Outstanding Alumni Awards

Dr Ali Drummond, a Meriam and Erubam man of Zenadth Kes (Torres Strait) and a Wuthathi man from Far North Queensland, is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health leader, academic and registered nurse. As CEO of the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives (CATSINaM), he leads national efforts to strengthen the Indigenous nursing and midwifery workforce and improve health outcomes for First Nations communities. With more than 20 years' experience across clinical practice, policy, research, education and leadership, he is widely recognised for his commitment to Indigenous leadership, workforce development and culturally safe, community-led healthcare.

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Dr Robert Backhouse is an award-winning design leader and Principal and Chair at Hassell, where he has helped shape the firm's reputation for innovation through major projects across Australia and Asia. He is known for championing collaborative, transdisciplinary design and creating environments that positively impact people, businesses and cities. A Fellow of both the International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers and the Design Institute of Australia (DIA), he was awarded the IDEA Gold Medal in 2017 and inducted into the DIA Hall of Fame in 2022 for his outstanding contribution to Australian design.

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Ravin Mirchandani is an international business executive and entrepreneur with more than 20 years of leadership experience across technology, clean energy, manufacturing, infrastructure, and road safety sectors in Australia, Asia and Europe. He is Executive Chairman of Ador Powertron Limited and co-founder and Chairman of Acusensus Limited, where he has helped drive the development and global expansion of carbon-free mobility and AI-powered road safety and traffic enforcement technologies. A recognised leader in innovation, sustainability and business growth, Ravin actively promotes trade, investment and collaboration between Queensland and India through roles with the Indo Australian Chamber of Commerce and Trade and Investment Queensland’s Global Connections Program.

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Dr Sarah Wittig is an accomplished Photonics Components Engineer currently working at the European Space Research and Technology Centre of the European Space Agency (ESA). In this role she develops and qualifies advanced laser and photonics technologies for major space missions, including CO2M (Carbon Dioxide Monitoring Constellation) and LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna). Working at the intersection of physics and engineering, Sarah specialises in the generation, manipulation and detection of light for space applications. As a Fulbright Scholar, Sarah has built an international research career across leading institutions including the University of Maryland, CERN and Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich before joining ESA in 2018.

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