Andrew Burrell wins Ashurst Business Literature Prize

Award-winning journalist Andrew Burrell has won this year's Ashurst
Business Literature Prize for his entertaining and unique insight into one of Australia's most high profile businesspeople today.

In Twiggy: The High Stakes Life of Andrew Forrest (Black Inc.), Burrell
traces Andrew Forrest's business disasters and triumphs to reveal a
complicated man often viewed as the public face of Australia's once-in-a-lifetime mining boom.

Launched in 2004 by Ashurst (then Blake Dawson) and administered by the State Library of NSW, the $30,000 prize is Australia's largest and most significant award for business literature. It was established to encourage the highest possible standards of literary commentary on Australian business and financial affairs.

Judged by an independent panel - Alan Cameron AO, Richard Fisher AM and Narelle Hooper - Burrell's book was announced the winner from a shortlist of four books including:

• Ben Hills - Stop the Presses: How Greed, Incompetence (and the
  Internet) Wrecked Fairfax (ABC Books/HarperCollins)
• Margaret Simons - Kerry Stokes: Self-Made Man (Penguin Group
  Australia)
• Rodney Tiffen - Rupert Murdoch: A Reassessment (NewSouth)
  

Burrell received his prize from award-winning investigative journalist Kate
McClymont, guest speaker at the special award dinner hosted by leading
international law firm, Ashurst, in Sydney on 4 March 2015.

Ashurst Vice Chairman Mary Padbury said: "For more than a decade, this prize has recognised some of Australia's finest writers who have canvassed a diverse range of business and financial topics that affect all Australians. Ashurst is proud to have established this important prize with the State Library of NSW."

"Congratulations to Andrew Burrell on his achievement in winning this year's prize," said Ms Padbury.

"The State Library is a proud and long‐time supporter of Australian literature through our extensive collections, public programs, literary prizes and fellowships," said Alex Byrne, NSW State Librarian & Chief Executive.

"The Library and its Foundation are delighted to support the Ashurst Business Literature Prize, now in its 11th year. Our partnership with Ashurst demonstrates the importance of the business and legal communities to the arts and cultural sector," said Dr Byrne.

Alan Cameron AO, chair of the judging panel commented: "The shortlist features four books about leading business leaders, each written "from the outside" - that is, without the co-operation of the subjects. The judges commend all four for their description and analysis of what drives their subjects - but particularly the winner, Andrew Burrell's Twiggy. It is an important record of one of the nation's most successful businesspeople who is also one of our most generous philanthropists. It's also an entertaining read."

About Andrew Burrell
Andrew Burrell has been a journalist for twenty years, covering business and politics in Australia, South-East Asia and China. He worked for the Australian Financial Review in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth before being posted as a correspondent to Jakarta and Shanghai. Andrew is currently a senior business journalist at the Australian in Perth, where he has covered the WA mining boom since 2006. He won the business prize at the West Australian Media Awards in 2006 and 2009.