Mimi Macpherson

Mimi Macpherson (born Miriam Frances Gow, 18 May 1967) is an Australian environmentalist, entrepreneur and celebrity. She joined a whale-watching boat crew at age 21 and eventually began her own whale-watching business, winning multiple awards before going into property development and promotions. She has also acted as a corporate and NGO spokeswoman, and a media personality. Early life Macpherson is the daughter of Frances and Peter Gow, and the younger sister of Elle Macpherson. Her parents divorced when she was young, and both girls adopted the surname of their stepfather, Neill Macpherson. She also has a brother, Brendon, and another sister, Elizabeth. The family lived around Lindfield and Killara, where Mimi attended high school. Mimi joined the crew of her father's whale watching boat at age 21 before going into business for herself. Career Macpherson owned her own whale-watching company, Mimi Macpherson Whale Watch Expeditions, in Hervey Bay, Queensland. Her boat, Discovery One, was the largest whale-watch boat in an area considered the "whale watch capital of Australia." She also sold bottled water and served as a motivational speaker. She won the 1996 Queensland Tourism Award, as well as two Fraser Coast tourism awards. In 2001 she sold her two-boat business to become the director of three property companies and a promotions firm. She was named the National Businesswoman of the Year by the Women's Network of Australia in 1997 and was featured on the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine as "one of the 30 most successful Australian businesswomen under the age of 30". In 2006 Macpherson went back to the whale-watching business, working as host in a luxury catamaran for Whale Watching Gold Coast. In December 2008 Macpherson declared herself bankrupt, due to several accumulated debts and loans where she gave her personal guarantee.