Leading reproduction specialist takes innovator accolade

6 April 2006

Professor Ian Fraser from the University's Queen Elizabeth II Research Institute for Mothers and Infants, was awarded Innovator of the Year at the 2006 Human Capital Leadership Awards last week, in front of 250 well-respected business people at the Shangri-La Hotel.

Professor Fraser (right) receiving his award from John Scutt, CEO Gregory Australia

“This honour has been a real surprise, and I am excited that my style of academic and professional leadership should have been recognised in this way. The University of Sydney has given me the flexibility and independence to pursue varied ways of challenging undergraduates, postgraduates and my senior colleagues to think outside conventional limits, to learn to ask good questions, and to have the confidence to follow these through – these are the bases of all good education, research and medical practice! I hope that we can use the opportunity offered by this award to highlight the need for increased collaboration and mutual support between the academic and business worlds in Australia,” said Professor Fraser.

“Ian is a true innovator who has won an order of Australia for his work and has galvanized world-wide debate and agreement on terminologies around major disorders of menstrual bleeding,” said Mr Jon Leighton, judging panel member, Chairman and CEO of JML Australia.

“This year we received hundreds of nominations spread across the nine categories made up of some of Australia’s most talented business leaders.

“The awards have been very well accepted by the business community with this year’s event attracting an even higher calibre of business leaders.”

Minister for Health, The Honourable Tony Abbott, MP was a guest of honour at the event. He provided an informative speech on the topic of Australian leadership which was well received by the crowd.

Other category winners included: CEO of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Human Resources Leader of the Year, and Director of the Year.

“The winners were put through an exhaustive selection process, whereby all nominees were scrutinised as to whether they possessed three key leadership ingredients – credibility, competence and character,” said Mr Leighton.

“All finalists were interviewed and assessed in the areas of demonstrated business results, building organisation capability, building human capital and championing the customer by leading Human Capital consulting organistion, CompAssess.”

The judging panel comprised of representatives from the Nominating Council, JML Australia and CompAssess.


Contact: Jake O'Shaughnessy
Phone: +61 2 9351 4312 or 0421 617 861