Outstanding Alumnus
Devika Ghaisas
Devika Ghaisas is a senior director at NVIDIA, leading a technologically wide-ranging portfolio of software products from generative AI to IP-driven professional broadcast and productivity tools for enterprise users. NVIDIA regularly appears in the world's top three largest companies by market capitalisation. Devika has also held senior program roles at Microsoft Corporation and VMWare. She is a passionate advocate for the Women in Tech movement and was named in Silicon Valley YWCA's Tribute to Women awards in 2023.
Liza-Jane McBride
Liza-Jane is the Chief Allied Health Officer for Queensland, responsible for providing high-level strategic leadership, policy change, and education strategies for the allied health workforce of over 9000 (more than a quarter of the total health workforce). She has a particular interest in primary care, rural and remote practice and growing the leadership capacity for Indigenous Australians. In 2021 she led the establishment of a Director of Allied Health First Nations People role. Liza-Jane is also an adjunct professor and an associate clinical professor in QUT's Faculty of Health.
Anthony Miller
Anthony Miller is the CEO and managing director of Westpac Group, one of Australia's largest and oldest financial institutions. With a strong background in global banking and extensive leadership experience, Anthony is focused on simplifying the organisation and enhancing collaborations across divisions and technology platforms. Before joining Westpac in 2020, Anthony was CEO of Deutsche Bank in Australia and New Zealand and a former partner at Goldman Sachs, where he led their Asian finance division, overseeing equity and debt capital markets, derivatives, and leveraged finance across Sydney and Hong Kong.
Jo Porter
Jo Porter is the managing director of Curio Pictures and multi-award-winning television and executive producer behind many of Australia's most popular, internationally known and critically acclaimed scripted series including Wentworth for Foxtel, Seven Network's ratings hit Packed to the Rafters, international Emmy nominee Always Greener and multiple Logie and AFI awarded All Saints. Her credits with Curio Pictures include the limited series The Narrow Road to the Deep North, The Artful Dodger for Disney+ and Hulu, High Country for Foxtel/Binge and BBC, and Paramount’s Playing Gracie Darling. In 2018, Jo was named in the top 25 list for Global Women in Television.
Outstanding Young Alumnus
Lottie Dalziel
Lottie Dalziel is an award-winning sustainability advocate, educator, and author. In 2018 Lottie founded Banish – a platform dedicated to empowering Australians with the knowledge and tools to live more sustainably through education-first initiatives, corporate workshops and community programs. Lottie also established the Banish Recycling and Diversion (BRAD) Program, which successfully diverted more than one million pieces of plastic waste from landfill in 2024 alone. In 2023 Lottie was named New South Wales Young Australian of the Year and has been featured in Forbes' 30 Under 30 for her contributions to sustainability and entrepreneurship.
Courtney Stewart
Courtney Stewart is artistic director and CEO of Australia's oldest continuously running theatre company, Brisbane's La Boite Theatre. She is also an acclaimed director, dramaturge, actor and teaching artist with a deep passion for intercultural works and multicultural dramaturgies. Courtney's career as an artistic leader, director and change-maker includes stints at some of the country's most prolific companies and organisations including Sydney Theatre Company, Belvoir, and Contemporary Asian Australian Performance. Courtney is a board member of Creative Australia and previous Chair of Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance Equity Diversity Committee. In 2023 she was recognised as one of Queensland’s 40 under 40 creative leaders.
Outstanding Indigenous Australian Alumnus
Brian Bero
Brian Bero is a proud Meriam (Torres Strait Islander) man, and co-founder, principal and director of Jaramer Legal, one of Australia's first national majority Indigenous-owned law firms. Jaramer Legal provides a broad suite of corporate and commercial legal services intrinsically linked to improved economic outcomes for Indigenous peoples under the Australian federal government's Closing the Gap Policy and similar initiatives. In 2024, Brian was named National First Nations Senior Lawyer of the year and in 2025 he was appointed to the Federal Government's new First Nations Trade and Advisory Group to help First Nations businesses access a wide array of trade and economic opportunities internationally.
Troy Casey
Troy Casey is a proud Aboriginal man from Kamilaroi Country north-west New South Wales and co-founder and director of Blaklash Creative, an entirely Aboriginal-owned creative agency and design consultancy specialising in Aboriginal art and design. Working in partnership with artists, designers and creatives, Blaklash produces community-driven outcomes that express First Nations perspectives through artistic process, practice and presentation across public art, urban design and the built environment. In 2024, Troy partnered with QUT to establish the Blaklash Built Environment Scholarship to encourage Indigenous Australian students to connect their experiences and university studies with First Nations stories and culture.
Outstanding Sports Alumnus
Bronte Campbell OLY OAM
Bronte Campbell OLY OAM is a four-time Australian Olympian for swimming. Her stellar career garnered numerous individual and team medals including: three Olympic medals (two gold), five World Championship golds, five Commonwealth Games gold medals, eight World Cup golds, and a junior world title. Bronte was part of the Dolphins leadership team from 2016-2021. As former president of the Australian Swimmers Association she was a key figure in the drafting and signing of an MOU, the first agreement of its kind for Australia, that sees athletes receive a share of Swimming Australia’s commercial revenue from sponsorship, broadcast rights and licensing. She is also co-founder and co-CEO of sustainable activewear company Earthletica.
