Olivia Ortiz Wins Miss TW Steel 2009 at Grand Prix Ball

Amsterdam, June 22, 2009: TW Steel, the Dutch watch brand, capped a stellar evening’s entertainment on Saturday night, 20th June, at the Grand Prix Ball in England, by crowning Miss Olivia Ortiz as the overall winner of ‘Miss TW Steel 2009’.

Before a packed and enthusiastic audience at the glamorous black-tie function, the 22-year-old from Portugal beat out some stiff competition from six other national ‘Miss TW Steel’ winners to triumph outright. Her success means Olivia will now become a global brand ambassador for TW Steel, she also collects $25,000 US in prize money and will enjoy a multi-page photo-shoot in the Dutch edition of FHM magazine.

Miss Ortiz was chosen from a judging panel that included TW Steel CEO, Jordy Cobelens, former F1 team boss, Eddie Jordan, model and fashion designer, Caprice Bourett and singer, Rick Parfitt Jnr. Nigel Harris was the lucky member of the public who scored the fifth and final seat on the judging panel courtesy of the ticket raffle open to the audience with the proceeds going to the Kidz Foundation – a charity in Holland providing hospice care for children with life limiting conditions and their families.

“I think Olivia will be a fantastic ambassador for TW Steel and congratulate her on her success in winning the Miss TW Steel competition,” stated Jordy Cobelens. “Without a doubt though all our finalists on the night were amazing and they have all represented our brand extremely well in their own countries. Olivia deserves her win and I think the look on her face when her name was read out demonstrated her surprise. It was a great moment. Thanks have to go to our judges and for everyone who attended the Grand Prix Ball and made it such a terrific night.”

On her unexpected triumph, Olivia, who is qualifying to be a physiotherapist in her native Portugal, commented; “I really don’t know what to say, I’m just so shocked to have won but also so happy as it was a complete surprise. I was stunned to be selected as Miss TW Steel Portugal but to now win the final is a bit unreal. I’ve loved everything about the weekend, from our photo-shoots and designer dress fittings through to the final itself. I look forward to representing TW Steel and hopefully using some of my winnings to do a bit of traveling.”

TW Steel, the presenting partner of the Grand Prix Ball, enjoyed the company, and services, of Lee McKenzie as the MC for the evening’s Miss TW Steel final. The BBC F1 pit-lane reporter expertly hosted the three stages of the competition on the night. The first round saw the seven finalists, representing Holland, China, Malaysia, Australia-New Zealand, South Africa, Portugal and the United Kingdom respectively wearing the classic black Miss TW Steel dresses.

This was followed by a round sporting bikinis generously donated by Caprice Bourett from her ‘By Caprice Swim’ range, available at a variety of stores including the likes of Littlewoods. The final round saw the girls looking elegant in evening dresses designed by Isabell Kristensen, the Danish designer having dressed some of the world’s most famous women including Helena Christensen and Nicole Kidman.

TW Steel, the name meaning ‘The Watch in Steel’, continues to be an innovator and leader in the field of oversized watches.