Each year, the UTS Alumni Awards recognise and celebrate the hard work and enormous impact of our outstanding graduates. We honour an alumni from each faculty, an amazing community contributor and an outstanding young, Indigenous, and international graduate. We’re proud to announce the recipients of the 14th annual UTS Alumni Awards.
This year, Professor Jack Beetson is the winner of the prestigious UTS Chancellor’s Award for Excellence, along with the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Award. Professor Beetson is a proud Ngemba man whose life-changing work has been recognised by the United Nations. He co-founded Literacy for Life, an organisation that aims to boost Aboriginal adult literacy.
UTS Chancellor Catherine Livingstone AO with the 2022 Chancellor’s Award for Excellence winner, Professor Jack Beetson and his daughter Che.
As a Chancellor’s Award winner, he will join the UTS Luminaries. This group was launched in 2011 to show current and future students what’s possible at UTS. This esteemed and diverse group includes actor Hugh Jackman, The Hon Tanya Plibersek MP and many other inspirational graduates.
"Our 2022 Alumni Award winners demonstrate the immense talent within the UTS alumni community, both professionally and in broader society. These alumni exemplify our core values of commitment to excellence, innovation, entrepreneurship and social justice. Congratulations to all the winners, and thank you for continuing to inspire the UTS community.” Professor Andrew Parfitt, UTS Vice-Chancellor and President.
2022 UTS Alumni Award winners with UTS Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Andrew Parfitt. (L to R): Rebecca Dominguez, Aisha Jalil, Sumeet Tappoo, Dr Sabera Turkmani, Nicky Sparshott, Tania Notaras, Professor Andrew Parfitt, Belinda Bentley, Clarence Slockee, Angelique Wan, Professor Jack Beetson.
The winner of the 2022 Community Alumni award is Sumeet Tappoo. Now an internationally acclaimed entertainer living in Mumbai, Sumeet is also the Director of Sai Prema Foundation in his home nation of Fiji. The foundation supports the country’s most vulnerable through healthcare initiatives, scholarships, disaster relief, food distribution and social support.
Solicitor Rebecca Dominguez is the recipient of the 2022 Faculty of Law Alumni Award. A solicitor specialising in human rights and access to justice, Rebecca works to reform laws around modern slavery, forced marriage and human trafficking, while also guiding the next generation of lawyers as a Clinical Supervisor.
(L to R): Health Award winner Dr Sabera Turkmani, Law Award winner Rebecca Dominguez and Community Award winner Sumeet Tappoo holding their trophies on stage at the 2022 Alumni Awards gala dinner.
CEO of Unilever Australia and New Zealand Nicky Sparshott is this year’s Faculty of Business Award winner. She believes in the power of business to contribute to the greater good. Nicky advocates for positive change by spearheading business sustainability agendas that benefit people and the planet – such as Unilever's goal to reach net zero emissions by 2039. She also has active roles in sustainability bodies such as the Champions of Change National Group and the Climate Leaders Coalition.
2022’s Faculty of Architecture and Building Award recipient Belinda Bentley is a leader in the built environment sector and an advocate for affordable housing. Driven by her family’s experiences, Belinda fights for housing accessibility by donating her time and skillset to a range of organisations. She also works to unlock the community-changing potential of not-for-profits in her role as Director of independent property investment, advisory and project management group 9Springs.
Jaime Cheuk is a powerhouse civil engineer and the winner of the Faculty of Engineering and IT Award. She’s helped transform Sydney across multiple mega infrastructure projects, including as NorthConnex, WestConnex and Sydney Metro City. Her curiosity and willingness to learn and collaborate are helping change the face of New South Wales.
(L to R): Science Award winner Tania Notaras, Design, Architecture and Building Award winner Belinda Bentley and International Award winner Aisha Jalil holding their trophies on stage at the 2022 Alumni Awards gala dinner.
Another exceptional woman in the STEM field is Tania Notaras, an experienced analytical chemist, respected businesswomen and this year’s Faculty of Science Award winner. Tania is the founder and managing director of Envirolabs – Australia’s largest private chemical testing and analytical laboratory group. She uses her expertise and passion for chemistry to assist in environmental investigations and establish industry testing standards.
This year’s winner of the Faculty of Health Alumni Award is women's rights and health advocate Dr Sabera Turkmani. Dr Turkmani is renowned for her life-changing work as a public health practitioner for vulnerable populations in under-resourced environments. A long-time advocate for women's health in Afghanistan, she co-founded the Afghan Midwives association and helped develop the country’s new national reproductive health policies and midwifery education strategies.
International Alumni Award winner Aisha Jalil is also fighting for women’s rights in her home country. She hopes to close the gender gap in sports and pave a future for girls who want a career in the industry. As one of Pakistan’s first female international cricket players, Aisha develops cricket talent programs for girls, helping them grow as elite athletes and learn valuable life skills.
(L to R): Indigenous Australian Award winner Clarence Slockee, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Award winner Professor Jack Beetson with his daughter Che, Young Award winner Angelique Wan and UTS Business School Award winner Nicky Sparshott holding their trophies on stage at the 2022 Alumni Awards gala dinner.
Our 2022 Indigenous Alumni Award winner Clarence Slockee shared his vast Indigenous horticulture knowledge with the public on Gardening Australia for over 10 years. Today, this proud Cudgenburra/Bundjalung man continues to weave his culture’s teaching into urban green spaces as the founder and director of Jiwah.
This year's final award winner is Young Alumni Angelique Wan. At just 19, Angelique co-founded thriving not-for-profit Consent Labs before eventually becoming CEO. She and her team are blazing a trail to change what consent and sex education looks like in schools, ensuring it reflects Australia’s diverse cultures and all expressions of gender and sexuality.
UTS is proud to call each of these amazing individuals alumni, and we’re thrilled to have been able to recognise their outstanding work in person again this year. Congratulations to this year's winners and thank you for your many contributions to the UTS community and beyond.