Mark Newbold, who qualified for the finals after winning the western region’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the products category, established Strategic Marine in 2001 with the goal of launching a global shipbuilding company.

His company now employs around 1,800 staff at its shipyards in , , and , and has signed more than 120 orders worth over US$230 million in the past year alone.

 “It is personally gratifying to win this award,” said Mr Newbold.

“But it is important to realise that the company could not have achieved this in such a short space of time without the whole-hearted support of my fellow-Directors, our senior management, Strategic Marine staff and their families.

“I pay tribute to everyone who has contributed to this success,” he said.

The company’s giant Vietnamese yard at Ba-Riang Vung Tau, which is fully equipped with the facilities and technology to build large, purpose-designed steel vessels, has already won US$60 million worth of orders within just 18 months of its start-up.

The shipbuilder has recently doubled the capacity and size of its yard to cope with increasing demand from the offshore sector, as well as opening its new yard in .

In the past nine months, Strategic Marine has won the Australian Chamber of Commerce 2007 Business Excellence Award, as well as the WA Business News “Rising Star” Award in recognition of the company’s achievements.