Automotive dealer wins the race at the Telstra Western Australian Business Women's Awards

Mrs Knipe took out the top award at Thursday night's ceremony, also winning the Western Australian Medium & Large Business Award.

Operating three motor vehicle dealerships in the Wheatbelt region, Mrs Knipe holds a vision to establish her businesses as the leading car dealerships for female car-buyers.

Working in a traditionally male-dominated environment, she was the first female dealer principal for Nissan and Mitsubishi in Western Australia and the first female dealer principal for Isuzu nationally.

Speaking to the Avon Valley and Wheatbelt Advocate Mrs Knipe said she hopes as a female in the motor vehicle industry she brings a different attitude.

"Our team is quite diverse," she said.

"I think that's because as a woman you're in a minority group yourself so you are in a bit of an affiliation with other minorities.

"A lot of those traditional aspects of the motor vehicle industry I don't really take on board.

"I've got a higher quota when it comes to female sales people, female staff.

"I've got staff that range from 17 to 70.

"I've got one employee who is part of disability services.

"Being non-traditional in a traditional role brings you a non-traditional role to doing business."

More than 8000 nominations were received. 

In her award acceptance speech Mrs Knipe spoke of how she hopes to be a role model to her four teenage sons. 

"I'd like to thank my husband and my four boys," she said,

"I'd like to thank my w"ork colleagues, my staff and the amazing group of other women in my community who act as a great network and support system.

"As the mother of four boys I've always been acutely aware that I have a responsibility to set them a role model of a strong and relevant woman.

"In so doing I hope that the future women in their lives; their daughters and their wives, will benefit from husbands and fathers that help them to reckognise their ideals and realise that they can achieve anything that they set their minds too."

Mrs Knipe said she no longer feels like an impostor among other successful women. 

"I think a lot of women in business suffer with impostor syndrome," she said.

"For me that kicked in big time during this process.

"When I looked at previous finalists and the strong competition I immediately defaulted to thinking 'I'm not as accomplished as the others. I'm just a chick selling cars'."

"I think as women in business that is something we need to overcome to ensure a better future for all women."

Telstra Regional Australia executive Janet Barnes congratulated Mrs Knipe and the other Western Australian winners, who she said are all inspiring examples of leaders who are challenging the status quo within and beyond their industries.

"Mrs Knipe has done extraordinary work for the automotive industry as well as being a powerful mentor for successful local business women in the future," she said.

"By employing a majority of women, not only has she fostered a sense of inclusion within the industry, she has also cultivated impressive growth for the business."

Also recognised at the 2019 Telstra Western Australian Business Women's Award were:

For 24 years, the Telstra Business Women's Awards have recognised and celebrated the outstanding achievements of Australian women in business.

All 2019 State and Territory winners will be invited to Sydney for the National Awards judging on Wednesday, May 15.

The national winners will then be announced at a dinner celebration on Thursday, May 16.