These strong-minded women have battled a raft of challenges such as cancer diagnoses while running businesses alone, losing family members just as they open new venues and enduring seemingly endless lockdowns and natural disasters.
The ABIA awards were launched in 2011 to award excellence in business and creative ability on a state-by-state basis. Winners were judged by more than 30 local and international make-up artists, stylists and industry expert judges at a Gala night in Sydney on Sunday.
These are the stories of the NSW winners and finalists.
Skin Correctives – Shellharbour and Wollongong
Awards won: Australian salon or spa of the year (four treatment rooms or less) and NSW/ACT salon or spa of the year (four treatment rooms or less), salon team of the year
Karen Meiring de Gonzalez has been in the beauty industry for 30 years, opening her first business in South Africa in 1992.
After an exciting few years working on cruise ships as a spa manager (where she met and married her husband), she settled on land and a mandatory 5-day skin course she did while being a spa manager in Johannesburg sparked her love for the skin industry.
Since becoming the founder, owner and director of Skin Correctives, Ms Meiring de Gonzalez’s team has won a huge 28 local and national awards.
She said they were grateful for these opportunities to shine, especially when she looks back at her struggles of migrating to Australia and opening a business during the 2009 global financial crisis.
“I always draw strength from this experience and knowledge that I will get through whatever challenges come my way in business and in life,” she said.
“I keep learning and love the journey.”
This article was shortened and was originally published by Clare Sibthorpe in The Daily Telegraph / Southern Courier, 22nd August 2022
by