Media Release
21 February 2009
Australian Alumni Award Winners
Australia’s Chargé d’Affaires in Indonesia, Paul Robilliard, congratulated the nine winners of the Australian Alumni Awards, announced at a gala awards dinner in Jakarta on 21 February.
“I am delighted to see so many Australian alumni celebrating the second year of the Australian Alumni Awards. This event recognises the outstanding achievements of the winners in their chosen fields. It is especially pleasing that their Australian education and experience contributed to their success.” said Robilliard.
The following is a full list of award winners in 2009, decided by an independent panel of fellow alumni, along with the selection panel’s rationale for conferring each award:
Australian Alumni Award for Entrepreneurship –
Awarded to Mr Airlangga Hartarto, President Commissioner of PT Fajar Surya Wisesa in acknowledgement of his development and management of successful national companies, and his contribution to the broader business climate through his leadership of parliamentary committees and community organisations.
Australian Alumni Award for Sustainable and Economic Development –
Awarded to Dr Denny Indrayana, Special Adviser of the President of Indonesia for Legal Affairs, in recognition of his notable academic and humanitarian contributions to Indonesia’s economic development and for his dedication to advocating for clean government.
Australian Alumni Award for Creativity and Design –
Awarded jointly to Ms Sally Koeswanto and Mr Djoko Hartanto.
Sally Koeswanto won the award in recognition of her internationally acclaimed cutting edge innovative designs and for her flair and dedication to promoting Indonesian design and fashion on the global scene.
Djoko Hartanto won the award in recognition of his considerable efforts to promote Indonesian graphic design internationally, and his contribution to raising the profile of design by integrating Indonesian culture into his works.
Australian Alumni Award for Journalism and Media –
Awarded to Ms Ratih Hardjono in recognition of her integrity and professionalism as a foreign correspondent, journalist and media commentator and for her influential and informative work as an author.
Outstanding Young Australian Alumni Award –
Awarded to Mr Alex Simanjuntak, editor of Jakarta Java Kini, in recognition of his inspiring contribution and impact at a young age on the younger media generation and for setting the benchmark as a prominent editor, manager and team member.
Australian Alumni Award for Excellence in Education –
Awarded jointly to Professor Hendra Gunawan and Professor Edy Tri Baskoro, both senior lecturers at ITB Bandung.
Professor Gunawan won the award in recognition of his successful career in research and teaching and his impressive overall contribution to Indonesian mathematics education including through the development of quality assurance of national examinations material.
Professor Edy Tri Baskoro won the award in recognition of his commitment to taking Indonesian mathematics to an international level and for his leadership and contribution to education delivery.
Australian Alumni Award for Research and Innovation –
Awarded to Dr. Ines Atmosukarto in recognition of her internationally acknowledged contributions as a young scientist through her cutting edge research and for her dedication to finding new treatments for cancer and infectious diseases to save the lives of others.
Australian Alumni Award for Business Leadership –
Awarded to Dr Muhammad Syafii Antonio in acknowledgement of his leadership, expertise and commitment to responsible business in the field of Islamic Banking.
Australian Alumni Award for Culture and Arts –
Awarded to Ms Mira Lesmana in recognition of her exceptional efforts promoting and reviving Indonesian cinema, for setting new standards and taking Indonesian film to new levels and for promoting Indonesian cinematography at an international level.
More than 600 alumni attended the gala event, held at the Grand Ballroom- Hotel Indonesia Kempinski on Saturday evening.. Guests enjoyed performances by fellow alumni including a spectacular fashion show by Benten Fashion, musical entertainment by Reza Achman and Sandy Winarta and a special performance by Denada.
The Australian Alumni Awards Dinner is the Australian Embassy’s major public event for 2009. It acknowledges the contributions to Indonesia made by tens of thousands of Indonesians who have studied at Australian schools, universities and technical colleges.
Further information:
Toby Lendon (Public Affairs) mob 0811 937835