MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release
18 November 2018
2018 Women of Influence Award winner is entrepreneur Suzi Dafnis
Entrepreneur, media personality and CEO of HerBusiness, Suzi Dafnis has been announced the winner of the Women of Influence Award by one of the country’s most influential business groups.
The Hellenic Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HACCI) named Dafnis the winner of this award at the 2018 HACCI Excellence Awards on Friday night, which celebrated the best and brightest of the Hellenic Australian community.
This Award recognises outstanding achievement by a woman that demonstrates the leadership qualities of tenacity, dedication, selfles’sness and the courage to stand out from the crowd and make a positive difference in the lives of others.
Dafnis is known for her contribution to the business landscape in Australia. She has headed HerBusiness (formerly known as the Australian Businesswomen’s Network) for the past 23 years.
“I’m honoured to be recognised by this community,” she says. “Increasingly, I’m seeing the business world recognise the contribution of business owners who are first or second generation migrants. It’s this cultural diversity in small business in Australia that has become the backbone of the economy so I’m very excited that this is being acknowledged.”
In addition to her work with HerBusiness, which has educated and mentored thousands of small business owners across Australia through its innovative online and live programs, Dafnis is also known for her work as co-founder of Pow Wow Events.
This company played spearheaded the growth of the personal development industry in Australia. Dafnis and her partner Peter Johnston grew this into a multi-million dollar business producing hundreds of events and educational programs for more than 250,000 people throughout Australia and New Zealand, and the USA “” featuring world-renowned thought leaders, such as Robert Cialdini, Robert Kiyosaki and Blair Singer.
She also co-founded a publishing company that published and sold more than 1.25 million books, including the #1 Best-selling Rich Dad, Poor Dad books by Robert Kiyosaki.
A former BRW Rich Lister from 2003 to 2007, Dafnis is also the recipient of multiple awards including:
- Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards
- Telstra Businesswomen’s Awards
- Top 10 Business Leaders Online (BrandData)
- Best Australian Blogs Award for HerBusiness Blog (Winner)
- City of Sydney Business Awards (Winner)
- LearnX – Best Online Mentoring Program (Winner)
Suzi was also a judge on Channel 7’s Dragons’ Den, the precursor to today’s Shark Tank.
“I’m thrilled that there are awards that celebrate the contribution of women in the business community,” says Dafnis, who is a mentor to many business owners. “I’m inspired by them every day. If I can empower women to believe in themselves and have the confidence to pursue their dreams through our mentoring or training programs, that’s what makes everything I do so worthwhile.”
