Australian Alumni Award Winners

Australia’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Bill Farmer, said he was delighted to have been able to congratulate the winners of the inaugural Australian Alumni Awards announced at a gala awards dinner in Jakarta on 16 February.

Among the winners were Lippo Group Deputy Chairman, James Riady, who won the Entrepreneurship Award, Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr Boediono, for his contributions to Indonesia’s economic and social development, and Managing Director of General Motors Indonesia, Mukiat Sutikno, for business leadership.

“It was just fantastic to see so many outstanding alumni celebrating together at the first ever Australian Alumni Awards,” Farmer said. “The winners and all the finalists in each category have shown great leadership and achieved remarkable things in their respective fields and I am pleased to think their Australian education has contributed to their success.”

The following is a full list of award winners in 2008, which were decided by a panel of fellow alumni, along with the selection panel’s rationale for conferring each award:

Australian Alumni Award for Entrepreneurship - Awarded to Dr James Riady, Deputy Chairman of the Lippo Group, in acknowledgement of his success in developing profitable businesses in areas which promote the common good, such as education and health, and in a manner characterised by good corporate governance principles.

Australian Alumni Award for Sustainable and Economic Development - Awarded to Dr Boediono, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, in recognition of his considerable contribution to Indonesia’s economic development throughout his distinguished period as Minister, as well as through his academic career as a teacher and mentor for future Indonesian economists.

Australian Alumni Award for Research and Innovation – Awarded jointly to Dr Kusmayanto Kadiman, State Minister for Research and Technology, and to Dr Herawati Sudoyo, Principal Scientist and Executive Manager of the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology.

Dr Kadiman won the award in recognition of his leadership role in the development and setting of national science and technology policies and targets and, in particular, for his important leadership role in forging closer relations between the Indonesian and international scientific communities.

Dr Sudoyo’s award was in recognition of her outstanding research in the field of molecular biology, which focuses on the genetic diversity of the people of Indonesia and other parts of South-East Asia, and which has contributed significantly to health management in Indonesia and for victim identification purposes in disasters.

Australian Alumni Award for Business Leadership - Awarded to Mr Mukiat Sutikno, Managing Director of General Motors Indonesia, in recognition of his rapid rise through the ranks of the Indonesian automotive industry and his strong business acumen, leadership and ethical business practices.

Australian Alumni Award for Culture and Arts - Awarded to Mrs Marussya Naingollan, Director of Gedung Kesenian Jakarta, in recognition of her considerable achievements as an exceptional pianist and composer, and for her dedication to the promotion of classical music in Indonesia.

Australian Alumni Award for Creativity and Design - Awarded to Mr Budiman Hoolan Hendropurnomo, Director of PT DCM Jakarta, in recognition of his outstanding talent as an architect whose well-known buildings demonstrate his innovation and creativity.

Australian Alumni Award for Journalism and Media - Awarded to Ms Meutya Hafid, Senior Anchor for Metro TV, in recognition of her dedication to quality journalism, achieved through her understanding of cultural issues, and in recognition of her handling of significant media events which exemplifies her high journalistic standards and professionalism.

More than 600 alumni attended the gala event, held at the Shangri-La Hotel on Saturday. Guests were treated to performances by fellow alumni, including renowned jazz guitarist I Balawan, a dance performance by Jakarta belly-dancers, an exclusive fashion show by Sally Koeswanto, and a performance by DJ Delizious Devina.

The Australian Alumni Awards is the Australian Embassy’s major public event for 2008. It is designed to acknowledge the contributions to Indonesia made by tens of thousands of Indonesians who have studied at Australian schools, universities and technical colleges.

Further information:
John Williams (Counsellor, Public Affairs), mob 0812 1053 989