Monash University has recognised its alumni and friends who are leaders in their respective fields at a gala ceremony held in Melbourne on Wednesday 28 October.

The University acknowledged extraordinary contributions and achievements with awards of six Fellowships to outstanding Monash alumni and five Honorary Fellowships to non-Monash graduates.

The Fellowships were presented to:

• Ms Sue Fennessy, CEO of Standard Media Index in New York;
• Mr Peter Fox AM, Executive Chairman of Linfox;
• Mr Patrick Loftus-Hills, Partner and Managing Director at Moelis & Company in New York;
• Mrs Janet Hailes Michelmore AO,  founder of Jean Hailes for Women’s Health;
• Associate Professor Geoffrey Parkin intensive care specialist; and,
• Mr Wai-Kwong Seck, Chief Executive Officer (Asia Pacific) for State Street Corporation based in Hong Kong.

Honorary Fellowships were awarded to:

• Mr Robert Burnet,  education administrator;
• Mr Roger Gillespie OAM,  co-founder of Bakers Delight;
• Ms Karen Inge, sports nutrition expert;
• Mr Lionel Parrott former Monash University staff member; and
• Mr Edward John (Ted) Whitten Junior, CEO of the EJ Whitten Foundation.

The Monash University Fellowship is an award of the Council of the University made in recognition of alumni who have made, and continue to make, a significant contribution to the life of the community through their professional distinction and their outstanding service. Honorary Fellowships are awarded to those who are not Monash graduates.

Chancellor Dr Alan Finkel AO congratulated the recipients on their achievements.

“Our Fellows highlight the diverse ways in which our alumni have excelled in their professional careers,” Dr Finkel said.

“Both our Fellows and Honorary Fellows offer outstanding role models for our students, staff and alumni and have earned the highest regard of the Monash community.”

President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Margaret Gardner AO said she was delighted the University was able to acknowledge the distinguished contribution the Fellows and Honorary Fellows had made.

“Recipients of Monash Fellowships have provided significant service to the University community and are the principal reason for our extraordinary success in recent years,” Professor Gardner said.

“The Fellowship Awards are an opportunity for us to recognise and thank them for their invaluable contribution.”

2015 Monash University Fellowships

Ms Sue Fennessy (BA (SocSc) 1994)
Ms Sue Fennessy is a senior business leader and entrepreneur in technology, data, media, and content businesses, based in New York. She is CEO of Standard Media Index, a global advertising spend data business. She is the Founder and Executive Chair of Weare8, a social platform supported by over 300 brands and celebrities that centres on empowering and inspiring the individual. Ms Fennessy is also the Chair of the East Coast chapter of the US Global Leaders Network of Monash alumni.

Mr Peter Fox AM (BBus (Mktg) 1987)
Mr Peter Fox is the Executive Chairman of Linfox - Australia’s largest privately owned logistics company. He is a Member of the Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Council as well as a member of the Alfred Foundation, Victorian Premier’s Business Roundtable and Northern Territory Chief Minister’s Advisory Council. He also serves as a member of the Vice-Chancellor’s Monash Industry Council of Advisers (MICA). Mr Fox was awarded a centenary medal in 2003 and appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2011.

Mr Patrick Loftus-Hills (BSc 1989, LLB 1991)
Mr Patrick Loftus-Hills is a Partner and Managing Director at Moelis & Company, an investment bank, based in New York where he heads the metals and mining group. He previously worked as an industrial chemist, as a lawyer, then in banking where he worked at Macquarie Bank and UBS before his current role at Moelis & Company. He is also a Member of the East Coast chapter of the US Global Leaders Network of Monash University.

