Naomi Simson

Naomi Simson (born 1964) is an Australian businessperson, blogger, and entrepreneur. She is the founding director of RedBalloon, an online experience gift retailer based in Australia. She has won numerous awards including the 2011 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and the 2013 Lifetime Achievement Silver Stevie Award.
As a writer, Simson is the author of three books, Live What You Love, I Want What She's Having and Ready To Soar. She is also a shark on the Australian television show Shark Tank. Simson is also ranked as one of the top 30 tech influencers on Twitter by The Business Insider.

Simson began her career in the corporate marketing field and gained experience with IBM, KPMG, Apple Computer Australia, and Ansett Australia. In 2001, she founded RedBalloon, an online experience gift retailer based in Australia. She began the company out of her house with a $25,000 personal investment and grew it to 46 employees by 2011. Simson was CEO of the company until 2011 when she took a step back from the operational side of the business. RedBalloon also launched the stand-alone small business reward platform Redii in 2016.

In late 2014, Simson was named as one of five 'Sharks' on Network Ten's Shark Tank in Australia along with Andrew Banks, John McGrath, Steve Baxter, and Janine Allis. She has been a shark on the show since its launch in 2015. Simson has also been a guest host on Network Ten's Studio 10.

Simson was a secret millionaire in the 2009 season of the reality television show The Secret Millionaire – Australia. On the show, Simson volunteered for 10 days in different disadvantaged areas of Australia. Upon conclusion of the show, Simson reveals her true identity to others and donates money to a number of the causes and individuals she volunteered for during the show. She was one of five benefactors for the season who gave more than $750,000 to various individuals and organisations in the community.

Simson is a blogger and owner of NaomiSimson.com, ranked #2 in the 15 Top Business Blogs by SmartCompany.com as of 2016. Simson is the author of I Want What She's Having – The Experience of Creating a Pleasurable Business, a business book that she released in 2007. She was one of 13 authors who collaborated to write the 2008 book The Power of More Than One:Success Strategies from Australasia's Leading Business and Motivational Specialists and also wrote a preface for the 2013 book Appvertising – How Apps are Changing the World. In 2016 she released the book Ready to Soar: Turn Your Brilliant Idea into a Business You Love.

Simson was recognised by LinkedIn in 2012 as one of the World's Most Influential Thought Leaders, a recognition shared by only 150 people. She was one of only two from Australia with the other being Freelancer.com founder Matt Barrie. The recognition was part of LinkedIn's Influencer Campaign to share business knowledge, allowing Simson to author content to be shared with LinkedIn members.

Simson is also a philanthropist and joined the council of Voiceless to spread the word about the need for greater animal protection. She is also an advisor to Heads Over Heels and a governor for the Cerebral Palsy Alliance.

• Ready To Soar (2016) ISBN 9781760372446
• Live What You Love (2015) ISBN 9781743569917
• I Want What She's Having (2007) ISBN 9780980328400

• "New Book Release: Ready To Soar by Naomi Simson". BSchool. 31 March 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2016. 
• "5 Business Lessons Online Business Leader Naomi Simson". Australian Institute of Business. Retrieved 10 July 2015. 
• Simson, Naomi (2007). I want what she's having – the experience of creating a pleasurable business. Messenger Publishing. ISBN 9780980328400. 

Simson has won numerous awards throughout her career including the 2005 Westpac NSW Entrepreneur of the Year. Additional awards and recognition include the National Telstra Business Women's Award for Innovation in 2008, and being a 2011 finalist in BRW's Entrepreneur of the Year.

Notable awards

• 2013, Pearcey Entrepreneur of the Year Award
• 2013, Lifetime Achievement Silver Stevie Award
• 2011, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award
• 2008, National Telstra Business Women's Award for Innovation
• 2005, Westpac NSW Entrepreneur of the Year Award

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• "Elcom CEO acknowledged with prestigious 2013 Pearcey Foundation Award". Elcom. 30 October 2013. Retrieved 8 December 2013. 
• "NSW & ACT top entrepreneurs for 2011 named" (Press release). Ernst & Young. 24 June 2011. Retrieved 8 December 2013.