Vice-Chancellor Professor S Bruce Dowton with 2019 Alumni Award winners Bradley Jakeman, Dharmica Mistry, Greg Mullins, Larry Marshall and Tina McKenzie.

If there was one word that kept coming up at the 2019 Macquarie University Alumni Awards, it was ‘proud’.

Many of the winners – who were recognised for their excellence and global impact in industries ranging from biotechnology to social enterprise – spoke of their pride as they were presented with their awards by Vice-Chancellor Professor S Bruce Dowton on 22 November.

‘I am proud to carry the Macquarie name and am grateful for the opportunities that I received and continue to receive from Macquarie,’ said Medicine and Health winner Dr Dharmica Mistry.

And of course, there was great pride in return, as Professor David Wilkinson, Deputy-Vice Chancellor (Engagement) noted.

“The extraordinary achievements of our alumni are endlessly fascinating, and they are a great inspiration to the rest of our University community,” he said. “I’m so proud of their commitment to the institution – the level of engagement in the University from the alumni I meet is really notable.”

Congratulations to the 2019 Macquarie University Alumni Award winners.

ARTS AND CULTURE

Liane Moriarty 
Master of Arts, 2003
Best-selling author

Liane Moriarty is the author of eight internationally bestselling novels and her books have sold more than 14 million copies worldwide. Her first novel Three Wishes was written as part of her Masters degree study at Macquarie University:

‘I always remember standing outside Marcelle Freiman’s office and seeing the book covers on her office door,” Liane says. “They were books that had been written by her former students and I dreamed of having my own cover on her door one day.”

Moriarty was the first Australian author to have a novel debut at number one on the New York Times bestseller list with her 2014 novel Big Little Lies, which was adapted into an Emmy award winning HBO television series.

EDUCATION

Distinguished Professor Marcia Langton AM
PhD, 2005
Associate Provost, University of Melbourne

A prominent public intellectual, Distinguished Professor Marcia Langton AM has produced a large body of knowledge in the areas of political and legal anthropology, Indigenous agreements and engagement with the minerals industry, and Indigenous culture and art.

She has received numerous awards, including the Order of Australia in 1993. She has been elected as a fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and named as one of Australia’s top 40 public intellectuals.

Her PhD thesis at Macquarie University applied phenomenological theory to the study of Aboriginal peoples of the eastern Cape York Peninsula.

INNOVATION AND ENTERPRISE

Elizabeth Gaines 
Master of Applied Finance, 1997
Chief Executive Officer, Fortescue Metals Group

A highly experienced business leader, Elizabeth Gaines has a proven track record in financial and operational leadership across a number of industries, including resources, construction and infrastructure, financial services, and travel and hospitality.

After joining Fortescue as a non-executive director in 2013, she was appointed chief financial officer in 2017 and executive director in 2018.

INTERNATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT

Bradley Jakeman 
Bachelor of Arts, 1989
Founder and managing partner of Rethink Food

Bradley Jakeman is the founder and managing partner of Rethink Food, a social impact venture firm that invests in entrepreneurs in the food system.

A former president of PepsiCo Global Beverage Group, Jakeman’s career has spanned fashion, financial services, entertainment and packaged goods. The Australian dubbed him one of the top 20 people shaping global media and AdWeek included him in the top five of the most indispensable executives in tech, media and marketing for two years in a row.

Jakeman currently serves on the boards of The Humane Society and Reporters without Borders. He is also co-chair of the board of the LGBT Community Center in New York.

MEDICINE AND HEALTH

Dr Dharmica Mistry 
PhD, 2014
Co-founder and Chief Scientist, BCAL Diagnostics

At Australian biotechnology company BCAL Diagnostics, Dr Dharmica Mistry is developing a revolutionary blood test for the detection of breast cancer – technology that was born from her PhD work at Macquarie. Mistry is also Medtech Program Manager at Cicada Innovations, nurturing the medical innovation ecosystem and mentoring other researchers to commercialise their ideas.

In 2015 Mistry was awarded Young Scientist of the Year. The following year she was named Australian Financial Review Boss Magazine’s Young Executive of the Year in Australia, as well as NSW Young Woman of the Year, having been nominated by former Minister of Health, Jillian Skinner.

PUBLIC AND COMMUNITY SERVICE

Greg Mullins AO AFSM 
Master of Management, 2000
Former Chief Fire Officer and Chief Executive Officer, NSW Fire Brigades

Greg Mullins retired in 2017 as the longest-serving commissioner of Fire and Rescue NSW for more than a century. He was the first person in the history of the FRNSW to be appointed as both chief fire officer and chief executive officer, and to have come from within the ranks of the organisation.

During his time as commissioner, Mullins he implemented a range of operational, governance and cultural reforms, including 50/50 male/female recruitment, an Indigenous employment pathway, introduction of water-saving compressed air foam systems, robotics, drones and real-time satellite tracking/dispatch of fire engines.

In 2018, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia. He is currently chair of the NSW Ambulance Advisory Council; a councillor on the Climate Council; a fellow of the Institution of Fire Engineers and the Institute of Managers and Leaders in Australia; and an active volunteer firefighter, having re-joined Terrey Hills Rural Fire Brigade upon retirement.

RISING STAR

Joshua Ross 
Bachelor of Applied Finance with Bachelor of Commerce, 2011
Co-founder and director of Humantix

Humanitix is a not-for-profit ticketing platform that directs 100 per cent of profits from booking fees towards education projects, such as literacy programs for young girls. Humanitix is backed by Google and Atlassian and is one of Australia’s fastest-growing social enterprises, beingh names in the top 20 of Westpac’s Businesses of Tomorrow.

In 2018, Ross and his business partner Adam McCurdie were named Social Entrepreneurs of the Year at the Third Sector Awards, and in 2019, Humanitix was awarded the NSW Premier’s Medal – the first time a social enterprise has done so.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Dr Larry Marshall 
Bachelor of Science (Hons), 1985; PhD, 1990
CEO, CSIRO

As Chief Executive of Australia’s national science agency, Dr Larry Marshall is applying his wealth of experience as a scientist, technology innovator and business leader to create new value and impact with science.

Dr Marshall received his PhD in physics from Macquarie University and went on to become global leader in laser research, inventing the ‘eye-safe’ laser (which enabled lasers to be used safely in public) and the world’s first solid-state green laser for the treatment of blindness in diabetics.

He has 100 publications and conference papers, holds 20 patents and has served on 20 boards of high-tech companies operating in the United States, Australia and China. He is a male champion of change who is committed to tackling gender equality.

SPORT

Tina McKenzie 
Bachelor of Arts with Diploma of Education, 2011
Three-time Paralympian in wheelchair basketball

As a member of the Australian women’s wheelchair basketball team – the Gliders – Tina McKenzie won a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, a bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing and a silver medal at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London.

After becoming an incomplete paraplegic as a result of a fall in 1994, McKenzie took up wheelchair tennis and basketball.  She joined the Gliders in 1999 and has more than 200 international caps.

McKenzie has sat on the board of directors for Disability Sport and Recreation, Victoria, and has volunteered as a mentor and camp coordinator for the organisation. She has also worked as a teacher in Sydney and in learning and development at Allianz Australia. She now works in Inclusion and Engagement at the University of Canberra.