Naomi Simson
| Naomi Simson | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | 1964 |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Known for | Founding Director, RedBalloon, Big Red Group |
| Website | naomisimson |
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 which operates under its parent company Big Red Group. 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 2017, Simson formed Big Red Group, a company that became the parent company for RedBalloon. It also operates the companies Big Albert AI, Redii, Wrapped, and The Huddle. The group was formed with Dave Anderson who purchased a 50% stake in RedBalloon in 2017.
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.
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