CQU celebrates inspiring alumni careers
They’ve transformed their local communities, taken careers global, saved lives through medical innovation, advocated for Indigenous art and culture, and even shifted native bird behaviour for a more sustainable future.
CQUniversity has announced four inspiring recipients of its 2025 Alumni Awards, and recognised their leadership, changemaking, and incredible impact.
Announced on Monday 3 March 2025, the recipients are:
Outstanding Alumnus of the Year: Leilani Bin-Juda, Bachelor of Business (1995)
Australia’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, and the first Indigenous Australian to hold the role, Ms Bin-Juda has also been curator at the National Museum of Australia, and established the Gab Titui Cultural Centre on Thursday Island. Her Torres Strait Islander heritage includes ties to Hammond, Darnley and Murray Islands, and Ms Bin-Juda is recognised for exceptional service to Australia’s Indigenous heritage, cultural diplomacy and international relations.
Alumnus of the Year for Industry Achievement: Dr Riti Sharan, Doctor of Philosophy, Sciences, Engineering & Health (2011)
A passionate scientist is exploring immunotherapies for infectious diseases like tuberculosis and HIV, Dr Sharan is assistant professor at Texas Biomedical Research Institute in San Antonio, US. Dr Sharan also works to inspire and mentor the next generation of female scientists, and she’s recognised for outstanding contributions to immunology through her groundbreaking research.
Alumnus of the Year for Social Impact: Dr John Kapeleris, Graduate Diploma of Management (1995)
An innovative medical immunologist, Dr Kapeleris has led life-saving research to develop 16 new medical diagnostic assays, and driven their global adoption. Driving commercialisation across numerous Australian industries, as CEO of BirdSol Pty Ltd he is driving AI technology for wildlife management and improved agricultural yields. Dr Kapeleris is recognised for strategic leadership and significant biotechnology-based innovation.
Alumnus of the Year for Early Career Achievement: Jesse Trecco-Alexander, Bachelor of Laws (2020)
With diverse experience in the for-purpose sector, Mr Trecco-Alexander is driven to ensure business and government are ethical and accountable to the people they serve. The founder and managing director of qtb Advisory Group, he is recognised for impactful leadership, commitment to social change, and initiatives to empower marginalised communities and First Nations peoples.
CQUniversity Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Nick Klomp, paid tribute to the recipients.
“CQUniversity takes great pride in the achievements of our alumni, as they advance the common good and inspire us all to grow our impact,” he said.
“It is particularly rewarding to see the accomplishments of our four Alumni Awards recipients in the fields of cultural diplomacy, medical immunology, sustainability, and community engagement, and to know that their CQUniversity education helped set them on their trailblazing paths.”
Ms Bin-Juda grew up in Cairns, and moved to Rockhampton to study her Bachelor of Business. In 2019, she was recognised with the Public Service Medal for outstanding service promoting Indigenous heritage in Australia’s cultural and foreign policies.
Growing up in Ingham, Mr Trecco-Alexander was active in community development and politics from a young age, before moving to Rockhampton for his Bachelor of Laws.
“I think studying law at CQUniversity allowed me not to be defined by some of the challenges that I experienced as a younger person,” he said.
“Instead I developed a sense of self, and got to sit at the table as an equal.”
Rockhampton also offered a transformation for Dr Sharan’s career, as she moved from her home country of India to take on her PhD.
“It was a big decision, because it was really far from home – but when I look at it from the diverse culture, the resources, the campus, the opportunities that I had for growth, it was not that difficult (do decide),” she said.
“For my PhD, investigating copper for reducing spread of waterborne diseases, I was doing a lot of mouse modelling, to look at the bugs, the germs – but I was always very interested on the host side, how the human body is reacting to it.
“Ever since, my career has been asking: ‘what are the factors that drive either protection, or people just continuing to get sicker?'”
Preventing disease has also driven Dr Kapeleris, as the bio-medical innovator developed new-to-the-world diagnostic assays, including a rapid antigen test for dengue fever, with Panbio Pty Ltd.
He said the decision to study business, and completed CQU’s Graduate Diploma of Management, marked a key shift in his career.
“One of the courses I did was decision making, and that changed my life, and set me on a lifelong journey of studying creativity, and how it feeds into the innovation process,” he said.
As CEO of BirdSol Pty Ltd, he’s driving an AI-based bird deterrent system, to improve farmer livelihoods, and global food security.
“The technology detects bird species through visual and auditory recognition, then actually produces their own ‘language’ to guide them away from crops and towards alternative, native feeding sites,” he explained.
“On average, 30 to 40 per cent of productive horticulture is lost to birds, so if we were to change just 10 per cent of that globally, we could feed an additional 2.3 billion people!”
CQUniversity is proud to have more than 130,000 alumni around the world, and to celebrate their impact through its annual Alumni Awards.
Learn more at CQUniversity's Alumni website.
