Karen Lebsanft, Co-Founder and CEO of Kurrajong Kitchen – makers of the popular Lavosh flatbread products – has taken a top gong at the 2023 Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards.
Officially announced winner of the Manufacturing category at the Awards’ glittering National Presentation Evening Gala Event held at the newly-built Western Sydney Conference Centre on Saturday 23 September 2023, Karen was also a Finalist for the title of 2023 Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Icon.
Awards Founder and Managing Director of Precedent Productions, Steve Loe, said there’s no doubting the rising success of female-led small businesses from all corners of this country,
“Just as the Matildas shone during this year’s World Cup, attracting the nation’s admiration and highlighting the positive contribution of women in sport, the Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards programme has been specifically created to shine a spotlight on the rising economic and social contributions of women in small business,” Loe continued.
Now 30 years since its inception, with Karen at the helm as CEO, Kurrajong Kitchen is a manufacturing powerhouse.
Upon accepting the prestigious accolade before almost 1000 guests of the Awards event, Karen referenced the unprecedented manufacturing challenges of Covid-19 lockdowns, urging fellow small businesswomen to “choose Australian-manufactured products whenever possible.”
This year marks the second consecutive year of the Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards – a prestigious and comprehensive programme that celebrates the growing number of Australia’s most inspiring and influential women in small business.
According to Australian Government data: of the 3.3 million small businesses operating in Australia today, more than one-third are run by women and by all accounts, that figure is soaring.
Data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics during 2022 shows a 46 per cent jump in women business owners during the past two decades.