IT was a warm summer evening, with the sun setting and a gentle breeze blowing across the Swan River as the helicopters descended with the VIPs.
With the city lights in the background, guests assembled for pre-dinner drinks by the foreshore at Sir James Mitchell Park.
That was the setting for the 2011 40under40 Awards, which marked the 10th anniversary of this prestigious awards program.
Innovative venues has been one the defining features of the 40under40 Awards, which in prior years have been held at the front steps of Parliament House, in the hold of an Austal ferry, in the loading dock of the Perth Convention Exhibition Centre, and in the half-completed 100 St Georges Terrace building.
The 2011 black-tie event featured a sit-down dinner for 800 guests under the stars, including former winners Azure Capital’s Mark Barnaba, iiNet’s Michael Malone, Atlas Iron’s David Flanagan, and last year’s winner, Bannister Downs Dairy’s Suzanne Daubney.
The 2011 winners came from diverse industries and backgrounds, including Tim Purcell and James Taylor from Port Hedland, Shane Coote from Exmouth and Michael Chester and Merrill Dalgleish from Geraldton.
The finale of the night was the naming of internet entrepreneur Zhenya Tsvetnenko as the 2011 First Amongst Equals winner.
His prizes included a crystal trophy supplied by Tiffany & Co and a business class return trip to one of Haneda (Tokyo), Munich or Houston, courtesy of Singapore Airlines.
