The virtual celebration of the Advance Awards 2021 on Wednesday 8 September celebrated a wide variety of outstanding global Australians, recognising 37 finalists and 13 category winners.
The overall winner, and 2021 Global Australian of the Year, was awarded to Leith Greenslade, for her work in accelerating global health goals, building global innovation teams, women’s rights activism and COVID-19 relief in low-resource settings.
Presenting the Award, the Australian Ambassador to the USA, the Hon. Arthur Sinodinos AO, praised Leith’s tireless advocacy for women and children through the work of JustActions, an organisation she founded and leads, from New York.
The Awards celebration included laughter, tears, and impressive accomplishments, with special guest appearances from Hugh Jackman, Bindi Irwin, Tim Minchin, former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Nobel laureate Prof Barry Marshall and many more.
The 2021 Advance Award Winners
- Overall Winner – Leith Greenslade, Founder, Just Actions
- Global Icon Award – Simone Young AM, Leading conductor in Europe, US and Australia
- Global Impact Award – Bruce Stillman AO, President and Chief Executive Officer, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
- Asia Impact Award – Jimmy Pham AM, Founder / CEO, KOTO
- Alumni Award – Sameer Dixit, Co-Founder/ Vice Chairperson, Centre for Molecular Dynamics Nepal
- Emerging Leader Award – Andrea Boyd, International Space Station Flight Controller
- Arts Award – Pallavi Sharda, Actress, Bollywood star, Dancer
- Commercial Creatives Award – Sam Levy, Editor-In-Chief, Managing Director / Theatre Producer
- Education & Research Award – Patricia Davidson, Vice-Chancellor, University of Wollongong
- FinTech Award – Ed Robinson, CEO and Founder, Stash
- Life Sciences Award – Ben Hindson, President/Chief Scientific Officer/ Co-founder, 10x Genomics
- Social Impact Award – Leith Greenslade, Founder, Just Actions
- Sustainability Award – Darian McBain, Global Director, Corporate Affairs & Sustainability, Thai Union
- Technology & Entrepreneurship Award – Arjun Goyal, Co-founder and Managing Director, Vida Ventures, LLC
Stay tuned for interviews with the winners, and digital and in-person events to showcase the perspective and insights of the 2021 GameChangers.
As an important opportunity to unite the Australian expatriate community, the Advance Awards virtual celebration (viewable in full here) was free for the entire Advance community, made possible through the generous support of government partner, and our corporate sponsors.
Where in-person gatherings were possible, satellite events took place simultaneously to view the broadcast in Dubai, Hong Kong, London and Shanghai, and 6 hours later in New York, hosted by Advance supporters. Our sincere thanks to:
- Adam Malouf, Advance Ambassador, and the Australian Business Council Dubai UAE
- Jeannie Lopes, Advance Ambassador, and Royal Over Seas League (London)
- Marie Scoutas, Public Diplomacy and Communications at the Australian Consulate-General in New York
- Michelle Garnaut AO, Advance board member, and Chair of the Asia Advisory Committee
- Stefanie Evennett, Chief Executive of AustCham Hong Kong and the Australian Consulate-General in Hong Kong
The broadcast reached Australians all over the world, with a total of 762 live viewing sites in 7 different countries, and many households viewing with family. Over 300 people attended the in-person events, and the audience of viewers after the event continues to grow. The streaming platform encouraged a live chat which generated nearly 500 comments, replies and likes, including plenty of congratulations and engagement between the winners and nominees.
The Prime Minister Scott Morison prepared a special message for expat Australians, to coincide with the Advance Awards.
“Amazing to see these unsung experts recognised for their serious and impactful contributions to the world. Well done Advance on showcasing these Australians. True substance -inspiring!!“
“Great event, rewarding the right people (all of the finalists) for the right reasons, in these very trying times…“
“What a remarkable event! Blown away by the huge impact of all the award winners, combined with their spectacular humility and authenticity. These are Australians truly worth celebrating, championing and elevating as leaders at home and abroad. Thank you Advance for making these awards possible.“
If you missed out on the ceremony, or would like to view it again, you can watch it here.