2011

Robert Coombe
Bachelor of Laws (1990)

Robert Coombe was appointed Group Executive Westpac Retail & Business Banking on 1 February 2010, with responsibility for all Westpac’s retail, small-to-medium enterprises and commercial customers in Australia.

Robert joined Westpac with the acquisition of the BT Financial Group in 2002 and has over 28 years’ experience in banking, insurance, and finance and wealth management. He started with BT in 1991 and held a number of positions, including Senior Legal Counsel, Head of BT's International Funds Management and CEO of BT's Funds Management business in Malaysia.

Prior to joining BT, Robert accumulated ten years of experience in commercial banking, property investment and funds management.
Robert is also a Director of The Australian Indigenous Education Foundation, Ascalon Capital Management and Surfing Australia and is a member of the UTS Faculty of Law Advisory Board as well as acting as a mentor in the Faculty's high achievers student program.

Robert credits much of his success with the way his Law degree at UTS combined practical skills with the more traditional technical skills: "To have the opportunity to develop the required practical skills while studying and then to be able to apply them in the workplace was fantastic."

Robert Coombe is awarded the UTS Alumni Award for Excellence 2011 - Faculty of Law for his outstanding career achievements, alongside his work for community organisations.

Shawn Atleo
Master of Education in Adult Learning and Global Change (2003)

Shawn Atleo is an Indigenous Canadian and Hereditary Chief from the Ahousaht First Nation on Flores Island, British Colombia. In July 2009, Shawn was elected to a three-year mandate as National Chief to the Assembly of First Nations, an organisation that represents 630 First Nations communities in Canada, which include up to 700,000 native people across the country.

With a background in education, enhanced by his Masters from UTS, Shawn was appointed Chancellor of Vancouver Island University in 2008 and is the first university chancellor of Aboriginal heritage in the province’s history.

Shawn is the public face of Aboriginal negotiations with the federal government and is calling for education and economic reforms. His efforts are focused on the empowerment of the people and their communities towards self-determination and building hope for the future.

He has served as the Executive Director of a family addictions treatment facility and of an Aboriginal post-secondary training institute, Umeek Human Resource Development. He was also a participant in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and led a delegation to assist in rebuilding Indigenous communities in Indonesia following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and its associated tsunami.

Shawn tells the story of his grandmother who was a survivor of the Indian residential schools system that saw many children torn from their homes, cultures, languages and families. "Grandson, I am and always was a fighter, I raised my kids to be fighters. We no longer should fight our fights with our fists, we fight our fight with education." In his work, Shawn always emphasises the importance of language, history, teachings and cultural values as the way to move forward.

Shawn Atleo is awarded the UTS Alumni Award for Excellence 2011 - Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, for his dedication to furthering the rights of First Nations communities and his commitment to education.

Rangan Srikhanta
Bachelor of Business, Bachelor of Computing (2007)

Rangan Srikhanta first became interested in community focussed projects while still a student at UTS, when he joined the United Nations Association of Australia (UNAA), serving as both Treasurer and Director of the NSW Division.

Whilst at UTS, Rangan completed two internships at Deloitte before joining the company full-time in 2007 as an Analyst with Risk Services, where he gained the corporate exposure that would prove invaluable for his future career.

Rangan came to realise that the digital divide did not exist only in developing countries, but also in developed countries like Australia. The organisation One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) had existed elsewhere in the world and worked to deliver the XO - a specially designed laptop - to children in remote communities to enhance their educational opportunities.

Rangan spent three years lobbying the parent body of One Laptop Per Child to establish a local arm in Australia. At the age of just 25, he left his lucrative career with Deloitte to co-found OLPC Australia, becoming Executive Director upon its launch in May 2009. The mission of OLPC Australia is to enhance learning opportunities for the 300,000 primary school aged children, living in remote Australia, by providing each one with a connected XO laptop as part of a sustainable training and support program, by 2014.

"I realised early on that financial reward was not the only pathway to happiness. That people are remembered for the impact they have on humanity not the size of their fortune. How I chose to achieve this has led me on what I believe is a life-long journey."

Rangan Srikhanta is awarded the UTS Alumni Community Award 2011 for his commitment to serving the Australian community.

