The Minister for Women, Tanya Davies announced the finalists of the awards on Friday.  A panel of leading NSW women have named four women finalists in each of seven categories. They were selected from hundreds of nominations.

Juliet Duffy achieved the honour of finalist in both the Regional Woman of the Year and Business Woman of the year.

“A huge congratulation to each of the remarkable women nominated this year, who are without a doubt worthy contenders for these prestigious awards. Their personal stories of sacrifice, hard work and success are truly inspiring,” Mrs Davies said.

While the finalists are chosen by leading NSW women, the winner is selected by popular vote. Voting for the Regional Woman of the Year is at http://bit.ly/2C7sor8 and for Business Woman of the year http://bit.ly/2EPsZR6.

Winners will be announced at the awards breakfast ceremony at the International Convention Centre in Sydney on March 8, which is International Women’s Day.

Juliet started Regional Enviroscience, an occupational health and safety consultancy, nine years ago out of her rental-property garage in Dubbo. Now Juliet, still the director, employs over 23 local people and provides serious career opportunities for both young and mature-aged workers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).

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The success of Juliet's organisation has meant significant employment and economic gains for regional NSW. Importantly, it has also made the community safer by improving its access to occupational hygiene expertise.

Juliet holds a Master of Sustainable Management from the University of Sydney and has been managing asbestos, hazardous materials and environmental issues since 1988, when the first national code was implemented. Seen as an expert, particularly in the field of naturally occurring asbestos, Juliet is a speaker at industry conferences nationally and internationally and frequently travels NSW educating government organisations.