The awards are the offshoot of the Australia China Alumni Association, formed in Beijing in 2007 by Edward Smith with the backing of the Australian government and corporate sponsors including CPA Australia, Qantas, ANZ, IELTS and Business Events Sydney. It was established to garner into one organization, the alumni of Australian universities now living and working in China. The ACAA now has representatives in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou and over the past four years has continued to grow by 100 to 150 new members a month. Today the organization boasts more than 6500 members, some of them high-profile Chinese entrepreneurs who feature regularly on China’s top 100 wealthiest business people list.

 

This year’s ACAA Awards, held at Shanghai’s Hyatt on the Bund, boasted an eclectic group of finalists – ranging from entrepreneurs in the ICT sphere, those at the forefront of enhancing China’s developing financial and legal services framework and acclaimed researchers in areas of climate change, the environment and health.

 

David Wang, the founder and chairman of SPG Land Holdings, took out the premier award – the IELTS ACAA Award for Alumni of the Year. Mr Wang graduated from the University of Technology Sydney in the early ‘90s – returning to China against the backdrop of the Asian financial crisis to set up his property development business, with his first project in Pudong, the Cambridge Forest Newtown development, to bring affordable homes with gardens to China’s growing middle class.

His business has grown to encompass a wide array of projects, including his all-time favourite development – Shanghai’s Peninsula hotel on the city’s spectacular Bund. Judges commended Mr Wang for his philanthropic work, specifically the establishment of the SIPO Polytechnic in Shanghai to allow students from poorer backgrounds the opportunity to train in areas such as nursing, trades and management.

 

“I really benefitted from seeing the importance of education so I’ve always felt if I had the chance to help others, I would,” said Mr Wang.

 

Taking out the AEI Young Alumni of the Year was Dr Jessie Wong, a University of Melbourne and Monash University graduate, whose work in improving auditing in China and at a global level attracted the attention of the ACAA judging panel.

 

“Jessie is a young professional auditor with abundant experiences in the field of international auditing and ethics for accounting,” said ACAA Awards judge and Director of the Research Department for CELAP, Dr Bai Xuezhu.

 

“In an emerging economy like China, Jessie’s work is of great value to promote the awareness of business ethics and integrity,” he said.

 

 

Over 150,000 Chinese students have studied in Australia since the early 1970s. The ACAA
Awards not only celebrate the fantastic successes of these returning graduates in China but also seek to recognise the diverse achievements of Australian expatriates in China, and the deepening Australia-China relationship. ■

 

 

*Australia China Connections has been the proud media sponsor of the Australia China Alumni Awards since the inaugural awards were held in Beijing in 2008. We congratulate all the exceptional finalists and winners of this year’s ACAA Awards who collectively represent a vast array of sectors in their areas of expertise in China.

 

To learn more about the ACAA and the annual awards, visit: www.austchinaalumni.org

 

To read more about the winners of this year’s ACAA Awards see the links below.

 

Winners of the 2012 ACAA Awards

 

IELTS ACAA 2012 Alumni of the Year: SPG Land’s David Wang.

 

AEI ACAA Young Alumni of the Year: KPMG’s Dr Jessie Wang.

 

Austrade ACAA Award for Entrepreneur of the Year: Liu Junling, CEO and co-founder of
Yihaodian.com

 

Oroton ACAA Award for Women in Leadership: Ms Vivian Chen, Senior Manager,
Walmart Global Sourcing.

 

Business Events Sydney ACAA Award for Research and Development: Professor Chen Jun.

 

ACAA Award for Corporate Achievement: Mr John Zhao, Legal Director for Yum! Brands
China.

 

AusAID Scholarships ACAA Award: Griffith University graduate, Dr Pan Xiaochuan.

 

CPA ACAA Award for Banking and Finance: Edmond Ching, Partner of Restructuring Services with Deloitte & Touche Financial Advisory Services.

 

Australia China Connections ACAA Award for ICT & New Media: Dr William Dong, cofounder of Jiapin.com.