Class of 2006 inspires through achievement

Now in its fifth year, the WA Business News 40under40 program continues to amaze and astound all those involved with the diversity and calibre of talent that is uncovered each year.

This year we had a record 185 nominations.

The process of selecting the most worthy 40 entries in such a strong field was a daunting and challenging task for the 17 judges.

The judges, all leaders in their respective fields, come from very diverse backgrounds in industry, commerce and academia. This has served the program well and ensured that there is no bias towards any particular industry sector.

Each of the judges invested a considerable amount of their personal time and energy. We are indebted to them all for helping making the 40under40 program the success it is and we offer our sincere thanks and appreciation.

Each year, we as judges are amazed at what young Western Australian individuals have been able to achieve in their relatively short careers. In fact, one of the joys of participating in the judging process is being able to get across such a positive and inspiring group of people.

Many of the entries are inspirational stories in themselves. Success did not come by chance or good luck.

The 40under40 winners grasp the opportunity, have passion, commitment and a steely determination to succeed. Many had to overcome incredible obstacles, including making mistakes and even experiencing initial failures.

But despite that they were able to bounce back and learn from mistakes with total confidence and self-belief.

Furthermore, despite an incredibly demanding workload, many still found time to give something back to the community.

Some of the companies founded by our winners have gone beyond our state borders and have developed a national and international presence. Our isolation as a state, as well as our current unique economic circumstances, buoyed by a seemingly insatiable demand for our resources, is a fertile environment for innovation and enterprise.

Our 40under40 winners have not been backward in grasping the opportunities these circumstances offer. 

Our 40 winners are an outstanding group of individuals.

We all benefit from role models and mentors as we strive to grow as a society and as a business community.

The 40under40 class of 2006 is at an age where they can still make a huge impact, as well as influence others by their leadership and example.

We hope that by shining the spotlight on this amazing group of people their success will inspire and motivate.

With such a great pool of emerging talent we can all look forward with confidence to the future.

The winners this year, and those of the previous four years, demonstrate that our state not only has the physical resources for success, but also the people with the broad and deep skills to navigate the way in an increasingly global business environment.

I wish all these 40 winners and their predecessors all the best with their future endeavours.