Nominations have officially opened for the prestigious Asian-Australian Leadership Awards which celebrate the valuable contributions of the country’s most influential and brightest young Asian-Australians and the role they play in shaping their industry.
Now in their sixth year, the awards are an initiative of Asialink at the University of Melbourne and Executive Search firm Johnson Partners and aim to elevate Asian-Australian leadership.
“The awards shine a light on the incredible leadership talent and potential of Asian-Australians and the important contributions to their field,” said Asialink CEO Martine Letts.
“There is a real lack of recognition and focus on leveraging Asian-Australian grown talent.
“Australia needs to better nurture that talent and do better to embrace our cultural diversity, or Australia risks losing some of our best and brightest to overseas markets and industries like the medical tech space,” Ms Letts warned.
Founder and Chief Executive of Johnson Partners, Jason Johnson is a passionate advocate for diversity and is recognised as a global thought leader in his industry.
He said a significant shift in corporate Australia’s approach to improve cultural diversity would help further unlock the full potential of the economy.
“Companies which embrace diversity and foster an inclusive culture are better placed to navigate an increasingly globalised business environment and increasingly diverse customer sets and stakeholders,” Mr Johnson said.
Applicants in the awards will be judged across 11 categories in the fields of Arts and Culture, Sports, Corporate, Education, Science and Medicine, Public Sector and Government, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Legal and Professional Services, Community, Advocacy and Not for Profit and Media.
There is also a Lifetime Achievement category and an Under 25 Rising Star.
To be eligible, nominees must be Australian citizens or permanent residents, identify as Asian-Australian and be under the age of 40. For the Under 25 Rising Star, nominees must be aged 25 or under in the year of nomination.
The Lifetime Achievement category has an uncapped age limit and is selected by the expert judging panel.
Applicants are assessed on four main criteria: leadership in their field, championing cultural diversity, community engagement, and creating opportunities for others.
“We want to recognise people who are not only outstanding in their own field, but who are also helping give a leg up to other peers so they too can share success,” Mr Johnson said.
This year’s judging panel includes Philanthropic patron and Executive Wealth Circle chairwoman Susan Gin, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne’s Deputy Director Research Associate Professor Tam Nguyen, OzAsia Festival Executive Director Joon-Yee Kwok, Executive Dean of Macquarie Business School Eric Knight, Westpac Group Operations General Manager Bhaskar Katta, Colonial First State Group Executive of People and Culture Shenaz Waples, and last year’s overall winner and Chief Executive of Media Diversity Australia Mariam Veiszadeh.
