Aviation industry trailblazer and staunch advocate Adrianne Fleming OAM is the 2023 Kingston Woman of the Year.
Adrianne accepted the coveted award from Kingston Mayor Hadi Saab at the annual International Women’s Day (IWD) event at Kingston City Hall, which was hosted and led by Kingston’s female councillors and senior staff.
Cr Saab praised the remarkable work of all 38 of this year’s nominees. “These awards highlight the outstanding contribution that women make to Kingston’s industry, community, and society. All the nominees are leaders in their field, who inspire others and who make a difference to our community through their exceptional professional or personal achievements,” Cr Saab said.
The annual event, now in its fifth year, celebrates the remarkable contribution of women across all walks of our society and commitment to the IWD theme of #EmbraceEquity, with this year’s campaign focused on achieving gender equity and a truly inclusive world.
With such a strong group of nominees, award winners were also honoured across four categories: Courageous Commitment, Excelling in Art & Sport, Inspiring Innovation, Success in STEM.
To find out more about our winners and all the nominees, visit kingston.vic.gov.au/women-of-the-year
2023 Kingston Woman of the Year: Adrianne Fleming
Adrianne was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for service to aviation in 2016. She was appointed by the Deputy Prime Minister to the Future of Aviation Reference Panel and is currently a board member of both the Regional Aviation Association of Australia and the AMDA Foundation, with over 30 years of experience in the industry.
Adrianne’s leadership roles have also extended to a broad range of both aviation-related and community not-for-profit organisations like the Women in Aviation Australian Chapter, Australian Women Pilots’ Association, Moorabbin Airport Chamber of Commerce, Monash City Council’s Empowering Monash Women Steering Committee and more.
Courageous Commitment – Aunty Katrina Amon
A proud Quandamooka woman from the Noonuccal tribe, Aunty Katrina has over three decades of experience in the education sector and has been inspiring the community through her leadership and continued commitment to the Aboriginal community.
Aunty co-founded the Derrimut Weelam Gathering Place, which she has worked in along with the Kingston Koorie Mob and is also the Indigenous Development Manager at the St Kilda Football Club, helping support its Indigenous fraternity and educating the entire club through the enrichment of Indigenous culture.
Excelling in Art and Sport: Jess McKenna
Jess has played an integral part in the growth and development of the Mordy Flyers Basketball Club.
A passionate and exceptional basketballer herself, Jess played for the Melbourne Tigers as a junior and at 17 began volunteering as a coach for the Flyers, a role she continues today.
Jess is a strong advocate for women and girls in sport and enjoys supporting and mentoring them in their basketball development. She also positively contributes to the ongoing recruitment and development of young people.
Inspiring Innovation: Michelle Kornberg
Michelle has touched many lives through her work as a therapist, educator, and facilitator.
She has been a volunteer on the Crisis Support Line, Suicide Help Line and Mens’ Line Australia.
In 2011 she developed the Caring Mums Program powered by the National Council of Jewish Women Australia Vic. She has trained over 200 volunteers and matched over 600 mums with a Caring Mum. Since it began, the program has received over 700 referrals for women covering 42 different nationalities.
Her passion, understanding and acceptance of differences makes her an inspiring and motivational leader.
Success in STEM: Harini Karthikeyan
Harini is a Transformational Technology professional with more than two decades of software engineering experience. She has worked across the globe (India, China, UK, and Australia) for global companies such as Igate, Kodak, Carestream, and Telstra and delivered multi-million-dollar programs.
Harini now leads the Community of Excellence practice for Telstra and delivers complex IT transformation programs across the globe.
She is also the treasurer for STEM Incubators Inc, a charity focused on creating a thriving innovation platform for young Australians by providing them opportunities to learn critical thinking tools and skills to solve real world problems.
