Alumni Awards

2017

Andrew Gaze AM

Head Coach, Sydney Kings
Bachelor of Applied Science (Physical Education)

Described by many as one of the greatest ever Australian basketballers; a member of the FIBA and Sports Australia Halls of Fame, Andrew Gaze AM is one of the most recognised, respected and leading sporting figures in our nation. Leader of the Australian team and flag bearer at the Sydney Olympics, this five-time Olympian is widely praised on the national stage not only for his own sporting prowess but for his leadership, ability to build a strong team culture, integrity with developing young athletes and his commitment and passion for excellence in everything he does.

Away from the courts Andrew is highly regarded for the quiet way he goes about supporting a range of charities and community initiatives, using his influence and networks for positive change.  This saw him recognised as Father of the Year by the Shepherd Centre in 2015. Amongst his multiple Awards here and internationally, two major awards – the NBL MVP and Australian international player of the year – are named in his honour in recognition of his values and sustained contributions as a leader and inspiration in both the sporting and broader communities.

At Victoria University Gaze helped pave the way for flexible study options for professional athletes, giving students the opportunity to achieve their sporting career and study goals simultaneously.  As a member of the Board of Basketball Victoria and head coach of the Sydney Kings, he champions community development as a key part of sustaining sport especially as a vehicle to support young people.

2016

Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah AO

VU Honorary Doctorate, Diploma of Business

Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah AO is the visionary founder and chairman of Sunway Group, a leading Malaysian conglomerate. He is also the founding trustee of Malaysia’s largest education-focused social enterprise, the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation (JCF). He supports his passionate belief in the power of education to raise standards of living and making quality education accessible to all deserving students, through creating a legacy of perpetual scholarships with the Sunway Education Group of 16 institutions, which are now a part of the JCF.

Tan Sri is heavily involved in sustainable development through Sunway’s sustainable development town and city creation and construction programs, and also through helping establish public policy think tanks and research. He has gifted US$10million to establish the Sachs Centre on Sustainable Development, aimed at advancing the UN Sustainable development Goals in Southeast Asia.

With 9 honorary doctorates bestowed by leading international universities, twice recognised as Forbes Asia Hero of Philanthropy, Council member of UN Sustainable Development Solutions network and many other significant roles and awards of recognition, Tan Sri was also awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia for his contribution to strengthening bilateral relations between Malaysia and Australia through education.

2015

Dr John Lasich

Doctor of Philosophy

John combines world leadership in science with business acumen.

Motivated by a desire to replace fossil fuel energy with the sun’s limitless supply of clean energy, John built his first prototype solar power plant as a university student and spent the next 30 years working on groundbreaking ways to harness that energy.

John’s innovative thinking and entrepreneurial drive has enabled him to translate widely discussed ideas into simple and easy systems. He has made an enormous contribution to educating, inspiring and raising awareness about critical energy issues.

In collaboration with the CSIRO, John has helped bridge the divide between academia and industry.

2014

Ms Deidre Anderson

Master of Arts, Bachelor of Arts (Recreation)

Deidre Anderson was the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Students and Registrar at Macquarie University. She has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to supporting the development of young people, particularly those involved in sport and recreation. As a sports transition specialist, Deidre has been sought out and served as confidante and mentor to some of the world’s best and highest profile athletes.

Deidre is currently President of Australian University Sport, President of Australian Women's Sport and Recreation Association and Director AUSRAPID, a national organisation increasing sporting and recreational opportunities for people with an intellectual disability.

She holds undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Social Science, Psychology and Sports Management and is currently completing her PhD on Risky Drinking amongst Young Australians. She has also published widely in national and international peer-reviewed journals.

Deidre is a recipient of the Rotary Paul Harris Fellowship for her contribution to international relations, the Princeton International Business Leaders award and the Eunice Gill Coach Education award.

2013

Paul Constantinou

Diploma of Catering and Hotel Management

Paul is Chairman and CEO of Quest Serviced Apartments and won the highest profile award - the Distinguished Alumni Award. He has more than 35 years experience and is one of Australia’s true hospitality professionals. He studied a Diploma of Catering and Hotel Management at Footscray Institute (now Victoria University). In 1988 he founded Quest which has become Australia’s largest and most successful serviced apartment group.

Paul has given up much of his time to mentor young people and has provided work placements for VU hospitality students. He has received many awards in his career that acknowledge his dedication and integrity including Ernst and Young’s Australian Entrepreneur of the Year in 2009 and HM Magazine Australasian Hotelier of the Year in 2012.

2012

Kevin Qiang Li

Master of Business Administration

Kevin graduated from a Master of Business Administration in 1996. He is a strong and ethical leader in business and the community, and encourages his peers to join him in philanthropic work. He has contributed to fostering Australia-China relations, in particular promoting VU's relationships in China. Kevin is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Concorde Investment Management Co., and Chair of the Board of Kunlin Advertising Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Concorde Investment Management. He is President of the Australian Chamber of Commerce – South China, and the Australia China Alumni Association – South China, an organisation open to China-based alumni of all Australian universities.

