Meet the judges: Pip Edwards, Co-Founder and Creative Director of P.E Nation

COVID-19 can’t stop The CEO Magazine from celebrating Australia’s best and brightest business leaders. An event that’s become synonymous with celebrating the achievements of leaders who make this country great, the 2020 Executive of the Year Awards is coming up this November in a first-ever digital format. Just as unstoppable is one of this year’s esteemed judges, P.E Nation Co-Founder and Creative Director Pip Edwards.

When Pip commits to something, nothing can stand in her way. Any obstacle that arises, she can find a way around it. Fun, bold and strong, Pip strongly believes that it’s important to have that kind of tenacity and self-belief to run a business. And since the company she co-founded in 2016 turned over A$20 million from the financial year 2018–2019, it’s easy to believe her.

"Never give up," she says. "Trust your gut, and believe in yourself. Know what you stand for and live it. And lastly, love what you do every single day."

Pip has worked for iconic Australian brands Ksubi, Sass & Bide and General Pants, which taught her the ins and outs of the industry along with its dynamics and processes. So, when the opportunity presented itself to go out on her own during an inspiring lunch with now business partner Claire Tregoning, she took it.

"At that lunch, P.E Nation was born," Pip says. "It was born from a creative discussion around passion, ambition and like-minded company."

"The Executive of the Year Awards is an incredible platform for acknowledgement of upcoming aspirational entrepreneurs. It’s an amazing industry accolade. Being recognised by your industry, colleagues and peers is definitely the honour of all honours."

P.E Nation is all about blurring the lines between fitness and fashion. Recognising the need for multifaceted activewear given the global shift towards juggling a fast-paced life, the company designs activewear collections that function as well in the studio as they do on the street – all while being incredibly fashion forward.

"Our pieces are led by global fashion trends in curated seasonal colours and considered silhouettes. Yet they’re made in key performance fabrications and technical properties attributed to sportswear, which can be worn all day, every day," she explains. "We want the P.E Nation woman to celebrate self-expression."

And that goes for in the workplace as well. Pip is a team player and a strong proponent of providing an atmosphere that’s conducive to expressiveness.

"I like to work with everyone and on their level. I’m not big on hierarchy, as I’m all about collaborative input. However, there must be a level of mutual respect," she says. "I believe that being emotional and vulnerable can actually be an amazing tool in creating an honest working environment and fostering passion within a business. I encourage everyone to find and feel their emotion, as from emotion comes passion."

A firm believer in the phrase, "The grass is greener where you water it," Pip looks forward to shining a spotlight on deserving business leaders who have worked tirelessly to make things better for their people and organisations at this year’s awards ceremony.

"The Executive of the Year Awards is an incredible platform for acknowledgement of upcoming aspirational entrepreneurs," she says. "It’s an amazing industry accolade. Being recognised by your industry, colleagues and peers is definitely the honour of all honours."