A bigger wall?

A bigger wall?

‘Life balance’ helps drive extraordinary entrepreneur

She has founded two highly successful businesses and already has a plethora of awards to demonstrate her success as an entrepreneur.

Now My Food Bag Group CEO Cecilia Robinson needs to find more room on her office wall after taking out the Business and Innovation category at the annual NEXT Woman of the Year Awards for 2014.

Ms Robinson and her businesses have gained a host of awards in only two years but the Swedish-born entrepreneur says that’s not why she is in business.

“I am passionate about changing people’s lives and My Food Bag and Au Pair Link does that. Taking the daily stress away from ‘what are we having for dinner’ and enabling families to eat a healthy and delicious meal together is a real way of doing that.

“I feel the NEXT award helps to endorse the legitimacy of that philosophy. It also acknowledges the huge role my team have played in making Au Pair Link and My Food Bag the successes they are.”

The award judges say Cecilia is “…a stellar achiever (who) combines strong values with business nous…” and “…is a wonderful role model…for young women who aspire to be trailblazers…”

Cecilia Robinson came to New Zealand at age 20 and founded Au Pair link in 2007, eventually the first agency of its type to be accredited by the Ministry of Education. Today Au Pair Link places 1000 au pairs in New Zealand each year and is the biggest au pair agency in Australasia.

In 2013 Robinson launched My Food Bag, a food home delivery service where customers order online to receive food bags containing the ingredients and recipes for a week’s main meals.

To say My Food Bag has been a winner is a major understatement. In a little longer than 18 months it has expanded from Auckland to provide its service in Wellington, Hamilton and the greater Waikato and the Bay of Plenty. It has more than 10,000 Kiwi customers on its books.

Robinson herself moved to Sydney in May to establish My Food Bag in Australia.

The business turns over more than $30 million a year and plans to expand further both in New Zealand and Australia and is expected to double this fantastic achievement in the next year.

Awards
· Cecilia Robinson: 2014 Business & Innovation Award, Next Woman of the Year Awards; 2013 EY Young Entrepreneur of the Year award; Her Business Woman of the Year 2012

· Au Pair Link: 2013 Kenexa Best Workplaces Survey; Best Newcomer and Best SME Awards, Her Business Woman of the Year Awards 2012

· My Food Bag: 2014, Judges’ Choice, TVNZ Marketing Awards.

Ends

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