2011

The Honourable Kim Wells

Master of Business (Accounting and Finance), Graduate Diploma of Business (Accounting) and Bachelor of Business (Accounting)

Kim received the University's first Distinguished Alumni Award for his excellence in leadership and community service. Wells has served as a Member of Parliament for 19 years, and been state treasurer since November 2010. Minister Wells is also the Honorary Patron of the Victorian Homeless Fund, member of the Victorian and National Council of Scouts Victoria, and a Fellow of CPA Australia.

2017

Dr Jade Scott

Owner/Director/Osteopath, Western Region Health and Osteopathy
Bachelor of Health Science (Osteopathy), Master of Health Science (Osteopathy)

The owner and director of Western Region Health and Osteopathy - recognised as one of the largest osteopathic focused clinics in the world - Dr Jade Scott remains at the forefront of the osteopathic profession by providing the highest standards of care and respect for both patients and staff; as has her reputation for her integrity, respect and generosity in her relationships with clients, staff and students.

Jade has forged an extraordinary ongoing partnership with Victoria University. Using her business as a platform for hands on training, she established an internship program now running for several years. She also provides a financial bursary and scholarship program.  

Dr Scott has employed over 60 Victoria University alumni in her practice. She also runs regular voluntary mentoring for new alumni, to help them be successful in their own clinics. It is no wonder she is regularly engaged to speak to students as a clear and inspirational role model for her profession.

2016

Mr Nasir Sobhani

Certificate III in Hairdressing

Nasir became Victoria Polytechnic’s Ambassador in 2015. Whilst training at VU, Nasir began offering homeless people complimentary grooming services, and respectfully learned their stories. Through realising the influence he could have on the self-esteem of others, he became “The Street Barber”. On his days off he takes to the streets to give free haircuts to people who are homeless and/or experiencing socio-economic disadvantage.

His integrity, compassion and works are followed globally, including in Russia where a local barber chain brought him to Russia and together they visited various homeless shelters and hospices providing free haircuts. Nasir has also travelled to Philippines to do the same type of volunteer work. Nasir was one of 5 people profiled as part of the Kenneth Cole Courageous Class Campaign in New York, which celebrated individuals who have overcome life’s challenges to become inspiring role models.

2015

Mr Kon Karapanagiotidis OAM

Master of Education, Bachelor of Social Work

Kon is the CEO and founder of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC), the largest asylum seeker organisation in Australia.

Proudly Greek, the struggles of his parents and his own experiences of racism growing up ignited his passion for human rights.

He has worked at the grassroots with marginalised communities as a lawyer, social worker and teacher, and in 2001 founded the ASRC.

The ASRC is an innovative, one-stop shop that delivers 23 programs across the pillars of aid, justice, empowerment and community. A team of more than 800 volunteers and 40 staff have assisted more than 10,000 asylum seekers and provided in excess of 2.5 million hours of free assistance – all without Federal Government funding.

Kon’s work has been recognised with an Order of Australia Medal, a Churchill Fellowship, and as a finalist for the Human Rights Medal and Australian of the Year in Victoria. He was invited to participate in the 2020 Summit, was voted one of Australia’s 20 Unsung Heroes, and is one of Melbourne’s 100 Most Influential People.

2014

Ahmed Saleh Alhajeri

Bachelor of Health Science (Paramedics)

Following a serious accident and experiencing the pre-hospital healthcare system in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Ahmed had a vision to improve healthcare in his country. He studied the Bachelor of Health Science (Paramedic) at Victoria University and after graduating in 2007 Ahmed returned to Abu Dhabi and played a pivotal role in the development of the UAE’s ambulance service.

Ahmed is currently Deputy CEO of the National Ambulance Company, an organisation that aims to be the leading national provider of emergency pre-hospital care in the UAE. National Ambulance now serves all five of the Northern Emirates as well as Abu Dhabi, providing emergency healthcare to a population of approximately 70 million.

Through the dedicated work of Ahmed and his colleagues, the service is able now able to reach patients in remote areas, thus reducing response times and saving lives.

Timothy Marchinton

Bachelor of Recreation Management

Timothy is founder and director of Purple Soup, a unique internationally recognised organisation that offers challenging activity-based programs such as camps, day programs and hospital visits for children and their families affected by serious illness.

He developed the organisation in 2002 after realising that more than 75,000 young Australians affected each year by chronic illness were only partly being treated by health professionals who looked after their physical needs. Timothy melded theory with practice by running year round adventure therapy camps during his eight years of study. It was during this time he met the leaders of adventure therapy and worked toward his goal of creating camps for children affected by chronic illness.

