written 14 books, published by Allen & Unwin and Simon & Schuster. Andrew’s books have been translated into 10 languages, from Russian to Chinese, and they have been sold in 65 countries. Andrew is also a Book Writing Coach; he has personally mentored 750 new authors to write and publish their first book.
Michael Hanrahan
Michael completed his Diploma in Professional Writing and Editing at Deakin University in 1997, and has since worked in-house and as a freelancer. He has held the positions of editor, production coordinator, and managing editor for Wrightbooks (Australia’s leading publisher of business and finance titles) and John Wiley & Sons Australia.
He has worked with many bestselling authors, has experience in print management, publishing, writing, and editing, and has worked with companies such as Oxford University Press, Random House, RMIT Publishing, Australian Book Review, Hardie Grant, and Overland. Michael is a regular presenter at the annual Small Press Network publishing conference. Michael is the founder and Director of Publishing at Publish Central, and is a leading expert in self-publishing for small business.
www.publishcentral.com.au
Lesley Williams
In 2009, Lesley Williams launched Major Street Publishing, an independent publishing company, specialising in business, leadership, personal finance and investment books. Lesley has over 20 years’ experience in leadership roles in global corporations and privately-owned companies, predominantly in business book publishing, including as publisher at Wrightbooks and John Wiley & Sons, and CEO at Five Mile Press. She is a hands-on publisher who guides the authors and their books from manuscript to bookshop shelves.
Charlotte Duff
Charlotte began her career at John Wiley & Sons Australia, editing titles within their Wrightbooks and For Dummies divisions. During her 10 years at John Wiley, Charlotte became Commissioning Editor for the For Dummies division. Charlotte has edited a vast array of business titles, helping authors structure their books in an organised, logical way so the information flowed well and was easy to understand while also ensuring the project retained the author’s voice and stayed true to their vision.
Charlotte is the senior editor at Publish Central, and also works as a freelance editor – her clients include Macmillan Education, Text Publishing, Allen & Unwin and Hardie Grant.
Ann Wilson
Ann Wilson is the owner of Post Pre-press and the founder of Independent Ink, specialising in helping authors produce beautiful, professional books through traditional publishing and self-publishing. In May 2019, Ann co-founded Indie Experts to work with authors in the before, during and after stages of writing a book.
Ann is also the author of The Entrepreneurs’ Guide to Self-Publishing: How to write, publish and leverage your business book. Ann has published a book that will take you from an idea to a published book and beyond.
Working with a range of clients from self-publishing authors, traditional publishers, corporates and small business owners, Ann has helped to publish books and documents people are proud to share. Ann is passionate about storytelling and helping people experience the dream of being a published author.
Ann is married to Richard, who runs a renovation business, and they are the proud parents to four children and pet parents to Wilson the Cavoodle and Magnus the cat.
Ocean Reeve
Ocean Reeve is Managing Director of assisted independent publishing house Ocean Reeve Publishing. Ocean has spoken at over 180 seminars and conferences and is regularly booked to speak about publishing, creative expression and leadership, workflow and sales. Throughout his 20-plus year career, Ocean has worked in educational, traditional and self-publishing in both New Zealand and Australia, and has played a role in bringing to life over 4500 publications. He has received several awards for his contribution to the creative community and service to authors, and is a former Gold Coast Writers’ Association President. He has had the privilege to work alongside Emmy and Golden Globe Winning Actor William Shatner, Emmy Award Winning Musician Toni Childs, Nashville artist Wayne Warner, Bestselling Author Lindy Chamberlin, and more. Ocean has written three books: The Word, Change, and Inspire Your Fire.
Kirsty Ogden
As a qualified publication designer and editor, and the owner of Brisbane Self Publishing Service, Kirsty Ogden is committed to helping authors produce eloquent, appealing and professional-looking books. With over 30 years’ experience in desktop publishing, editing and librarianship, she has a wealth of knowledge and expertise in all aspects of the book industry.
Working closely with a team of freelance editors, proofreaders, illustrators and graphic artists, plus with access to a trusted network of publishing professionals (including printers and print brokers, ebook conversion and audiobook production specialists), Kirsty offers clients a streamlined process to self-publish their book via her Five ‘C’s of Self Publishing framework.
Pauline Phillips
Pauline began her publishing career at Wrightbooks, where she typeset, edited and proofread a wide range of the company’s titles including many from its highly regarded business and investment list. She then became an editor at John Wiley & Sons before moving to London where she spent 10 years working in a range of in-house editing roles in both the trade and voluntary sectors. Her next move was to become her own boss.
Pauline draws on 24 years of editorial experience in her work as a freelance editor, proofreader and writer (and is always learning more!), working with clients around the world.
