Advice from the top

An image of UQ Vice-Chancellor's Alumni Excellence Award recipient, Deborah Riley sitting on a dark couch in a darkened room.

UQ Vice-Chancellor's Alumni Excellence Award recipient, Deborah Riley (Bachelor of Design Studies, 1993)

UQ Vice-Chancellor's Alumni Excellence Award recipient, Deborah Riley (Bachelor of Design Studies, 1993)

UQ graduate and award-winning journalist and author Madonna King shares key insights from her discussions with 2020 Alumni Award recipients.


Four-time Emmy award-winning production designer and art director Deborah Riley has a message for young UQ graduates: trust your gut and be brave. Riley’s portfolio includes award-winning film and television sets like Game of Thrones, Moulin Rogue! and The Matrix. And this year, she’s been awarded a UQ Vice-Chancellor’s Alumni Excellence Award.


“You’ve just got to learn to be able to listen to your instincts and to trust them and to know that time is on your side."

“It’s also possible to make it up as you go along – and I think that's really important to remember.’’

Riley, who graduated with a Bachelor of Design Studies in 1993, says she’s learnt many things about herself along the way, including how brave she has been.

“Bravery is something I wish that somebody had spoken to me about much earlier in my career. Just how much of it you need and how much belief in yourself and your skills you need to have.”

Dr John Maunder [pictured], a qualified mechanical engineer and medical doctor (and recipient of a Distinguished Young Alumni Award) has courage in droves.

A former resident at Kings College, he discovered he had cancer on the day he graduated from engineering in 2012, and ahead of his medical studies, which he completed in 2016.

“It was really hard after a big day at university. I do recall going home and just breaking down in absolute exhaustion and frustration at the whole situation,’’ he says.

But his advice is simple: “Ask for help. Some people probably needed it less than me but there's always something that someone else can teach you. It’s a missed opportunity if you don't take them up on their offer.’’

Setting goals each year was also crucial to success, he says.

“It can seem very overwhelming to set quite a large goal – but if you start with small package things then you can just keep chipping away at it and before you know you are looking at a much bigger picture,’’ he says.

Dr Maunder, who represented Australia in the triathlon at world championships in Switzerland in 2019, takes his own advice too, with his oncologist believing his blood cancer could return down the track.

“I always think of the fact that you don't walk around with an umbrella waiting for it to rain, so I'm just trying to do what I can now… we don’t know what the tools will be in our toolkit at that time and so we'll just address it if or when it happens.’’

Josephine Auer, who completed a Bachelor of Advanced Finance and Economics (Honours) last year, has been awarded the Alumni Friends UQ Graduate of the Year.

While maintaining a perfect GPA of 7, Ms Auer simultaneously trained at an elite level in athletics, competing in the Commonwealth Games Trials for 1500m Track in Field in 2018. Her advice stems from a challenge she’s faced.

“The biggest one for me is learning to stick to my own lane and not compare myself too much to what those around me are doing,’’ she says.

Many in her cohort have gained high-flying jobs in Sydney, she says, and she had to remember to enjoy her own journey. But it’s her mother’s advice she wants to pass on to others.

“She's reminded me of how much I do light up when I'm studying and how much I enjoy it. It’s a long game, the working world," Ms Auer, a research assistant at the School of Economics, says.


"I think the best bet to making sure you're happy down the track is doing something you're really passionate about.’’

Ms Auer says she gained a reputation at university for asking questions, and advises students to do the same.

"I honestly can't stress enough how much I've gained by having access to those kind of one-on-one consult sessions with lecturers after class," she says.

"There's so much to gain from your degree at uni if you want to. You can look at your degree as a means to an end and you're just there to get a piece of paper. And that's totally fine if you're just there to get into that dream job of yours.

"But I think you can also look at it as a never-ending kind of learning opportunity, which is how I've tried to view it.’’

An image of Alumni Friends UQ Graduate of the Year, Josephine Auer in a graduation gown in front of a green wall.

Alumni Friends UQ Graduate of the Year, Josephine Auer (Bachelor of Advanced Finance and Economics (Honours), 2019)

Alumni Friends UQ Graduate of the Year, Josephine Auer (Bachelor of Advanced Finance and Economics (Honours), 2019)

While Ms Auer is at the start of her work years, Lawrence Au (Master of Business Administration, 1982) has been at the forefront of Asia’s financial industry for more than three decades.

A recipient of the UQ Vice-Chancellor's Alumni Excellence Award, his advice to others reflects the personality traits of all our award winners.


“There’s no ego in learning. You will never learn enough.’’ 

Mr Au, who had responsibilities as a CEO for more than 2000 staff in eight countries, advises finance students and those in the early stages of their career to start each day with an open mind.

A headshot image of Vice-Chancellor's Alumni Excellence Award recipient, Lawrence Au

Vice-Chancellor's Alumni Excellence Award recipient, Lawrence Au (Master of Business Administration, 1982)

Vice-Chancellor's Alumni Excellence Award recipient, Lawrence Au (Master of Business Administration, 1982)

“And you have to truly believe (in) the value of banking and finance to help mankind and society,’’ he says.

“Learning is a lifetime process. What makes you different from others, is how well you can learn because the world is going to change much faster. And whatever you learn today, will be outdated very quickly. So the only way we can keep ourselves relevant is learning. That's the most important thing.’’


These are short excerpts from Madonna King's interviews with each of our 17 Alumni Award recipients. Read the inspiring stories in full and subscribe to our podcast series to listen to the discussions with each awardee.