Purple Soup runs programs in more than 40 countries and is recognised internationally for its creativity and programming excellence. Timothy has been awarded a number of local and international awards recognising the exceptional service that he and his organisation, Purple Soup provides.

2013

Seah Kim Swee

Master of Business in Professional Accounting

Kim Swee has demonstrated a strong commitment to VU alumni and the broader Singapore community.

In addition to being a proud Singaporean he is also a proud Australian graduate who celebrates this connection. In 1997 Kim Swee was instrumental in developing the Singapore Chapter of the VU Alumni. He dedicates enormous energy to raising the University’s profile in Singapore.

He received the Australian Government’s Distinguished Alumni Service Award for his services to the broader Australian Alumni community, and VU recognised him as one of its 90 Legends during the University’s 90th anniversary celebrations.

2012

John Thompson

Master in Business (Marketing), Graduate Diploma in Marketing, Bachelor of Arts

Long-time public sector employee, Mr John Thompson, is a three-time graduate of Victoria University and an active contributor to the VU Alumni Community, a past member of the Alumni Advisory Group, and a mentor to current students in the University's Career Bridge Mentoring Program. For seven years he worked at the Urban Land Corporation assisting in the development of sustainable housing for Victorians of all ages. For the past 10 years, John has focused his career on helping make Victoria's roads safer as Senior Manager of the Transport Accident Commission's road safety and marketing campaigns, which has resulted in a significant decline in Victoria's road fatality toll. He also volunteers at Global Road Safety Partnership, an organisation that has helped develop road safety programs in Vietnam and Thailand.

2011

Wally Hopkins

Footscray community legend Wally Hopkins, a graduate engineering apprentice in 1939 from VU's original predecessor institute, Footscray Technical School, has organised annual class reunions since 1988 when a group met to mark their 50th anniversary at the school.  Mr Hopkins also has a remarkable 75-year involvement with the First Footscray Scout Troop, receiving the Silver Kangaroo, the highest award in Australian Scouting.  For his community service, he received an Order of Australia Medal, and was named a Maribyrnong Citizen of the Year.

David Southwick

Bachelor of Business (Retail Management)

Community-minded entrepreneur David Southwick, MLA, Member of Parliament for Caulfield, has demonstrated endless enthusiasm, community spirit, and entrepreneurial flair while remaining a passionate advocate for VU. He helped establish the University's Executive Education Unit and set up its first Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) group to showcase the entrepreneurial skills of VU students at national competitions. He continues to host VU's Business Breakfast Series and guest-lectures.

2017

Kyriacos (Keary) Karaolides

Bachelor of Business

One of the first students to be awarded a Victoria University Chancellors Scholarship, Keary has consistently shown outstanding commitment to the VU community.

In his first year at VU, Keary became President of the VU Greek Society and over the past 3 years has driven its growth from 7 members to become a thriving and active society with over 200 members.  Putting in practice and ethos that you can make a difference wherever you are; during Greece’s economic crisis, Keary organised to raise over $1,000 for orphanages and boxes of winter clothes for the Greek Salvation Army.  

Keary was the first head mentor for the VU Early University pathways program, working with secondary school students from low socioeconomic areas to give them a positive taste of and encouragement for ambition and entry to University. Keary is also President of NUGAS, the largest Greek Youth organisation globally outside of Greece.  In this role he leads a variety of networking events and volunteer work in aged care centres. Keary’s respectful and generous attitude are widely regarded by others and show him as a strong role model especially for new students.

2016

Dr Ancy Ramasamy

Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Business (Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management)

Arriving in Australia in 2010, Ancy has pursued excellence in studies and in her community and student leadership activities. A valedictorian at graduation and recipient of the VU International Research Scholarship due to her academic results, she has also been heavily involved in supporting other students.

In this area she has been an English language facilitator, Resident Assistant supporting international students in the Student Village, organiser of social events that brought together students, and also a Senior Rover, supporting new students with their academic endeavours and ability to access VU resources. Her kindness and professionalism have touched and supported many fellow students.

James Sorensen

Bachelor of Science (Biomedical Science) Honours

James has been widely acknowledged for both his academic and student leadership achievements, including the 2015 VU Individual Student Leadership Award for his commitment and demonstration of leadership through multiple roles at VU; and being the recipient of the 2016 Vice Chancellors’ research scholarship.

Whilst achieving High Distinctions and First Class Honours, he also co-founded the College of Health and Biomedicine Society, was elected to the role of General Secretary of the VU Student Union, and served on the VU Council. James also actively promotes VU, presenting to both careers teachers and students. His Honours’ research has been published in top tier journals and received international acclaim for its innovative approaches.

2015

Adam Bromage

Doctor of Philosophy, Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Psychology)

After a decade as a hairdresser, Adam realised he wanted to achieve more intellectually and professionally, and decided to pursue tertiary education.