Pauline prefers to read books as physical entities, being able to hold them in her hands to enjoy their particular look, feel, smell and – in many cases – their magic.
Kate Christie
Kate Christie, Founder and CEO of Time Stylers is a time management specialist, global speaker, consultant and the best-selling author of four books. Kate’s most recent book Me First: The Guilt-free Guide to Prioritising You – published by John Wiley & Sons – is available in all good bookstores and hit the shelves in Target US in September 2020.
Kate consults to big and small business, government departments and C-suite executives on maximising individual time spend and managing organisational drag through smart time investment strategies. She has appeared on television, radio and in print as a leading commentator on productivity, time management and maximising work/life integration to ensure your success across work, family, community, and life.
Bushy Martin
Bushy Martin is a self-professed readaholic and a committed bibliophile and always has a number of books on the go. In his remaining spare time he also helps others to work less and live more through his contributions as an award-winning author, media host, podcaster, and as one of Australia’s most highly respected property investment and finance experts.
He is the author of two books, including the acclaimed The Freedom Formula and the prequel Get Invested, which won two awards at the inaugural Australian Business Book Awards (and a third book is in the making!). Bushy is also recognised as one of the top ten property specialists in Australia and was awarded Mentor of the Year by the Adviser’s Better Business Awards.
He is the newly appointed anchor on Australia’s number one and longest running property program Real Estate Talk, and Bushy interviews some of the world’s leading investors and high performers each week on his podcast, Get Invested. He is also regularly interviewed himself by major media outlets including 60 Minutes, news.com.au and the Seven Network as a property and finance thought leader.
Bernadette Schwerdt
Bernadette is a former advertising agency executive and has worked on global campaigns for Apple, Amex and Colgate. In 2001, she founded the Australian School of Copywriting, and has since trained over 9000 people to become freelance copywriters.
Recently named in the Top 50 Small Business Leaders in Australia and a regular contributor to Sky News, Mamamia and Smart Company, Bernadette was also the producer and host of The Age newspaper’s online video series, ‘Secrets of Online Entrepreneurs’, which became a bestselling book of the same name. Her second book, How to Build an Online Business, went to number one on Amazon and her third book, Catch of the Decade, ghost-written for the billionaire brothers behind Catch.com and Menulog, was a number one bestselling business book on Booktopia and held that spot for three months.
Jaqui Lane
Jaqui is the founder and principal of The Book Adviser, an 8-step, 12-month one-to-one business book writing, publishing and marketing program for entrepreneurs, business owners and consultants. She is also one of Australia’s leading business historians, having written 23 business histories for ASX-listed companies, private family businesses and leading brands, published over 400 business histories and interviewed over 900 business and political leaders in Australia and around the world.
With over 30 years’ experience as a business writer, publisher and book marketing expert, Jaqui is passionate about sharing knowledge and changing the world for the better, one book at a time.
Michaela Skelly
Michaela is a publishing freelancer and consultant. Michaela has worked in the publishing industry for over 20 years in Australia, NZ and the UK. She has experience across trade and educational sectors, having worked with publishers such as Five Mile, Lonely Planet and Cengage Learning. Michaela served six years on the board of the Small Press Network (SPN), and most recently managed her own publishing consultancy.
Michaela is keen to encourage authors to take control of the publishing process and to self-publish.
Zoë Routh
Zoë is a leadership expert, author, facilitator and podcaster. She shows leaders and teams struggling with office politics and silos how to work better together. With a background in outdoor experiential education, Zoë has spent the last 30 plus years leading trips from the wild rivers of northern Ontario to the remote regions of Australia.
Zoë is the author of four books. Her latest, People Stuff: Beyond Personality Problems: An advanced handbook for leadership, won ‘Book of the Year’ at the Australian Business Book Awards 2020. Zoë is currently writing her first science fiction novel.
Zoë is an outdoor adventurist and enjoys telemark skiing, has run six marathons, is a one-time belly-dancer, has survived cancer, and loves hiking in the high country. She is married to a gorgeous Aussie and is a self-confessed dark chocolate addict.
Eric Winters
Eric is a self-leadership coach, black-belt hand washer, international speaker and the author of Swipe Right on Your Best Self: Simple steps to a bolder life with fewer regrets.
His deep knowledge in the science of building courageous and emotionally intelligent mindsets is a result of over 20 years of international corporate life, two master’s degrees in human behaviour change, and over 12 years helping leaders and their teams become their best selves to meet workplace challenges. His awesome clients include Accenture, BMW China, The Australian Public Service Commission, The Papua New Guinea Public Service Commission and SDN Children’s Services.
