MEDIA RELEASE
Social Impact Not-for-Profit founder and CEO named 2021 Global Australian of the Year
Leith Greenslade wins the prestigious award for her work in accelerating global health goals, building global innovation teams, women’s rights activism and COVID-19 relief in low-resource settings.
Advance, the professional network for global Australians that identifies and recognises the achievements of members of Australia’s diaspora, celebrated outstanding global Australians at the 2021 Advance Awards on Wednesday 8 September, and named Leith Greenslade as the overall award winner.
The Advance Awards recognise the work of remarkable Australians and international alumni of Australian universities who are making an extraordinary impact on the global stage, across Australia’s most important industries.
Leith Greenslade, founder of JustActions LLC in New York, USA, is a passionate advocate for the empowerment of women and children. Ranging from increasing women’s incomes, to preventing early death, to reversing inequality, Just Actions crowd-sources the world’s most talented people to work on the world’s biggest problems.
Yasmin Allen, Chair at Advance said, ‘Leith Greenslade should be a household name known to every Australian. A global hero in her various chosen fields, Leith has dedicated her life to helping and protecting others.’
Ms Greenslade’s most recent work involved leading a coalition called Every Breath Counts which is negotiating access to medical oxygen to treat COVID-19 patients in settings across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
‘We had over 300 nominations to consider in selecting the 37 finalists and 13 winners named in the 2021 Advance Global Australian Awards,’ Allen said.
‘It is an immense honor to be able to share the stories of these global Australians, all at the cutting edge of their chosen fields. They give us hope, and remind us that Australians can and always will lead globally, with the determination and imagination needed to solve problems and create inspiring new opportunities.
Our winners remind us that, within a global market of 7 billion people, the millions of Australians in our diaspora, and those that have returned home, act as an important bridge to global capital, customers and expertise. Together we can unlock opportunities for the benefit of all Australians.’
The 2021 Advance Award Winners
- 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
PINNACLE AWARDS
- Emerging Leader Award – Andrea Boyd, International Space Station Flight Controller
- Alumni Award – Sameer Dixit, Co-Founder/ Vice Chairperson, Centre for Molecular Dynamics Nepal
- Asia Impact Award – Jimmy Pham AM, Founder / CEO, KOTO
- Global Impact Award – Bruce Stillman AO, President and Chief Executive Officer, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
- Global Icon Award – Simone Young AM, Leading conductor in Europe, US and Australia
OVERALL AWARD WINNERS
- Global Australian Award 2021 – Leith Greenslade, Founder, Just Actions
ABOUT
The 13 winners of the Advance Awards were selected after review by more than 20 subject matter experts and then a judging panel of renowned Australians who represent the country’s diverse entrepreneurial culture. Chaired by Advance Founder and Chairman Emeritus, Ken Allen AM, the judging panel includes Jillian Broadbent AO, Darren Burns, Michelle Garnaut AO, Alexie Glass Kantor, Sir Michael Hintze AM, Bob Isherwood, Andrew Liveris AO and Joseph Kwok.
The Advance Awards recognise the work of remarkable global Australians making an extraordinary impact on the global stage in industry sectors that are of particular importance to Australia. The Awards are the only of their kind to recognise the contributions of the Australian diaspora – the one million Australians living abroad and 2.5 million former international students at Australian universities.
To learn more visit www.advance.org
Additional resources can be found here
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About Advance
Advance.org is the professional network for global Australians. We support international career paths and provide a bridge for skills and knowledge acquired overseas to be leveraged for Australia’s benefit.
We recognise and celebrate the achievements of global Australians who are at the forefront of their respective fields, to inspire future generations and encourage a global outlook.
Our Patron is the Prime Minister of Australia, the Hon. Scott Morrison MP. The Advance.org board is chaired by Yasmin Allen and the CEO is Johanna Pitman. We have a strong network of volunteer Advance Ambassadors in the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, China and Dubai. We are also supported by an Asian Advisory Committee led by Michelle Garnaut AO.
