The boss of a Queensland aged care facility was last night announced as the 2019 Telstra Australian Business Woman of the Year. NewDirection Care chief executive, Natasha Chadwick, crowning capped of a remarkable year.

It came after she was won this year’s Telstra Queensland Business Woman of the Year and winning the Medium and Large Business Awards for the world’s first “microtown”.

At the national awards ceremony in Sydney on Thursday night, Telstra’s group executive of Transformation and People Alex Badenoch congratulated Ms Chadwick on her award.

“Ms Chadwick has a strong vision for a sector that desperately needs change,” Ms Badenoch said.

“Her model disrupts the status quo and addresses an issue that is gaining national attention. She leads this change with grit, resilience and compassion.”

For the past seven years Ms Chadwick has created a new approach to aged care with a microtown residential community – located in Bellmere in the Moreton Bay region of Queensland.

The community cares for the elderly, replacing aged and nursing care facilities with a village of homes.

Residents live in share houses and are supported by staff with access to services including shops, cafes, cinemas and beauty salons.

Also winning an award last night were fellow Queensland business owner Dushyanthi Thangiah, CEO of Yumba-Meta Housing Association, which won the For Purpose and Social Enterprise Award; NSW company Bus Stop Films, which won the Emerging Leader Award; Western Australian business KAS Accounting Solutions, which won the Small Business Award; and Queensland’s Debbie Platz from the Australian Federal Police who won the Public Sector and Academia Award.

News Corp Australia is an official partner of the Telstra Women’s Business Awards.