Mrs Janet Hailes Michelmore AO (BA 1975, DipEd 1976)
Mrs Janet Hailes Michelmore AO is a founder of Jean Hailes for Women’s Health, a national not-for-profit organisation dedicated to improving the knowledge of women’s health throughout the life stages and providing a trusted, world-class health service. Over its 23 year history, Mrs Michelmore has ensured that the activities and emphasis of Jean Hailes have evolved to meet the changing health needs of women in Australia with the chief aim of keeping women well. In 2003 Mrs Michelmore was awarded a Centenary Medal for her outstanding contribution to women’s health and wellbeing and in 2013 she was inducted on the Victorian Honour Roll of Women.

Associate Professor Geoffrey Parkin (MBBS 1966)
Associate Professor Parkin served as Foundation Head of the Monash Intensive Care Units at Prince Henry’s Hospital from 1974 to 1989, Cabrini Hospital from 1985 to 2008 and Monash Medical Centre from 1988 to 2002. He was Head, Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit at the Alfred Hospital. A co-founder and Honoured Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society, he had a key role in initiating College–based postgraduate Intensive Care teaching in Australia and New Zealand and in Intensive Care Diploma examinations, acknowledged as among the world’s first.

Mr Wai-Kwong Seck (BEc(Hons) 1978)
Mr Wai-Kwong Seck is the Chief Executive Officer, Asia Pacific for State Street Corporation based in Hong Kong. He is also a member of State Street’s Management Committee, the company’s most senior strategy and policy-making team. Prior to joining State Street in September 2011, Mr Seck was Chief Financial Officer of the Singapore Stock Exchange for eight years. He was co-head of Investment Banking and head of Wealth Management at Singapore’s DBS Bank, and before that an investment banker with Lehman Brothers in Hong Kong and Singapore. He began his career with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and then the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC) where he was head of fixed income and subsequently private equity.

2015 Monash University Honorary Fellowships

Mr Robert Burnet
Mr Burnet was appointed Registrar of the Victorian College of Pharmacy (VCP) in 1973. Over the next 20 years, Mr Burnet held the positions of Deputy Director and Director of the College. Mr Burnet played a significant role in negotiating the future of pharmacy education in Victoria including the merger between the VCP and Monash University. In 1993 Mr Burnet was appointed Director of Student Services. He was also appointed the Crisis Management Coordinator across the University. Mr Burnet also served as a member of both the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Committee and the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Board and was an active member of the Australasian Institute of Tertiary Education Administrators.

Mr Roger Gillespie OAM
Mr Roger Gillespie OAM is the Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Bakers Delight, the largest national chain of bakeries in Australia with over 700 bakeries operating throughout Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA. Bakers Delight is about creating an organisational culture that puts something back into the community, whether that’s through charitable donations or giving individuals the chance to pursue the dream of owning their own business. Bakers Delight is recognised as one of the leading corporate citizens in the country and has been a major corporate partner of the Breast Cancer Network Australia since 2000, raising more than $15 million over the past 15 years.

Ms Karen Inge
Ms Inge is widely recognised for her ground breaking work in sports nutrition in Australia. Ms Inge’s sports nutrition work included Nutrition Advisor to the Australian Ballet Company for seven years and Victorian Elite Gymnastics Program for 10 years, founding Head of Nutrition at the Victorian Institute of Sport for 21 years, inaugural Vice-President and later President of Sports Dietitians Australia and culminated in her role as Sports Nutrition Co-ordinator for the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games.

Mr Lionel Parrott
Mr Lionel Parrott commenced employment at Monash University in January 1972 as a careers counsellor, moving from a human resources role in the private sector. From 1978 until he left the University in 1997, he held senior management positions in careers and in staff development. He has been an honorary member of the professional staff since leaving the University.

Mr Ted Whitten Junior
Mr Edward John (Ted) Whitten Junior is the Executive Director/Founder of the E. J. Whitten Foundation. Mr Whitten has made a significant contribution to the research of prostate cancer and men’s health awareness, with the Foundation raising more than $8.5 million and with countless men attributing the Foundation’s work for the early, life-saving detection of their prostate cancers.

To view full profiles and past Fellowship recipients, please visit the Alumni Awards website.

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