Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Dr Mari Elka Pangestu received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Australia this year, the Australian embassy said in a press statement, here, Monday.

"I am delighted to congratulate this year`s winners - they are truly an inspiring group of people who are achieving great success in their chosen fields," Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Greg Moriarty said when announcing the Australian Alumni Award winners 2012 here, over the weekend.

Pangestu is an internationally respected economist and trade policy specialist, strongly committed to further reform of the Indonesian economy. She is an alumnus of Australian National University.

Other award winners include a city mayor, an educator, a political leader, a researcher, an entrepreneur, a military officer and a public administrator.

"I would also like to acknowledge the very high-calibre award finalists and nominees. We meet Australian alumni in all walks of life in Indonesia and it is very gratifying to see that so many Indonesians return from their studies in Australia and make significant contributions to Indonesia's progress," the ambassador said.

This year`s Inspirational Alumni Award was given to Mayor of Banda Aceh, Mawardy Nurdin, who has overseen the rebirth of his city after the devastation brought by the 2004 tsunami. Nurdin is an alumnus of the University of New South Wales.

The other winners, decided by an independent panel of fellow alumni, include Dr Nurul Barizah, the vice dean for Cooperation, Development and Information System of Airlangga University`s Faculty of Law, for the category of Excellence in Education. She is an alumnus of the University of Technology Sydney; Dr. Marthen Mullik, the Project Leader of Nusa Cendana University, for th Research and Innovation category. He is an alumnus of the University of Queensland); Prof. Ikrar Nusa Bhakti, the Head of Centre for Political Research of LIPI, and alumnus of Griffith University, for the category of Sustainable Economic and Social Development; Paul Tanjung Tan, the Principal of PT Arkipuri Intra Nasional and an alumnus of RMIT University, for the category of the Excellence in Media, Culture and the Arts; and Mayjen TNI (Ret) Anshory Tadjudin, an alumnus of the Defence Strategic Studies Course, the category of Excellence in National Defence.

For the Excellence in National Security category, the winner is Vice Marshal Johnny Fritz Pandapotan Sitompul, the commander of the National Air Defence Command, and alumnus of the Defence Strategic Studies Course. For the Outstanding Contribution to Public Administration category, the winner is Prof. Ali Ghufron Mukti, the Vice Minister and Acting Minister of Health, and alumnus of the University of Newcastle.

Handi Irawan Djuwadi, the CEO of Frontier Consulting Group and an alumnus of the University of New South Wales, is the winner fo the category of Entrepreneurship. For the category of the Business Leadership and Business Management, the winner is Dr. Budi Dharma Notowidjojo, the CEO of PT. Bima Bisalloy and an alumnus of the University of Wollongong). Krishda Tan, a Graduate Chemical Engineer of Rio Tinto and an alumnus of the University of Newcastle, is the winner of the Outstanding Young Alumni Award.

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Editor: Suryanto
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