Karen McDermott
Award-winning publisher, author, and advanced Law of Attraction practitioner Karen McDermott is a sought-after speaker who shares her knowledge and wisdom on building publishing empires, establishing yourself as a successful author-publisher, and book writing.
Having built a highly successful publishing business from scratch, signing major authors, writing over 40 books, publishing over 400 authors, and establishing her own credible brand in the market, Karen has developed strategies and techniques based on tapping into the power of Knowing to create your dreams. Karen is a gifted teacher who inspires others to make magic happen in their lives through utilising her power of knowing strategies. She mentors multiple new authors through her Everything Publishing Academy.
Karen Comer
Karen is a writer, editor and reader. She holds postgraduate qualifications in editing and publishing, and has worked at John Wiley & Sons, and is currently the BIG Kids Magazine copyeditor. She presents workshops on storytelling, writing and creativity for adults and children. Her blog offers book reviews and writing tips, and lots of literary inspiration. She works as a freelance editor from her home in Melbourne, working on magazines, business books, children’s non-fiction, educational books and research projects. She is currently also writing a series of children’s novels and a collection of short stories for adults.
Debbie Lee
Debbie Lee is Senior Manager, Content Acquisition and Business Development, Ingram Lightning Source.
A former Publisher of academic and professional texts, Debbie has seen the publishing industry change dramatically in recent years. She considers the advent of print-on-demand and global distribution among the most significant contributing factors, giving the indie author and smaller press the same capabilities and access to market as the traditional, mainstream publishing house. In terms of the business market, the book is the new calling card!
Wendy Parker
Former journalist and corporate sector escapee, Wendy heads up Parker Public Relations which specialises in PR, thought leadership and personal branding. Over the past 15 years Wendy has been working with individuals and organisations in the health, professional services, management consulting, technology, environmental and property investment sectors – helping them build their credibility and visibility with their customer base and stand out in a crowded marketplace.
In addition to helping clients develop their own guides, e-books and business books, Wendy has penned a few of her own.
Wendy Pavey
Wendy Pavey is a personal brand strategist who works with senior corporate executives to build their brand so they easily attract their roles of choice. She is the Founder and Principal of Executive Brand and creator of the ExecutiveCadence™ storytelling methodology. Wendy is a member of faculty for The CEO Institute’s Certified Manager Program and is a regular speaker for executive organisations and professional bodies. She is also a university guest lecturer and student mentor.
Wendy writes a popular weekly blog about executive branding for LinkedIn and is the author of Personal Brand 101 and The C-Suite Guide to LinkedIn, in addition to hosting the upcoming CEO:First Day podcast.
www.executivebrand.com.au
Annie Reid
Annie is a senior journalist, copywriter and published author with a passion for property, design and architecture. As the founder of Atrium Media, she has written for many of Australia’s biggest selling newspapers, respected print magazines around the world as well as collaborated with leading organisations and agencies as an award-winning copywriter.
Annie’s love for telling stories led seamlessly into writing books, and she’s worked for over 15 years as a ghostwriter and author on property, business and lifestyle titles. She’s sought-after for her ability to turn words into commercial books on bookshelves, for clients including Major Street Publishing, Hardie Grant, MH Publishing and John Wiley & Sons – most recently Move Your Mind by Nick Bracks.
Luke Mathers
Luke is an author with 28 years’ experience in running businesses. As one of the original directors of Specsavers in Australia, he has a depth of knowledge about leadership and what a business needs to thrive.
Luke hosts the ‘Your Next Read’ and ‘RESET’ podcasts. He regularly interviews authors and has a keen understanding of where ideas will have the greatest impact. His work now revolves around helping business leaders embrace life’s challenges and finding the benefits in stressful situations.
Peita Diamantidis
An Actuarial Studies survivor at university, Peita’s first adventure in finance over 20 years ago was set in the shark-infested waters of Investment Banking. While proving a human can actually work over 100 hours a week, she also learnt the importance of translating the complex for her clients – smarts simply weren’t enough. By anchoring important concepts with storytelling, her clients were able to absorb the intricate concepts and make decisions with confidence.
When Peita moved into Financial Advice this continued to ring true, and culminated in the release of her Finance Action Hero book series in 2014 and 2016. Peita now specialises in breaking people out of the daily grind and into their ideal future. Peita can be found in the wild empowering future explorers as a speaker, coach and host of The In Search of Adventure Show.
www.linkedin.com/in/peitamd/
Kelly Irving
Kelly makes book ideas better. As a best-selling book coach, editor, and creator of The Expert Author Academy, she mentors authors to bring their biggest, best and most commercially viable ideas to market, regardless of how they publish. Her work rates in the Top 100 Business Books every year in Australia, and results in global industry book awards (including previous ABBAs, of course).