Dr Ross Pinder
Dr Ross Pinder is the learning design lead at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). In this role, Ross spearheads the development of innovative learning strategies to enhance athlete performance and coach development across various sports disciplines. Before joining the AIS, Ross was skill acquisition specialist at Paralympics Australia, where he led a team of sports scientists and applied researchers to develop world-leading learning environments with athletes, coaches and practitioners. His contributions were instrumental in establishing the Connected Coaches group in 2020, a platform aimed at revolutionising knowledge sharing and collaboration among coaches.
Outstanding Community Impact Alumnus
Louise Allen
A humanitarian and human rights advocate with more than 20 years experience, Louise Allen is Head of Global Advocacy with the Danish Refugee Council, Denmark’s largest Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) and one of the few international NGOs with a specific expertise in forced displacement. Across her career Louise has worked alongside conflict affected populations to engage with policy and decision makers around the world. She has also worked within the UN and other regional and multilateral organisations on projects aimed at enhancing the prevention of conflict, radicalisation, atrocity and gender-based hate crimes, political violence, and mass displacement.
Dr Bianca Beetson
Dr Bianca Beetson is a proud Kabi Kabi and Wiradjuri woman and has been a practicing artist for more than 28 years, with works featured in public and private collections around Australia and overseas. Currently she is the executive director, First Nations at the Queensland Museum where she oversees all First Nations work and manages repatriation for the state of Queensland. Bianca is also Chair of the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair and was a founding member of the seminal Aboriginal artist collective, Proppa NOW, which aimed to counter cultural stereotypes and give a voice to urban artists.
Award details
The Outstanding Alumni Awards (OAA) recognise graduates of QUT and its predecessor institutions for exceptional professional and personal achievements and contributions locally, nationally, and internationally.
Established in 1991 the awards showcase and celebrate the diverse achievements, leadership, and impact of alumni who are leaders and influencers in their professions and communities.
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Past winners
Our 2025 Outstanding Alumni are part of a proud tradition of individuals making a difference across industries, communities, and the world. Below, you can explore the full list of past award recipients who continue to inspire with their achievements.
Explore videos from previous winners
Outstanding Alumni Awards Winners 2024
Outstanding Alumni Awards Winners 2023
Outstanding Alumni Awards Winners 2022
Outstanding Alumni Awards Winners 2021
Outstanding Alumni Awards Winners 2020
Outstanding Alumni Awards Winners 2019
Outstanding Alumni Awards Winners 2018
Outstanding Alumni Awards Winners 2017
- QUT Alumnus of the Year and Faculty of Law Outstanding Alumni Award
- Darryl McDonough
- QUT Young Alumnus of the Year
- Kate Gifford
- Innovation and Entrepreneurship Outstanding Alumni Award winner
- Joel Pobar
- Young Innovation and Entrepreneurship Outstanding Alumni Award winner
- Michael Brett
- Special Excellence Award for Achievements and Contributions to Indigenous Communities
- Wayne Denning
- QUT Business School Outstanding Alumni Award winner
- Christine Corbett
- Creative Industries Faculty Outstanding Alumni Award winner
- Peter Greste
- Faculty of Education Outstanding Alumni Award winner
- Hon. Leeanne Enoch, MP
- Faculty of Health Outstanding Alumni Award winner
- Tina Coco AO
- Science and Engineering Faculty Outstanding Alumni Award winner
- Michael Dempsey
Outstanding Alumni Awards Winners 2016
- QUT Alumnus of the Year and Creative Industries Outstanding Alumni Award
- Kate Miller-Heidke
- QUT Young Alumnus of the Year
- Jessa Rogers
- QUT Business School Outstanding Alumni Award winner
- Caitlin Wilson
- Faculty of Education Outstanding Alumni Award winner
- Maryanne Walsh
- Special Excellence Award for Achievement in Podiatry and Faculty of Health Outstanding Alumni Award winner
- Greg Dower
- Faculty of Law Outstanding Alumni Award winner
- Roman Quaedvlieg
- Science and Engineering Faculty Outstanding Alumni Award winner
- Richard Eastes
- QUT Business School Special Excellence Award for Service to the Community
- Paul Quilliam
- Special Excellence Award for Contributions to the Nutrition Profession
- Lim Su Lin
Outstanding Alumni Awards Winners 2015
- QUT Alumnus of the Year and Science and Engineering Faculty Outstanding Alumni Award
- Dr Abigail Allwood
- QUT Young Alumnus of the Year
- Andrew Blackman
- Andrew Northcott
- Special Excellence Award for achievement in education and Faculty of Education Outstanding Alumni Award
- Carmee Lim
- Special Excellence Award for innovation in youth support and education
- Andrew Gourley
- QUT Business School Outstanding Alumni Award
- Carolyn Dawkins
- Creative Industries Faculty Outstanding Alumni Award
- Leigh Sales
- Faculty of Health Outstanding Alumni Award
- Karni Liddell
- Faculty of Law Outstanding Alumni
- Dominic McGann