Category winners of the 2014 Advance Global Australian Awards have been announced by Advance, the largest global network for Australians living abroad.

Following the announcement of the stellar line-up of 2014 Advance Global Australian Awards category winners, the overall winner will be declared at the Sydney Opera House on Thursday 13 March 2014.

The Advance Global Australian Awards are the only awards to recognise the important contributions of the more than one million innovative and inspirational Australians living and working abroad.

The Awards champion the top internationally-based Australians who are leaders in their respective fields in eight industry categories. 

2014 category winners include:

  • Advanced Manufacturing – Chris Boshuizen, Co-Founder & CTO, Planet Labs Inc;
  • Biotechnology - Richard Pestell, Founder, ProstaGene and AAA Phoenix;
  • Clean Technology – Andrew Tanner, Chief Engineer, THINKnrg;
  • Creative Industries – Sir Jonathan Mills, Director, Edinburgh International Festival;
  • Financial Services – Karyl Nairn, Queens Counsel, Skadden Arps;
  • ICT (Information and communications technology) – Vikram Mehta, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Pacific Venture Advisors;
  • Mining & Resources – Milton Catelin, Chief Executive, World Coal Association;
  • Social Innovation – Prue Clarke de Cavaignac, Founder & Executive Director, New Narratives; and
  • Alumni – Senator Sekai Holland, Zimbabwean Co-Minister of State for National Healing, Reconciliation & Integration.

The winners are judged by an expert panel of global industry leaders across business, finance, science, advertising and the arts, on parameters including innovation, leadership and entrepreneurship excellence.

An overall winner is selected from the winners of each category and a special Alumni Award is also presented to recognise the achievements of an alumnus of an Australian university who is not an Australian citizen.

Award winners including the overall winner will be in attendance at the annual Advance Forum and Awards Gala Dinner and Ceremony, to be held at Sydney Opera House on Thursday 13 March 2014.