Naomi Simson Biography
Naomi Simson is a businesswoman, entrepreneur, podcaster, and blogger from Australia. Naomi co-founded Big Red Group with partner David Anderson in 2017 after co-founding the Australian online success story RedBalloon in 2001. Big Red Group, headquartered in Sydney’s CBD, is the largest marketplace of experiences in ANZ, and the parent company of prominent brands such as Adrenaline, Experience Oz, Experience Oz Local Agent, Lime&Tonic, and RedBalloon.
How old is Naomi Simson? – Age
She is 59 years old as of 22 February 2023. She was born in 1964 in Australia.
Is Naomi Simson Married? – Husband
She is married to Stuart King. The couple married in 2016. The couple has two children; : Natalia Simson, and Oscar Simson.
Naomi Simson Net Worth
She has an estimated net worth of $40 million.
Naomi Simson RedBalloon
She created RedBalloon, an online experiential gift store based in Australia, in 2001. She started the company in her home with a personal investment of $25,000 and grew it to 46 people by 2011. Simson was the company’s CEO until 2011, when she stepped back from the operational side of the business. Simson and David Anderson co-founded Big Red Group in 2017, which became the parent business of RedBalloon. It also owns and operates Adrenaline, Experience Oz, Experience Oz Local Agent, and Lime&Tonic.
Naomi Simson Shark Tank
Simson was named one of five ‘Sharks’ on Network Ten’s Shark Tank in Australia in late 2014, alongside Andrew Banks, John McGrath, Steve Baxter, and Janine Allis. Simson spent all four seasons of Shark Tank helping the startup ecosystem and investing in numerous firms. Simson gave plenty of tips for the startup community on pitching, purpose, and scalability. Simson has also appeared as a guest host on Studio 10 on Network Ten.
Naomi Simson Books
Simson is the author of two books, Ready to Soar (2016) and Live What You Love (2015). She was one of 13 authors who worked on the 2008 book The Power of More Than One: Success Strategies from Australasia’s Leading Business and Motivational Specialists, and she also provided a foreword to the 2013 book Appvertising – How Apps are Changing the World. She published Ready to Soar: Turn Your Brilliant Idea Into a Business You Love in 2016.
Naomi Simson Blog
Simson is a blogger and the owner of NaomiSimson.com, which SmartCompany.com named second among the 15 Top Business Blogs of 2016. Simson was awarded one of Australia’s greatest business bloggers in 2009 and top business blogger in 2020. Simson has the most followers on the LinkedIn business networking platform of any Australian, at nearly 3 million.
Naomi Simson Podcast
Simson launched Handpicked with Naomi Simson, a short format podcast broadcast every Monday. It is defined as a mini-mentoring session with one of Australia’s most successful business owners. Simson responds to inquiries from company owners and has a bonus episode every week where she delves deeper into a business issue or term.
Naomi Simson Business
Simson began her career in corporate marketing, working for IBM, KPMG, Apple Computer Australia, and Ansett Australia. It also owns and operates Adrenaline, Experience Oz, Experience Oz Local Agent, and Lime&Tonic.
Simson was a secret millionaire in the 2009 season of the Australian TV show The Secret Millionaire. Simson volunteered for ten days in several underprivileged communities of Australia for the show. Simson discloses her true identity to others at the end of the show and contributes money to a number of the charities and persons she volunteered for during the show. She was one of five season philanthropists who contributed more than $750,000 to various persons and organizations in the community.
Simson is also a philanthropist who joined the Voiceless Council to raise awareness about the importance of animal preservation. She is also a Heads Over Heels advisor and a Cerebral Palsy Alliance governor.
Simson has received various honors throughout her career, including Westpac NSW Entrepreneur of the Year in 2005. Other honors and achievements include receiving the National Telstra Business Women’s Award for Innovation in 2008 and being a finalist in BRW’s Entrepreneur of the Year in 2011.
Simson was named one of the World’s Most Influential Thought Leaders by LinkedIn in 2012, a distinction shared by only 150 people. She was one of just two Australians to be selected, the other being Freelancer.com founder Matt Barrie. Simson was recognized as part of LinkedIn’s Influencer Campaign to impart business knowledge, allowing him to produce content that would be shared with LinkedIn members.
Simson is one of ten business executives in Australia with a “Power Profile” on LinkedIn as of 2017. Simson was named to The Australian Financial Review’s 100 Women of Influence awards in the Business and Entrepreneur category in October 2018.