Meet the Westpac Female Founder Finalists for 2026

Jasmine Kostas
01:00pm August 06 2026

A gap, a frustration, a problem no one else was solving. Meet the inaugural Westpac Female Founder finalists leveraging their lived experiences into innovative businesses across the country. (Image: Supplied) 

Ask any of this year’s Westpac Female Founder finalists where their business began, and you’ll hear a version of the same story: ‘something was broken, there was a gap, so I fixed it.’

 

A nurse who spent decades watching CPR training fail to prepare people for the real thing, so she built a better mannequin. A Navy veteran who wore protective gear that was never actually made for her body, so she designed her own. A psychologist who watched waitlists grow and children fall through the cracks, so she built an AI platform to catch them.

 

This is the thread connecting this year’s Westpac Female Founder Awards finalists, fifteen women who saw a problem and built the solution they wished already existed.

 

It matters because the numbers tell an uncomfortable story. Westpac research shows 70 per cent of female business leaders believe it’s harder for women to secure funding than men.

 

That challenge inspired Westpac’s start-up and scale-up loan offering, but as Paul Fowler, Westpac’s Chief Executive, Business & Wealth, points out, capital is only part of the equation.

 

“We’re proud to have lent more than $1 billion to over 2,100 women starting or growing a business,” says Fowler. “But recognition matters too. These awards were launched to shine a spotlight on women building remarkable businesses and creating positive change.”

 

“The response to this year's awards was extraordinary and the stories behind the applications were remarkable,” said Tamara Bryden, Managing Director of Business Lending at Westpac. 

 

“The finalists span industries as diverse as healthcare, agriculture, technology, manufacturing, clean energy, retail and financial services.

 

"Some are just beginning their growth journey. Others have spent years building businesses that now employ Australians, export internationally and create positive change in their communities.”

 

Meet the finalists

 

Thrive
The Thrive category recognises businesses that have stood the test of time, adapted and continued to grow.

 

  • Abby Crawford, Australian Power Equipment: built a significant business supplying power and infrastructure solutions to organisations across mining, infrastructure and renewable energy.

  • Cassandra Spies, Twisted Healthy Treats: turned better-for-you frozen desserts into one of Australia's fastest-growing treat brands, manufactured in her own Sydney facility.

  • Kellee Eriksson, Little Human Linens: an emergency nurse and mother of four turning safe-sleep expertise into a trusted bedding brand for families.

  • Melinda Farley, Kollektive: nearly two decades supplying baby and children's products; her patented Flexisuit onesie grows with the child, cutting cost and textile waste.

  • Michelle Kvello, Lantern Partners: helps founders navigate growth, expansion and business sales, using a proprietary Financial Health Check to identify challenges and guide smarter decisions.

 

Trailblazer

The Trailblazer category celebrates founders who are already disrupting their industries in the early stages of business.

 

  • Elysia Krstevski, Meke Baby: launched Australia's first portable milk warmer, now a full ecosystem of feeding solutions for busy parents.

  • Katy O'Connell, CPR Clancy: over three decades as a nurse educator and CPR trainer, led her to design a more realistic interactive CPR training mannequin to improve emergency outcomes.

  • Jessica Armstrong, FUCA Skincare: created a low-tox skincare range for sensitive skin after her own cancer diagnosis, building a community for survivors along the way.

  • Leah Kaslar, Djookian: built a business delivering sustainable temporary power solutions to major industries while creating pathways for women and Indigenous Australians in the sector.

  • Emily Pyke, Undatech: former Navy officer addressing a long-overlooked gap in safety equipment by designing protective apparel for women in defence, emergency services and high-risk industries.

 

Greater Good

The Greater Good category celebrates founders building businesses that create meaningful social impact alongside commercial success.

 

  • Lucy Keogh, Tap the Gap: helping women grow their superannuation through everyday spending and education, making wealth-building simpler and addressing Australia's gender retirement savings gap through a behavioural lens.

  • Dr Louise Metcalf, Gheorg: drawing on three decades as a psychologist to create an AI-powered platform that helps children navigate anxiety, stress and neurodiversity challenges, making support more accessible.

  • Melisha Sirisena, Kids Hearing: drawing on her experience as a paediatric audiologist, she founded Kids Hearing to integrate hearing assessments directly into schools, supporting teachers, improving access to hearing care for students to identify concerns earlier, and guiding children, families and schools with the support needed to improve learning, development and wellbeing. 

  • Ruby Riethmuller, Womn-Kind: creating the support system she wished she'd had growing up, helping girls and gender-diverse young people build confidence, connection and resilience through wellbeing and leadership programs.

  • Kelly Johnson, Woodlane Pantry: transforming surplus produce into affordable, nutritious meals that support farmers, families and regional communities.

 

Winners Announcement

Category winners take home $10,000 each, plus their choice of coaching, media training or mentoring. 

 

And one outstanding finalist will be named Founder of the Year, winning $30,000 and a national advertising campaign for their business. 

 

Winners are announced in late August, 2026. 

Don't miss

Related articles

Their business was hit by a cyclone - so they invested

By Editorial Team

Luci's Lookout: Plan for resilience

By Luci Ellis
Chief Economist, Westpac

Meyer Food Co triples equity after $20m switch

By Editorial Team

Browse topics