Colan Australia, the country’s sovereign manufacturer of engineered industrial textiles, recently celebrated its 70th anniversary with a gathering of the composites industry at its Huntingwood headquarters.
This 58th edition of the Connection magazine celebrates International Women’s Day on 8th March 2022 by featuring articles on women leaders in the composites sector.
ATL Composites (ATL) was founded on the transformative use of liquid epoxy formulations for timber boats and, subsequently, for a wide range of liquid and filled systems used in multiple industries including high performance marine applications. And at the tiller of this remarkable Australian company is the remarkable Lorraine Duckworth.
In 2008, Leona made the pivotal decision to leave her secure job to take over her father’s composite fabricating business along with her brother John. Leona admits that “To have grown the business from a small family company to a national manufacturing enterprise is an achievement which has brought me significant career satisfaction.”
Genelle Coghlan is a materials geek. She loves the art of engineering purpose and performance into roll goods, tapes and braids, and pushing the limits of fibre compositions for enabling end-use applications in diverse manufacturing markets, be they composites, ballistic, filtration, industrial, hygiene, transport, infrastructure, motorsports and leisure.
Aquatic Leisure Technologies (ALT), Australia’s largest swimming pool manufacturer. At the helm of this extraordinary company is Lynley Papineau. While Lynley describes herself as “focussed and results orientated,” others call her a powerhouse.
From hand laminating, polishing plugs, grinding and trimming, there are few jobs that Krystyna hasn’t done in the company’s journey from a $50 start-up to employing over 70 people manufacturing products for the mining, transport, construction, chemical, defence, recreational and building industries.
Sharon Swan is competitive, in business as in life. She’s a champion rally co-driver and had a career in the timber industry before founding Toowoomba-based LSM Advanced Composites with her husband and co-Director, Liam Mahoney. Twenty five years later, the adventure of making lightweight high-performance carbon fibre composites clearly hasn’t waned.
Kerryn Caulfield, Executive Director of Composites Australia is one of the eight women featured in the 58 Edition of the Connection magazine whose achievements deserve to be acknowledged and celebrated.
