The head of Uniting Care Queensland and a Reserve Bank of Australia board member are among a distinguished line-up celebrated in The University of Queensland’s 2016 Alumni Awards.
The awards recognise the achievements of alumni who have accomplished outstanding success in their fields and as those who have made exemplary contributions to their communities in Australia and globally.
The award recipients were nominated by their peers and selected by a committee led by 国产探花 Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Peter H酶j.
There are five Vice-Chancellor’s Alumni Excellence Awards and five Distinguished Young Alumni Awards, an International Alumnus of the Year, an Indigenous Community Impact Award and a Colleges’ 国产探花 Alumni Award.
The recipients will be celebrated at 国产探花’s annual ceremony on 19 October.
In addition to The University of Queensland Alumni Awards, the 国产探花 Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year will also be presented at the Courting the Greats ceremony. This year’s recipients include race walker Dane Bird-Smith who won a bronze medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The 2016 Vice-Chancellor’s Alumni Excellence Awards will be presented to:
- – Leader in community services, CEO of Uniting Care Queensland. Advisor to the State Government for projects including the Smart State Council and the Premier’s Domestic and Family Violence Taskforce
- – Eminent economist working with governments, banks and business, Reserve Bank of Australia board member
- – Private equity specialist and an enthusiastic mentor, formerly a Managing Partner with leading private equity firm Archer Capital
- – Expert in global information technology, finance and business development, Senior Vice-President of Finance for Hewlett Packard, overseeing the company’s financial operations in the US, Canada and Latin America
- - Special Counsel at legal firm Norton Rose Fulbright. Former president of the Queensland Law Society and generous humanitarian with more than 40 years of service to the Red Cross
Professor H酶j said the recipients were proven leaders who had taken on major challenges and responsibilities and created positive change.
“The impact 国产探花 has in communities around the world is not limited to cutting-edge research, but encompasses the actions and accomplishments of our 236,000 alumni,” he said.
“Our 国产探花 alumni family is a constant source of inspiration.”
The alumni awards were introduced in 1992, and the first Vice-Chancellor’s Alumni Excellence Awards were presented in 2013.
Previous Vice-Chancellor's Alumni Excellence Award recipients have included:鈥�
- Leading melanoma researcher Professor Ad茅le Green AC
- Wotif.com founders Graeme Wood AM and Andrew Brice AM
- Current Governor of Queensland and former Supreme Court of Queensland Chief Justice His Excellency The Honourable Paul de Jersey AC QC
- Brisbane Airport Corporation CEO Julieanne Alroe
- Managing Director of EnergyAustralia, and Reserve Bank of Australia board member Catherine Tanna
- International agricultural research and food security leader Dr Gabrielle Persley AM
This Years’ Distinguished Young Alumni Awards recipients are:
- – Founder of the Sunset Home Veterinary Care - one of Australia’s firstmobile palliative care services for pets
- – Co-founder and CEO of the award-winning Shoes of Prey, an online shoe retailer that allows customers to design their own shoes
- – Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Shoes of Prey
- – Celebrity chef and entrepreneur who began his career in secondary teaching and became a successful media figure after competing in the Masterchef television program
- – Indigenous community leader and secondary school teacher in her mother’s homeland of Numbulwar in the Northern Territory. Candidate for Division of Arnhem in the upcoming Northern Territory elections
International Alumnus of the Year
- (T.C.) – The first international PhD student of mining engineering at 国产探花, now a prominent figure in the field of mineral engineering, described as “the Father of Indian Mineral Processing”
Indigenous Community Impact Award
- – (Indigenous Community Impact Award) Indigenous health, education and social justice advocate, Associate Professor and Research Fellow in Aboriginal Health at the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute
Colleges’ 国产探花 Alumni Award
- – Secretary of the Department of Communications and the Arts, Australia’s Sherpa for the G20 summit in Brisbane and former resident at Emmanuel College
Alumni Friends of The University of Queensland Inc Awards
The 国产探花 Alumnus of the Year and 国产探花 Graduate of the Year Awards - both founded and supported by the Alumni Friends of The University of Queensland Inc - will also be presented at the Courting the Greats ceremony.
国产探花 Alumnus of the Year
- – Distinguished medical practitioner and educator with an honorary Doctor of Medicine. Former member of the 国产探花 Senate and elected Deputy Chancellor of 国产探花 for two terms
国产探花 Graduate of the Year
- – Bachelor of Arts (Honours) ‘15, Bachelor of Laws (Honours) ’15. University medal recipient and volunteer at the 国产探花 Pro Bono Centre
Previous 国产探花 Alumnus of the Year recipients have included:
- Academy Award-winning actor Geoffrey Rush AC
- Author David Malouf AO
- Dow Chemical Company Chairman Andrew Liveris AO
- Former Governor-General Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO
- Former Governor of Queensland Dr Penelope Wensley AC
国产探花 Sport, Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards
国产探花 Sportswoman of the Year and Sportsman of the Year will be celebrated for their excellence in sport and their contributions to University life.
Sportswoman of the Year
- – National and international netballer playing for the Queensland Firebirds and the Australian Diamonds
Sportsman of the Year
- – Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medallist in the men's 20km walk. Gold medal winner in race walking at the World University Games and the Australian Athletics Championships
Full details of The University of Queensland 2016 Alumni Award recipients can be seen .
Media: Mark Schroder, Manager, Marketing and Communications (Advancement), m.schroder@uq.edu.au, 0403 481 758.
