Paralympic Gold Medalist and Australian Swimmer, Annabelle Williams, Joins Perennial Strategy Group for Fall 2012

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Perennial Strategy Group is pleased to announce that a member of its Washington, DC office, Australian law school student Annabelle Williams, won a Gold Medal in swimming during last month's 2012 Paralympic Games in London, England.  Ms. Williams joined the firm as a Government and Public Relations intern late last month after the Paralympic Games. 

"We're delighted to have Annabelle working with us this fall.  She's a very dynamic, intelligent, and articulate young woman, who is an inspiration to our team and to our clients," said Lamell McMorris, Founder and CEO of Perennial.  "Her training in international relations, legal background, and experience in competitive sports over the past decade make her an excellent fit at Perennial, where the Strategy Group works alongside our sports and entertainment practice."

Since 2005, Ms. Williams has been a member of the Australian Paralympic Swimming Team.  In the 2012 Paralympic Games, Ms. Williams swam the butterfly in the Women's 4x100M Medley Relay, winning a Gold Medal.  During her competitive swimming career, she set five world records, won a Bronze Medal in the 100M Butterfly in the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, was a Medalist in two Commonwealth Games for 50M freestyle – winning a Silver Medal in Delhi in 2010 and a Bronze Medal in Melbourne in 2006, and won a Silver Medal in the 100M Butterfly at the World Short Course Championships in Rio de Janeiro in 2009.  Additionally, from 2008 to 2010, Ms. Williams served as the captain of the Australian Paralympic Swim Team, and she currently serves on the Executive Board of the Australian Swimmers Association, the representative body for elite level swimmers in Australia.

Though she was born without a left hand and forearm, Ms. Williams has consistently demonstrated her athletic ability and fighting spirit.  Prior to the start of her competitive swimming career, Ms. Williams was a track and field athlete and was selected to participate in the preparation squad and compete in the 400M race at the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games.

Ms. Williams expects to receive her Bachelor's Degree in Law and International Relations from Bond University on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia in February 2013.  While in school, in 2009, Ms. Williams worked for the Australian Trade Commission – Austrade – in Paris.  In her role at Austrade, she assisted Australian companies to grow their business in France, attract productive French investment into Australia, and promote Australia's education sector in France.

While in Washington, DC, with the Washington Internship Institute, Ms. Williams will assist Perennial in providing strategic advice and counsel to the firm's corporate clients, in working with civil rights organizations and nonprofit groups, and in researching and monitoring some of the most critical governmental issues in today's business environment.

ABOUT PERENNIAL STRATEGY GROUP:

Perennial Strategy Group is a strategic advisory firm that provides government, public, and community affairs services for Fortune 500 companies, national nonprofits, trade associations, and public-sector clients on a wide range of public-policy issues.  The firm specializes in the areas of banking and financial regulation, healthcare, technology and media, energy, consumer products and services, sports and entertainment, corporate diversity, and corporate social responsibility.  Also in its family of businesses are Perennial Sports and Entertainment and Perennial Law Group.  For more information, please visit the firm's website at www.perennialsg.com.    

SOURCE Perennial Strategy Group