Peter Prendiville has been named Australia’s 2017 Champion of Entrepreneurship at the EY Entrepreneur of the Year National Finals. Photo: EY.
The University of Notre Dame Australia’s Chancellor, Peter Prendiville, has been named Australia’s 2017 Champion of Entrepreneurship, recognising his 35-year commitment to business development and philanthropy in Western Australia.
The award was presented to Mr Prendiville at the EY Entrepreneur of the Year National Finals in Melbourne on 1 November.
As Chairman of family-owned business, Prendiville Group, Mr Prendiville oversees a portfolio of hotels and resorts, wineries and roadhouses. He is also a former Chairman of The Board of Tourism WA.
Mr Prendiville was the architect of the hugely successful Polo in the Valley event held annually in the Swan Valley region since 2010. The event has raised more than $800,000 for the not-for-profit organisation Youth Focus – a group that supports young Western Australians at risk of suicide, depression, anxiety and self-harm.
Mr Prendiville’s association with Notre Dame goes back to 1989 when he became a founding Director and Trustee of the Fremantle Campus. He was involved in establishing both the Broome and Sydney Campuses before his appointment as Chancellor in April 2016.
“The advice I would give to aspiring entrepreneurs would be to find a space, carve out a niche and have an implementation plan,” Mr Prendiville said.
“With the advancement of technology and an overly saturated market, tomorrow’s entrepreneurs need to create a unique position, and one that says ‘you’re relevant’.”
Mr Prendiville was also the winner of the Business Award at the Western Australian of the Year Awards in 2015.