Canberra United 2013 Business, Women and Sport luncheon. Register now!
Canberra United and partners are pleased to announce, for another year, the 2013 Business, Women and Sport luncheon.
We invite you to join us for a delicious lunch and enjoy an afternoon of engaging and motivational stories from some of the region-s most inspirational sports and business women.
The event will be held on Friday 1st February at the Ann Harding Centre, University of Canberra. Guests will be welcomed by Senator Kate Lundy, then hear from Charlotte Anneveld (Canberra Meteors), Nithya Sambasivam (Goodman Law), Susan Powell (Paralympic Champion), Heather Reid (CEO Canberra United and Capital Football) and Maria Efkapidis (Rock Development Group).
For further information on the lunch or to purchase a ticket or table of 7 please contact Cassie Behrens, Events Manager Canberra United on events@capitalfootball.com.au or (02) 6175 7106. Tickets are limited!
Charlottle Anneveld
Cricket ACT Events and Sponsorship Manager, former Canberra Meteors player, Ambassador – Sport for Women Day
Charlotte grew up in Sydney and started playing cricket at the age of 13 in the backyard and in the school team, Cheltenham Girls High. Soon after Charlotte was chosen in a NSW Schoolgirls team to tour the UK and Ireland alongside a boys NSW team that included current Australian captain Michael Clarke. Soon after Charlotte played in NSW underage teams captaining both NSW U17 and U19 and winning national titles. Post school Charlotte studied a Bachelor of PDHPE and worked as a teacher for 4 years in Sydney. She was a member of the NSW Breakers for 9 seasons where she won 5 WNCL titles and during the off season Charlotte travelled to England to play county cricket over a 5 year period.
For the past 4 seasons Charlotte has been a member of the ACT Meteors team and has enjoyed selection in the T20 World Cup Squad and the Australian Squad. She has also played for the Australia A team against England. Charlotte currently works for Cricket ACT as Sponsorship and Events Manager
Nithya Sambasivam
Solicitor at Goodman Law, ACT Law Society Young Lawyer of the Year 2012 and President – Women Lawyers Association of the ACT
Nithya graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws in 2007, and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice in 2008, all from the Australian National University. While at ANU, Nithya was an active participant in the undergraduate community, including being elected to the role of General Secretary of the ANU Students- Association in 2006. She was admitted as a solicitor in 2008 and has since worked in the areas of corporate law and commercial litigation. At Goodman Law, Nithya specialises in commercial and corporate matters, including corporate governance and advisory, commercial litigation and drafting, and PPSR and other compliance advice. Nithya-s professional achievements include serving as an active member of the ACT Law Society-s Dispute Resolution Committee. When she joined the committee in 2010 she was the only young lawyer member. On behalf of the that Committee, she convened a seminar aimed at educating young lawyers like herself about alternative dispute resolution processes in the ACT. In 2012, Nithya was named the ACT Law Society Young Lawyer of the Year for 2012. The award recognises the professional achievements and community involvement of outstanding young lawyers in the Canberra region.
She is also President of the Women Lawyers Association of the ACT where she has led several initiatives, such as creating a new website and Facebook page to engage young lawyers and law students, reintroducing mentor breakfast seminars to connect young lawyers with senior practitioners, and conducting the first Junior Lawyers Pay and Conditions Survey. As a complement to her legal career, Nithya has sat on the boards of several local companies, as both Director and Company Secretary. She describes the experience of sitting on these boards as an opportunity that young lawyers rarely experience, and which gave her an appreciation for the mechanics of running small to medium businesses in Canberra. In addition to her professional pursuits, Nithya is a member of the YWCA of Canberra, and has assisted in running the Reclaim the Night march, an event which raises awareness of sexual violence against women.
Susan Powell
Paralympic champion, ACT Sports Athlete of the Year 2012, UC Reseacher
Dr Susan Powell, (Sue) is a research fellow at the University of Canberra-s Institute for Applied Ecology, with a Bachelors of Applied Science, a Masters and PhD of Environmental Science. Sue recently received the 2012 ACT Sportstar of the Year Award for her achievements as a cyclist at the 2012 London Paralympic Games – it-s the second consecutive year that she has received this prize. Sue became a Paralympic champion by claiming Australia-s first gold medal of last year-s Games in the C4 3km individual pursuit – as well as breaking the world record qualifying for the event. She then went on to top her performance off with a silver medal in the C4 time trial.