Media contact
Tommy McDonald, Good Talent Media, [email protected], 0416 335 886
NOTES TO THE EDITOR
The Arts Winner | Pallavi Sharda, Actress, Bollywood star, Dancer
Pallavi Sharda is a Bollywood star, Australian actor and dancer, currently starring in the 2021 American comedy film, Tom and Jerry.
Pallavi Sharda has starred in several Bollywood and international films, and since the onset of the pandemic, her career has soared, starring in TV Series and movies from the Netflix and the ABC. Ms Sharda is the first Australian to break into Bollywood and become a leading lady in the Indian film industry. She is also one the first Indian origin Australian actresses to foray into the mainstream Australian film industry and has been a pioneer and advocate for multicultural representation on Australian screens.
Commercial Creatives Winner | Sam Levy, Editor-In-Chief, Managing Director / Theatre Producer
Sam Levy is the Managing Partner of Trumper Park, a New York based theatrical production and consulting firm.
Mr Levy is an award-winning Broadway and West End theatre producer who has done much for the Australian theatre scene and its writers and artists. He has produced several Australian plays on Broadway, Off-Broadway and in the West End and has a stellar track record of identifying and connecting emerging talent. He himself is a Tony, Olivier, Drama Desk and Drama League Award winner and has helped many artists go on to receive accolades and nominations for the Oscar, Tony, Olivier, Emmy, and Golden Globe, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Education & Research Winner | Patricia Davidson, Vice-Chancellor, University of Wollongong
Prof Davidson is a former Dean at Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing in Baltimore, USA, and is currently Vice-Chancellor at the University of Wollongong.
Prof Davidson is a global leader in cardiac health and a trailblazer when it comes to the care of vulnerable populations, person-centred care delivery and evidence-based teaching. A registered nurse since 1980, Prof Davidson spent 23 years as a frontline clinician and nurse manager before shifting her focus to research and teaching. She has since returned home after many years influencing health education globally, and is deeply committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, workforce development and interdisciplinary practice.
FinTech Winner | Ed Robinson, CEO and Founder, Stash
Ed Robinson is a fintech leader and Co-Founder and President at Stash living in London, Great Britain.
Mr Robinson leveraged his financial background on Wall Street to solve what he saw as a personal wealth creation deficit by making the stock market simple and accessible to everyone. Stash has changed the lives of millions of Americans, allowing anyone with a mobile phone and $5 to start investing in low-cost baskets of stocks and bonds. Aiming to counteract average Americans with low financial literacy keeping them compounded in a debt cycle, Stash has a strong focus on financial education and tips to empower customers to build good money-making habits.
Life Sciences Winner | Ben Hindson, President/Chief Scientific Officer/ Co-founder, 10x Genomics
Dr Ben Hindson is President, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer at 10x Genomics, an early-stage biotech company with a mission to democratise single cell analysis, in California, USA.
Dr Hindson’s company 10x Genomics brings software specialists, hardware experts, biologists, chemists and data scientists together to address the complexities of biology and disease with more accessibility and affordability. 10x Genomics is also playing an important role in the COVID-19 response – supplying products to academic labs, research institutes and pharmaceutical companies around the world.
Social Impact Winner | Leith Greenslade, Founder, Just Actions
Leith Greenslade is a passionate advocate for the empowerment of women and children and founder of JustActions LLC in New York, USA.
Ranging from increasing women’s incomes, to preventing early death, to reversing inequality, Just Actions crowd-sources the world’s most talented people to work on the world’s biggest problems. Ms Greenslade’s most recent work includes leading a coalition called Every Breath Counts which is negotiating access to medical oxygen to treat COVID-19 patients in low-resource settings across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
Sustainability Winner | Darian McBain, Global Director, Corporate Affairs & Sustainability, Thai Union
Dr Darian McBain is a sustainable ocean economy advocate and Global Director of Corporate Affairs & Sustainability at the Thai Union Group PCL, one of the world’s largest seafood processors, in Sydney, Australia.
