2023 WA Award
The 2023 WA Pearcey Entrepreneur Award recipient is Pia Turcinov AM, General Partner and Director at FundWA. The Pearcey Award was part of the 32st WAITTA Incite Awards held at teh Westin Perth on Friday 11 August 2023.
Pia is highly regarded across the ICT, startup and investment industry in WA, and a key leader in the success of multiple local and international initiatives. She is an active board member and non-executive and executive director of several high-profile companies.
Presently, Pia is a Director at FundWA Pty Ltd, a venture capital fund focussed on backing Western Australian emerging technologies. Previously, she was a co-founder and former director of VentureX HQ Pty Ltd, founded in 2021 to support technology ventures particularly by women and female identifying people. Pia volunteers a significant amount of her time to nurturing and mentoring aspiring and established entrepreneurs, specifically women through the commercialisation and investment process.
Bob Cross, Chief Judge of WAITTA Incite Awards, commented:
WAITTA is proud to recognise Pia with the 2024 Pearcey Entrepreneur Award.
She is well known for her dedication, expertise, and tireless efforts to advance the field of ICT in WA. Her many roles include working with entrepreneurs (FundWA, VentureX HQ), contributing to WA ICT initiatives (Chair WITWA, Chair WA AustCyber Innovation Hub Chair) and helping the general WA community (Board member, speaker, mentor, panelist, and roundtable contributor).
Pia's passion, expertise, and commitment is a fine example of "taking a risk, making a difference, and being an inspiration".
Pia Turcinov AM
Pia Turcinov is a seasoned businesswoman, industry professional, thought leader, and active contributor to Western Australian ICT including innovation, health, science, cyber security, education and energy. Pia has accrued numerous achievements throughout her career spanning 30+ years. She is a strategic advisor to innovators, policy makers, and corporates; mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, specifically women as female founders and investors, and to early stage and growth business ventures. With qualifications in law and business management, as well as several years in corporate governance, Pia’s vast experiences cover the private, not-for-profit and government sectors holding numerous senior positions within industry over the years.
Pia launched her career in Sydney as a corporate lawyer, later practising in Western Australia where she lives with her family and fur-baby, Neo. A graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) Pia started her journey in Law (LLB), Arts, German, and Psychology at the University of New South Wales, obtaining Legal Studies certification from the Sydney University of Technology, and later Curtin University Growth Manager Program - Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations.
In innovation, Pia has worked as a facilitator of the Entrepreneurs’ Programme, connecting businesses to a national network of more than 100 experienced Advisers and Facilitators, provides business support and advice to help businesses commercialise novel products, processes and services. As well as improve their productivity and competitiveness. Additionally, Pia was the Innovative Regions Facilitator WA for the Innovative Regions Centre, Enterprise Connect Division for the Commonwealth Department of Innovation in 2010; and in 2015, Pia worked with Deloitte as the WA Business Facilitator - Entrepreneurs' Programme.
In regional development, Pia worked as the Executive Officer at the Innovation Centre of Western Australia in Technology Park. A Committee Member of Regional Development Australia (RDA) Perth, part of the Regional Development Australia Network - an Australian Government initiative that aims to bring together all levels of government to enhance the growth and development of regional Australia – Pia focused on creating strategic partnerships between governments, regional development organisations, local businesses, community groups and key regional stakeholders to provide targeted responses to economic, environmental and social issues affecting the Perth Region.
In security, Pia is currently a member of Edith Cowan University's Governing Council and Council Member and Deputy Chair of the Quality Audit and Risk Committee. She is Chair of the Industry Advisory Board of the WA AustCyber Innovation Hub (WAACIH) headquartered at Edith Cowan University in Joondalup. WAACIH is part of the AustCyber National Network of Cyber Security Innovation nodes which fosters and accelerates cyber capability development, innovation, and commercialisation across Australia.
At the Board level, Pia's previous positions include Board Member of Landgate; Non-Executive Director (NED) at the National Energy Resources Australia (NERA); Industry Advisory Board Member of the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering at the University of Western Australia; and Industry Advisory Board Member for the Centre for Innovative Practice, School of Business and Law, and the Curtin Graduate School of Business. Pia is the new Chair of the East Metropolitan Health Service (EMHS) Board, replacing outgoing Chair, Ian Smith, PSM, effective 1 January 2023 with Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson announcing the appointment, stating that "Pia brings valuable expertise across a diverse range of fields - from information technology and business development to women's network organisations - knowledge that will continue to benefit the functions of the Board.” Pia was first appointed to the EMHS Board on 1 July 2020 before reappointed and designated Deputy Chair on 1 July 2022.
In the community, from State Manager of the Starlight Children's Foundation Australia in 2007 to the EMHS Board, Pia is an exceptional contributor to the broader community, empowering, influencing, and inspiring members across ages, genders, industries and geographies. Pia is critical to the management of EMHS teams delivering a combination of tertiary, secondary and specialist health care services including emergency and critical care, state trauma, elective and emergency surgery, general medical, mental health, inpatient and outpatient services, aged care, palliative care, rehabilitation and women’s, children’s and neonates’ services.
Pia's passion for entrepreneurship and innovation connects Australian smarts to the world.
Press
- BusinessNews (Aug 2023)
- LinkedIn (Aug 2023)