Back in 2007 Sue suffered a spinal cord injury playing hockey, which left her with permanent nerve damage that affected the movement in her right leg. Sue initially began cycling to improve her fitness for hockey but after the hockey accident she found she could still participate in cycling and surprised herself by qualifying for the Australian Paracycling team in 2009. Since then Sue has won 4 World Championships in road and track events and is the current world champion on the road in both road race and road time trial. Sue manages her research with training through the ACT Academy of Sport (ACTAS), which involves riding up to four hours a day, as well as two gym sessions a week.
Maria Efkapidis
Marketing Director, Rock Development Group (Rock DG)
Rock Development Group (Rock DG) is a family business that primarily manages and strengthens various property portfolios. As a Director of Rock DG, Maria is specifically involved with managing commercial property owned by the business whilst actively seeking new business ventures to align with the fundamental nature of the company. Rock DG-s current project, loop, is valued at $130 million and will work towards creating a sustainable community in the heart of the Belconnen, with the Belconnen Fresh Food Markets sitting at the core of the precinct.
Maria has for a long time worked in a family business and has witness the many facets and changes inherent with such an establishment. As a youth, Maria begun working in her father-s Shop – Rite and Cannons Supermarkets initially as floor staff and then progressing to assisting in the installation and maintenance of all computer systems in Cannons stores. Maria then moved on to become the Operations and Promotions Manager at the newly acquired Belconnen Fresh Food Markets (BFFM). Maria began her current role as a Director of Rock DG in 2005. Maria enjoys her day-to-day work life which is heavily rooted in the marketing and business development aspect of the company, promoting and managing a range of properties including Belconnen Fresh Food Markets and loop. During her time in this role, Maria has implemented an assortment of health programs for schools which have been rolled through the Belconnen Fresh Food Markets which include, but are not limited to – School Market tours, Teen Chefs, Healthy Hoops and most recently the loop raiders recess program.
One of Maria-s greatest achievements to date was the establishment of the Tom Efkarpidis Foundation (TEF). The TEF is a not-for-profit organisation founded in honour of her late Father-s legacy of caring and helping the community. Maria is the Chairman of the foundation and manages the foundation at present. The TEF supports two of Canberra-s special schools, Lifeline Canberra and the Starlight Foundation just to name a few. Maria is very passionate about the Foundation and hopes to further to assist the Canberra community with new and innovative ideas that will be rolled over the next couple of years. Maria was also awarded the President-s Medal in 2011 from the prestigious Australian Institute of Architects.
Heather Reid
CEO Capital Football and Canberra United
Heather Reid has been instrumental in forming, developing and promoting opportunities for women and girls in sport and physical activity, predominantly through football (soccer) since 1978. She has a sound knowledge of the cultural, social and political complexities of the Australian sport industry. Heather has worked in management and consultancy positions for organisations such as Women-s Soccer Australia, Womensport Australia and the Australian Sports Commission and was a lecturer in sport management at the University of Canberra. Since 2004, she has been the CEO of the ACT Football Federation (Capital Football) and is in her fifth year wearing a second hat as CEO of Canberra United – the 2011/12 Westfield W-League (undefeated) champions. She is the only female in such positions and is the longest serving CEO of a Member Federation under Football Federation Australia.
She has led the integration of all aspects of football in Canberra with more than 18,000 male, female, junior, indoor and outdoor players along with hundreds of referees and coaches. In addition, she has implemented three strategic plans and several model programs relating to mentoring, high performance and activities for people with a disability. Heather was awarded the Australian Sports Medal in 2000 and in 2006 received the Margaret Pewtress Ausport Award for advancing opportunities for women in sport. She completed a Graduate Diploma in Sport Management in 2007 and was inducted into the FFA Australia Hall of Fame later that year. Most recently, she has been appointed to the Board of the Asian Cup 2015 Local Organising Committee which is headed up by FFA and Asian Cup chairman, Mr Frank Lowy. As Canberra will host six games and a quarter final for that tournament, Heather will also be an integral part of the Local Steering Committee. With the support of an Australian Sports Commission leadership grant, she completed the Australian Institute of Company Directors and graduated in November last year.
