News and Opportunities
Australian alumni celebrated at awards in Shanghai
02 Oct 2012
The diverse achievements of Australian alumni based in China have been recognised at the fourth Australia China Alumni Awards presented in Shanghai on 15 September 2012.
Australian Ambassador to China and patron of the Australia China Alumni Association (ACAA), Her Excellency Ms Frances Adamson, addressed the
290-strong audience with reference to the 40th anniversary of Australia-China diplomatic relations. Ms Adamson acknowledged the significant contribution made by alumni, especially in maintaining strong people-to-people links between the two countries.
This year’s winners represent ten different Australian universities, with some alumni having studied at more than one university. The nominees came from 22 different Australian universities.
The nine awards presented were:
- IELTS Australia China Alumni of the Year
- Australian Education International Young Australia China Alumni of the Year
- CPA Australia — China Alumni Award for Banking and Finance
- AusAID Scholarships Australia China Alumni Award
- Austrade Australia China Alumni Award for Entrepreneurship
- Business Events Sydney — Australia China Alumni Award for Research and Innovation
- Australia China Connections Magazine — Australia China Alumni Award for ICT and New Media
- Australia China Alumni Award for Corporate Achievement
- Oroton Australia China Alumni Award for Women in Leadership
Recipients of the 2012 awards come from the fields of property development, law, auditing, e-commerce, finance, public health, energy materials and logistics.
The top honour, Alumni of the Year, went to Mr David Wang who graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from University of Technology, Sydney. The founder and chairman of SPG Land (Holdings) Limited, Mr Wang’s China-wide property development and investment corporation (based in Shanghai) is listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange. In his spare time, Mr Wang is involved in extensive philanthropic work in both China and Australia, including establishing the SIPO Polytechnic in Shanghai to give students from poorer families training in nursing, trades and management.
The winner of the Austrade Award for Entrepreneurship was Mr Liu Junling, CEO and cofounder of the online store Yihaodian. Mr Liu completed a Bachelor of Teaching and a Master’s degree in International Business Administration at Flinders University. His online retailing business has grown from RMB4.17 million in 2008 to RMB2.72 billion in 2011. Yihaodian is the subject of a case study course in Wharton’s MBA program.
Full details of the alumni stories can be found at the ACAA website.
Initiated by the ACAA, the awards are open to Australian alumni based in China. The event has been held annually since 2009 to recognise the diverse achievements of outstanding Australian alumni. This year’s event was organised by the ACAA with support from Austrade, AusAID, Australian Education International and other corporate sponsors.
Planning for the 2013 round of Australia China Alumni Awards will begin shortly. Please visit the ACAA website for more information.
The ACAA, founded in 2007, is a not-for-profit organisation funded by Australian universities and Australian government agencies. The ACAA holds regular events across China and aims to connect Australian university alumni with their universities and with each other.
Australian Ambassador to China, Her Excellency Ms Frances Adamson (fourth from right) toasting award recipients at the Australia China Alumni Awards in Shanghai.