Dr McBain created Thai Union’s first global sustainability strategy, SeaChange, mandating responsible sourcing, reduced emissions, water use and energy waste at factories and supporting employees and local communities. She also set up a partnership with The Nature Conservancy for supply-chain transparency and onboard monitoring on supplier vessels, with sustainability-linked loans tied to sustainable performance.
Technology & Entrepreneurship Winner | Arjun Goyal, Co-founder and Managing Director, Vida Ventures, LLC
Dr Arjun Goyal is a venture capitalist in personalised medicine, and Co-Founder and Managing Director at Vida Ventures in San Francisco, USA.
Dr Arjun Goyal is motivated to create and invest in companies that translate groundbreaking science into innovative medicines across oncology and genetic diseases to impact patients globally. At Vida Ventures, Dr Goyal leads the US-based life sciences venture capital firm with over $1.7 billion. Dr Goyal is also very active in the Australian biotech community and has helped facilitate US biotech companies to run their clinical trials there.
Alumni Winner | Sameer Dixit, Co-Founder/ Vice Chairperson, Centre for Molecular Dynamics Nepal
Dr Sameer Dixit is an alumnus of both the University of Wollongong and Western Sydney University, he is a research scientist with an academic background in biotechnology and life sciences, and is a national consultant on various projects related to infectious diseases.
Dr Dixit is proud to have established a health and environmental research unit, which conducts field and lab-based studies on some of the major infectious diseases in Nepal, the Centre for Molecular Dynamics Nepal. With an active profile in the media, he is a key voice locally and globally on the detection, research and reaction to Covid19 in Nepal.
Emerging Leaders Winner | Andrea Boyd, International Space Station Flight Controller
Andrea Boyd is the Deputy Lead of Astronaut Operations at the European Space Agency in Cologne, Germany.
Andrea is the only Australian in the world working in the International Space Station Flight Control Team, having worked in Mission Control for 9 years. Among her many achievements, Andrea co-founded Aerospace Futures in 2010 that remains the premier conference for Australian aerospace today, to connect university students with key industry leaders. She invests her spare time as a volunteer to help other Australians achieve ambitious careers, inspires students, and promotes STEM through workshops, conferences and media appearances.
Asia Impact Winner | Jimmy Pham AM, Founder / CEO, KOTO
Jimmy Pham AM is the unstoppable force and visionary founder behind Vietnam’s leading social enterprise KOTO (Know One, Teach One).
Over the last 21 years, KOTO has impacted the lives of over 1000 street kids and disadvantaged youth in Vietnam. KOTO teaches hospitality skills over a two-year period and often becomes the catalyst for the trainees to work in prestigious hotels and restaurants around the country or partake in further study at Australian universities. An independent evaluation of KOTO alumni found 100% employment rates continued one year, five years and 10 years after graduation.
Global Impact Winner | Bruce Stillman AO, President and Chief Executive Officer, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Dr Bruce Stillman is President and CEO at Cold Spring Harbour Laboratory in New York, USA.
Dr Stillman is a visionary biochemist revolutionising cancer research through molecular biology and genetics. His ground-breaking research explores the way DNA replicates itself, a crucial component to understand how the inheritance of chromosomes is a lead indicator revealing the instance of cancer through the generations. In his current role, Dr Stillman oversees biochemistry research renowned for offering new perspectives, achieving breakthroughs, and opening up new avenues for others.
Global Icon Winner | Simone Young AM, Conductor
Simone Young is internationally recognised as one of the leading conductors of her generation, and is regularly invited by the world’s leading orchestras and major opera houses across Europe, the United States and Asia.
Simone’s appointment as Chief Conductor Designate with the Sydney Symphony was announced in 2020 and she will take up the post of the orchestra’s Chief Conductor in 2022. She is an acknowledged interpreter of the operas of Wagner and Strauss, having conducted several complete cycles of Der Ring des Nibelungen at the Vienna Staatsoper, the Staatsoper in Berlin and again, to great acclaim, in Hamburg as part of the ‘Wagner-Wahn’ Festival, during which she conducted the 10 major Wagner operas.