Graham Jahn
Bachelor of Architecture (1982)

Graham Jahn has had a career in which he has literally helped to shape our city. Completing his Bachelor of Architecture in 1982 as a University medallist, he has gone onto be an award­ winning architect with design, planning and policy experience. From 1988, he headed up his own architecture practice Jahn Associates Architects, but stepped down from this role in 2009 to become Director, City Planning, Development & Transport at the City of Sydney .

From 2001 - 2003 Graham held the position of National President of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects and has sat on numerous boards including the New South Wales Board of Architects and the Biennale of Sydney.

From 1995 - 99, he served as a City of Sydney Councillor and is a past Chairman of the City of Sydney Planning Committee and Sydney City Council Heritage Review Panel. In addition, he sits on the Faculty of Design, Architecture & Building's Industry Advisory Board here at UTS, where he also holds the position of Adjunct Professor. Graham is the author of two quintessential books on Australian Architecture - Contemporary Australian Architecture and Guide To Sydney Architecture.

Graham has always valued the options that UTS gave him: "I specifically chose a part time full degree course that allowed you to work and study, giving you a taste of a working environment from early on and encouraging self-sufficiency, independent thought and enquiry, along with a strong social consciousness."

Graham Jahn is awarded the UTS Alumni Award for Excellence 2011 - Faculty of Design, Architecture & Building for his major contribution to the shape and values of modern Sydney and his achievements in the field of architecture.

Dr Dimitri Argyriou
Bachelor of Applied Science in Applied Physics (1990), Doctor of Philosophy in Science (1994)

Dr Dimitri Argyriou had previously held positions in Australia, the USA and Germany, before taking on the position of Director of Science at the European Spallation Source (ESS) in 2011.

ESS is a multi-scientific research centre based on the world's most powerful neutron source that will open in 2019 and is a joint project involving over 17 European countries.

Dimitri has co-authored over 140 peer reviewed publications in international journals and has written several popular science and opinion editorials in widely read scientific periodicals. He has supervised numerous PhD students and more than a dozen postdoctoral researchers.

Dimitri is a recipient of the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Preis for his work on multiferroics and has received an American Physical Society fellowship for his breakthroughs in the understanding of colossal magnetoresistance - how some materials dramatically change their electrical resistance in the presence of a magnetic field. His work has also made a major contribution to the understanding of the physics of iron based superconductors.

Dimitri says of his award "I am incredibly honoured and humbled, and see this award as not so much an acknowledgment of my achievements, but as an acknowledgment of the contribution UTS has made internationally to science and technology."

Dr Dimitri Argyriou is awarded the UTS International Alumni Award 2011 for the many contributions he has made to further humankind's understanding of its physical surroundings.

Drenka Andjelic
Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering (1996)

When Drenka Andjelic first joined UTS, women were outnumbered 12:1 in her class. Throughout her career Drenka has continued to succeed in an industry that is traditionally dominated by men and now she runs Construction Assignments - the only project management company founded and solely owned by a woman in Australia.

With over 18 years’ experience in the property and construction industry, Drenka previously worked as a Project Engineer with AMP Property Investments for seven years before taking on the role of Construction Manager with Accor Hotels . In 2006, Drenka identified a gap in the market with respect to the cost-effective design and construction of hotels, and started Construction Assignments soon afterwards. Her company now employs six full time professional project management staff and has successfully delivered projects in Queensland, NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and New Zealand.

In August 2011, she was awarded CB Richard Ellis Businesswoman of the Year at the National Association of Women in Construction NSW Awards for Excellence.
Drenka credits her success in business to her attitude of working hard at something she loves doing. She says, "People like doing business with people who like doing business. I now love what I do. It shows, and people want to be a part of this."

Drenka Andjelic is awarded the Alumni Award for Excellence 2011 - Faculty of Engineering & Information Technology for her exceptional business leadership in a traditionally male dominated industry.

Matthew Cleary
Bachelor of Nursing (1998), Graduate Certificate in Critical Care Nursing (2003), Master of Health Services Management (2005)

Matthew Cleary is a graduate with no less than three UTS degrees under his belt, and is now an expert in emergency nursing - often practicing under extremely stressful situations. Matthew started his career working as a clinical nurse in a teaching hospital but was soon out of the city, working in a remote Aboriginal community. 

After a number of years gaining valuable experience in Australia, Matthew joined international humanitarian agency Medecins Sans Frontieres in 2005 and over the next five years worked as a Program Coordinator in countries including Sudan, Niger, Somalia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Many of these countries have been at war for many years resulting in places with huge humanitarian needs. Matthew had to become skilled at managing large teams of healthcare professionals, working in areas where external support was extremely limited and the risk of abduction for ransom was ever present. 

