Spring and summer have been super busy for the ACAA with numerous university events, international conferences, visits from senior officials and continued strong growth and expansion of the ACAA network.
Preparations are also well under way for the ACAA’s flagship annual event – the Australia China Alumni Awards. Be sure to lock in November 2 as the must attend event of the year! Nominations will be opening soon so if you have a colleague, classmate or friend who is worthy of recognition be sure to put their name forward so they can be celebrated and recognized!
Growth and Development
We are proud to announce that the University of Canberra became our 31st university partner earlier in the year. We now have representation from all universities in the ACT as well as from across Australia’s seven states and territories. We are also very excited that our long time supporter, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), has upgraded to become our newest Gold Partner.
We again thank all of our university partners for their support as we continue to
grow the largest Australia-China people to people network – now engaging 8,500+ alumni and connecting 3,500+ Alumni on LinkedIn and almost 1,700 on Weibo!
In other exciting news, the ACAA will be increasing its presence in South China with a full-time staff member based in Guangzhou. We would like to express our thanks to Dr Chau Chak Wing, Chairman of Kingold Group Companies Ltd., who has helped make this possible through his generous support for the growth of the ACAA in South China.
University Visits and Alumni Events
In the last few months, the University of Queensland, Griffith Uni, Monash Uni, Murdoch Uni, and University of Adelaide alumni got the chance to meet their Vice Chancellors at various events across China. There were also social gatherings for the University of Adelaide, Monash and CQUniversity alumni as several key staff members visited Beijing.
ACAA Shanghai had two exciting day trips both to a Hot Springs resort in Nanjing and Strawberry picking in Qingpu. The ACAA also joined with AustCham Beijing to commemorate ANZAC day.
Visit from the PM
In April, the ACAA was pleased to be involved in the Prime Minister’s visit to China, inviting some of our ‘best and brightest’ alumni to an invite-only dinner at the St. Regis Hotel in Beijing to celebrate 40 years of achievement in Australia-China Education, Science and Research.
*Pictured right: Breadtrip.com CEO Mr. Peng Tao (Umelb alumni) with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard in Beijing.
A number of very senior alumni attended, including:
– Mr. Liu Junling, CEO of Yihaodian (Flinders Uni),
– Mr. Alan Lai, Chairman of NYSE listed Agria Corporation (Monash Uni),
– Mr. Kevin Cai, CIO of China Eastern Airlines (Swinburne & Monash Uni)
– Mr. Peng Tao, CEO & Founder of travel website Breadtrip.com (Melbourne Uni)
– Ms. Wang Yijia, VP and CFO of China Life Asset Management (Murdoch Uni)
– David Wang, Founder and Chairman of HK listed SPG Land (Uni of Technology Sydney, UTS)
– Simon Chung, COO of ChinaSoft International (Uni of Wollongong)
The event was hosted by Ms. Cheng Lei, a news anchor at CCTV and a UQ alumna who has twice hosted the Aust China Alumni Awards.
Many thanks to AEI and DFAT for including alumni at this dinner.
Careers in China
Monash University hosted an innovative session in Shanghai in April titled “Build your Career”. Around 40 alumni attended and networked with employers, graduates and staff. We thank Monash for hosting a great event and look forward to continuing this series.
The ACAA also supported CPA Australia’s “Career Development Day” in April in Beijing as they invited over 12 employers to discuss graduate outcomes and careers with CPA members. Companies such as KPMG, Lenovo and Grant Thornton were all represented.
Join us today!
With over 8,500 alumni, 31 partner universities and tons of events, we encourage all alumni in China to visit our website to register so you can renew old friendships and broaden your social and professional networks. ■
Beijing T: (86-10) 8586 6259
Shanghai T: (86-21) 6289 2556