The very first book she worked on was pitched to and published by John Wiley in 2012, and she is still to have a book pitch rejected by a major publisher. Her authors have secured deals with the likes of Pan Macmillan, Penguin, John Wiley, Major Street Publishing, Hachette, Affirm Press, and many more.
Kath Walters
Kath is a book coach, the founder of Brain to Book in 90 days, and a professional business writer and author of 25-plus years.
Kath works with coaches, speakers and other experts who want to write a brilliant book to open new opportunities and win market share. Clients working with Kath can expect to get clear and focused, write a brilliant book in 90 days, and attract their ideal clients.
Over Kath’s career at Fairfax Business Media and beyond, her stories appeared in the leading publications. Her books include Overnight Authority, Sticky Content and The Future Makers in Digital Technology.
Peter Ziggy
Peter Ziggy is CEO of 3P Corporation, a holistic wealth creator, author and entrepreneur. He is one of a handful of financial advisors licensed to advise on all aspects of wealth creation … from property to shares and self-managed super funds. He has a passion for the human side of money and is driven by his organisation’s motto of Passion–People–Prosper. Peter Ziggy’s passion to simplify the process of wealth creation is manifested in his book Money DOES Grow on Trees!
Brooke Lyons
Brooke began her freelance editorial consultancy in 2016 after more than a decade’s work in book editing and corporate marketing communications. Her in-house roles included three years as Managing Editor at John Wiley & Sons Australia, working across the Wrightbooks, Wiley, For Dummies and Frommer’s imprints. She specialises in editing business, leadership and personal development titles. Brooke enjoys nurturing relationships with authors as she partners with them to bring their ideas to life. Her goal with every project is to seek out and foster the author’s unique voice and style, while ensuring their book is presented with clarity, accuracy and energy to maximise reader engagement. Brooke holds postgraduate qualifications in editing, publishing and communications.
Geoff Hetherington
A former 20-plus year ‘C’ suite executive, Geoff has spent the last decade as a successful Business Coach focused on teaching business owners how to build their business around their life not vice versa. Geoff is passionate about showing owners how to design their business, so it operates on cruise control freeing his clients up to have more freedom, make more money, have more fun and work fewer Fridays.
Known as the Profitability Coach, Geoff founded the Elite Business Institute and is one of a handful of Certified Advisory Board Chairs.
With a BEd and two MBAs, one in Business and one in International Business, Geoff has the knowledge and the expertise to create strategies that deliver results.
Julia Kuris
Julia Kuris works with self-published authors to create beautiful covers that sell. She is the founder of Sydney-based design and branding studio designerbility. Julia has designed covers for some of Australia’s leading authors and entrepreneurs as well as designing covers for Finch Publishing, an independent publishing house based in Sydney. She regularly speaks and teaches about cover design and is passionate about helping authors connect with their readers.
Karen Crombie
Previously a teacher of English, Literature, and Speech and Drama, editor Karen Crombie has a talent for both the written and spoken word. If she’s not busy editing a client’s work, she’s reading, voraciously, eagerly, constantly. If she can’t read a news article, magazine or book, she’ll resort to reading a pamphlet, poster or product wrapper. She can spot a spelling mistake across a crowded room and enjoys clever conversations, brilliant stories and groan-worthy puns.
Working at Buckingham Palace for the Queen was one of Karen’s most interesting challenges, as published by the Women’s Business Society.
Laura Piccardi
Laura Piccardi founded Uppy after her business burned down and she burned out. She worked her arse off for years trying to get to the top, but eventually her perfectionism, unrealistic expectations and need to be the best drove her to rock bottom.
Once Laura figured out how to operate differently, she qualified as an executive coach and spent years helping professional women change the way they think and behave, so they too could achieve real success while living more healthy, balanced and enjoyable lives.
Now she’s bringing all that together with her British sense of humour and passion for creative content, to cut through the BS of business, inspire women to walk their own paths, and get some serious stuff done while having fun.
www.uppy.com.au
Troy McKinna
Troy McKinna is the author of Brand Hustle – 4 Critical Foundations to Accelerate Brand Growth. Troy believes in the power of building brands because brands connect products and services with consumers. Brands strengthen P&Ls and drive growth. Brands attract the best talent and provide a beacon in the sea of choice. At his business, Agents of Spring, Troy builds brands by creating disruptive, consumer led products and services, by leveraging the creative problem solving framework. Troy helps organisations curiously seek out and creatively solve their customers most valuable problems. Problems, that once solved, create value for both consumers and organisations. The problems that motivate consumers to pay brands to solve. As a start-up entrepreneur and co-founder of Quest Beverages, he practices what he believes and is inspired by the journey of building the Calm & Stormy brand from nothing. A brand with a mission: Healthier people living on a healthier planet.
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