Throughout all this, Matthew continued to work to provide the best possible healthcare to those who truly needed it, despite great personal risk. Just over a year ago, Matthew returned from the field and now works as a Senior Manager in the Health Team at PricewaterhouseCoopers, using his vast experience and knowledge in emergency nursing and logistics to advise others in the industry.

"Through all my experiences I have learnt many things: about myself, about my professional ability, my capacity under pressure and my definition of what is right and wrong. However what I have learnt most of all is that if you empower a person to perform as an individual and as part of a team you can achieve anything, even in the direst of situations."

Matthew Cleary is awarded the UTS Alumni Award for Excellence 2011 - Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Health for his dedication to the advancement of health, and service to humanity both internationally and in Australia.

Dr Shari Forbes
Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Applied Chemistry - Forensic Science (2000), Doctor of Philosophy in Science (2003)

Dr Shari Forbes currently holds the position of Director of Forensic Science in the Faculty of Science at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) and has recently received tenure as Associate Professor. She was one of the first doctoral graduates in forensic science at UTS and over the past eight years has established an outstanding international reputation in the field of forensic chemistry. Shari is now recognised as a world-leading expert in the field of decomposition chemistry.

At UOIT Shari has established a state-of-the-art decomposition chemistry laboratory, as well as a unique geoforensic research facility. Her research is of great significance to law enforcement agencies and her expertise is regularly sought for case work.

She has received over $2.2 million in research funding, including the prestigious Tier 2 Canada Research Chair and a major Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada grant. Shari was also awarded a prestigious Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship in 2005. She is the author of seven scholarly book chapters, 29 journal articles and over 40 conference presentations.

Shari still looks back on her days at UTS fondly: "Many of the young professors who taught me forensic science at UTS continue to be an inspiration to my career. I was impressed that they started a new program well before forensic science became popular and managed to develop an internationally recognised program which produces graduates that are sought all over the world. Since graduating from UTS, I have tried to model my career on their example of leadership and collaboration."

Dr Shari Forbes is awarded the UTS Alumni Award for Excellence 2011 - Faculty of Science for the reputation she has established as a world-leading expert and for her dedication to the science of forensics.

Guy Templeton
Master of Business Administration (1992)

Guy Templeton started his working life as an engineer, but has learnt to adapt as his career has reached stellar heights in unexpected industries. Guy studied his MBA at UTS part time while juggling a role running a division of transport company TNT. He credits taking on that challenge, in parallel with business studies, as the best way to learn how to apply the skills he was learning at UTS quickly and practically.

Guy has enjoyed a career that has seen him consult in almost a dozen industries and gain international experience working in over 20 countries during the 14 years that he worked for PA Consulting Group. 2004 saw him take on his biggest challenge yet, taking the reins at law firm Minter Ellison - the first non-lawyer to take on the role of CEO of a Sydney based law firm.

Guy says: "I used to think that I could plan my life and career with precision. But never did I contemplate that I would lead a law firm, have one of my children born while we were living overseas, or develop a passion for cooking. So, I really can't forecast 10 years out and I no longer try to. My advice would be to keep sampling until you find an area that you become passionate about."

Guy Templeton is awarded the UTS Alumni Award for Excellence 2011 - UTS Business School, for his success as an inspirational business leader in a wide variety of industries.

Karieshma Kaban
Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science (2007)

After completing her Bachelor degree, Karieshma Kabani started her research career at the Institute of Haematology at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and was recently promoted to the role of Transplant Scientist. In addition to working full time, she has undertaken her MSc (Research) here at UTS which she is about to complete. Karieshma works as a practical class demonstrator and is a sought-after mentor to younger students. During her short career, she has already had five journal articles and five abstracts published in prestigious scientific journals.

In addition she has presented at over 20 local, national and international scientific conferences. Looking forward, Karieshma hopes to complete a PhD in stem cell research.

For Karieshma, education is one of the most important things in life. She says: "I was incredibly inspired by my mother who decided to go into nursing as a mature aged student. She set herself a goal and achieved it - she made me realise that to get ahead in life, education plays a key role.”

Karieshma Kabani is awarded the UTS Young Alumni Award 2011 for her commitment to research and her early career achievement.