Most universities however, did not welcome him. He was advised that he was aiming too high and if accepted, he would most likely struggle and fail. Victoria University encouraged Adam to sit an entry exam, and he earned a place in the Bachelor of Science (Psychology).

He initially considered dropping out, but a mentoring program helped him build confidence in his academic ability. Through hard work and dedication he received an award as VU’s most outstanding first-year student.

Adam completed his degree with 23 high distinctions and first-class honours. He received a Dean’s High Achievement Scholarship, and in 2014, was awarded the College of Arts Dean’s Scholar Award.

Adam is now a Psychology PhD student holding an Australian Postgraduate Award Scholarship. He also teaches psychology to dental students at Charles Sturt University - a rare honour for a student at graduate level.

Lou Xiaocui (Catherine Lou)

Doctor of Philosophy

Catherine is a PhD candidate at Victoria Institute of Strategic Economics Studies in the College of Business, and a committed advocate for international students.

In 2013 Catherine was recognised as the state of Victoria’s international postgraduate student of the Year for her many contributions to international students. She has served as president of the International Students Association, and Postgraduate Association, and is a member of the Council of International Students Australia; the Council of Australia Postgraduates Associations; and the Victorian Association of Chinese PhD Students and Scholars.

Catherine has been vocal on many issues that affect the lives of international students, including transport concessions, student accommodation, professional development and engagement.

She was recently appointed a VU lecturer in supply chain logistics within the College of Business.

2014

Jirayu Mecksakul

Master of Business (Finance) and Master of Business Administration

Jirayu demonstrates integrity and consistently maintains high ethical standards through being an exemplary role model to other students and through his passion to help others. He has been involved in many extracurricular activities since he commenced his double Masters degrees at Victoria University in 2013. Jirayu’s leadership ability and initiative saw him promoted to the President of Accounting, Finance and Investment Student Society (AFISS) in 2014.

As President, Jirayu has overseen an enormous growth in membership and created new engagement opportunities through social media. He also tutors small groups of students in the subject of Business Finance Through this role Jirayu has also established relationships between students and leading financial organisations to secure mentoring opportunities, career information sessions for students and financial sponsorship for AFISS.

Jirayu was a recipient of a Team Award as part of the Victoria University Student Leadership Awards in 2014.

2013

Brittany Tolson

Bachelor of Laws

Brittany has excelled in her academic and professional pursuits since her first year at Victoria Law School (VLS).

Her academic excellence was rewarded in 2012 when she was inducted into the Golden Key International Honour Society. The honour recognises the top 15 per cent of university students worldwide.

As a legal assistant to a distinguished Melbourne barrister, Brittany has effectively and consistently raised the profile of the VLS among barristers at the Victorian Bar. She also participates in the VLS’s mentoring program and is strongly involved in the Law Students’ Society. Her passion for community service is demonstrated at Community Support Frankston and Peninsula Community Centre.

Jacinta Carroll

Bachelor of Exercise Science and Human Movement

In addition to being an outstanding student, Jacinta is the current under 21 world champion and  among the world’s top water-skiers.

Since joining the sport of water-skiing at age 10 and setting a goal to become a world champion at age 14, Jacinta has been determined to be the best in all she does. She was named Victoria University’s 2012 Female Athlete of the Year for her sporting achievements, VU’s highest sporting accolade. In June 2013, Jacinta won the 54th US Masters Waterski and Wakeboard Tournament.

Despite the considerable training she puts in to remain at the top of her sport, Jacinta is ably fulfilling the academic requirements for her degree with plans to pursue postgraduate studies

2012

Garry Kuan

Doctor of Philosophy

PhD Candidate, Mr Garry Kuan, originally from Malaysia, is a high-achieving student in many ways. He is a world-class musician who has performed as first violinist with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and is a well-respected sport psychologist. His PhD research – which looks at how music and imagery can improve athletic performance – was recently used by some of Australia's elite weightlifters and air-pistol shooters to prepare for their events at the London Olympics. In early 2012 Garry was named Australia's International Student of the Year for his academic excellence and his contributions to the community. These contributions include the free weekly violin lessons he offers at VU, as well as fundraising activities with his local church for children's music therapy programs at refugee camps in Burma.

2011

Liam Adams

Bachelor of Exercise and Human Movement

Cross-country running champion and Olympian, Liam Adams of Moonee Ponds, is the University's most decorated current student athlete. For his success in national and international competitions, he was twice named VU's Male Athlete of the Year (2008 and 2010), and in those same years, received the prestigious Australian University Sport (AUS) Male Athlete of the Year. In 2010, the AUS established the Australian University Sport Honour Roll, into which Liam was inducted. The AUS is Australia's peak governing body of university sport, with 41 member universities representing more than one million students. He recently placed first in the Sydney City2Surf competition against 80,000 runners.