The Australia Foundation
The Australia Foundation is the proud host of the UK’s leading event uniting the UK-Australian community through the celebration of their remarkable achievements, creativity, and talents.
The Australia Foundation was founded in 2004 by a number of long-term Australians who wanted to celebrate our national day. Twenty years on, our Annual Gala Dinner reflects the diversity of contemporary Australian culture and society as well as our nature and history.
The Foundation is a non-political, not-for-profit, voluntary organisation whose Directors receive no compensation. Sponsorship is the sole source of funding for the Annual Gala Dinner. Any surplus funds each year are transferred to the Foundation Trust set up in 2013 to support young Australians wishing to further their education in the UK. To date, fourteen scholarships have been awarded.
Each year the Foundation calls for nominations for its Awards, which are granted based on an individual’s contribution made to Anglo-Australian endeavours. The Foundation is proud of its contribution to the celebration of Australia in the UK and its Awardees who represent a cross-section of distinguished Australians and Honourary Australians in the UK.
The Gala Dinner
The Australia Foundation Gala Dinner is an exclusive event held every January, with the aim of deepening Australian-UK relations, we invite leaders from government, business, the creative industries and academia. Previous gala dinners have welcomed guests to Australia House and The Peninsula, London.
This spectacular evening draws world-class chefs and entertainment to help celebrate the very best our country has to offer and promote Australia as a confident, creative and outward-looking nation.
The Australia Foundation Awards
The highlight of The Australia Foundation Gala Dinner is the awards ceremony when we recognise those in our community who have made a significant contribution to Australian-UK relations.
The Australian of the Year In The Uk
Recognises an Australian who has excelled in their own right in the UK.
The Honorary Australian Of The Year In The UK
Recognises a non-Australian resident of the UK who displays Australian characteristics or has contributed significantly to Australia.
The Young Australian Achiever Of The Year In The Uk
Recognizes the achievements of a young Australian who has excelled in any field of endeavour.
The Australia Foundation Trust
Thanks to contributions made by our sponsors, we have created a legacy through The Australia Foundation UK Trust Since its foundation in 2013, this charitable trust offers support to young Australians wishing to further their education or career in the UK in any field of endeavour.
Board of Directors
Chris Hickey
Chairman
Chris Hickey is a seasoned professional with a diverse international background in law, finance, and professional services.
He previously served as the CEO for Robert Walters Plc across the UK & Ireland, Middle East & Africa, and North America, latterly being based in New York. Before joining Robert Walters, Chris qualified as a solicitor in Australia and worked as a Capital Markets lawyer at Lehman Brothers in the UK and Switzerland.
Currently, Chris is the Principal of Hickfam Management Limited, a Family Investment Office based in Mayfair, London. He also serves as a Non-Executive Board Director of the Australia-United Kingdom Chamber of Commerce and is a Trustee of the Australia Foundation Trust.
Bronwyn Curtis OBE
Director
Bronwyn Curtis is an economist whose career spans both the financial markets and the media. She is on the Board of the UK Office of Budget Responsibility and her other roles include chair of JPMorgan Asia Growth and Income plc, a non-executive director of Pershing Square Holdings plc, BH Macro plc and the Scottish American Investment Trust plc. Her executive roles included Head of Global Research at HSBC Bank plc, Managing Editor and Head of European Broadcast at Bloomberg LP, Chief Economist of Nomura International, and Global Head of Foreign Exchange and Fixed Income Strategy at Deutsche Bank. She has also worked as a consultant for the World Bank and UNCTAD.
Her other current appointments include trustee of the Centre for Economic and Policy Research, the Australian-UK Chamber of Commerce and The Times shadow MPC.
Andrew Low
Director
Andrew Low is Chairman of the Australian British Chamber of Commerce, Advance Global Australians, Cobden Reid Advisory and Genea BioMedx and a Director of the Australian Ballet Foundation (UK), Bell Shakespeare Company and the Europe Australia Business Council. He previously held several senior roles with the Macquarie Group, including as Head of Macquarie Capital for Asia, Global Head of Telecom, Media, Entertainment & Technology, Global Head of Financial Institutions Group, and global Chief Operating Officer for Macquarie Capital Advisers. Andrew has also been Global Head of Investment Banking for CLSA and Chief Executive of RedBridge Grant Samuel and he is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia.
Louise Mulley
Director
Louise is currently the National Director of the Britain-Australia Society in Australia House and on the boards of the Royal Flying Doctor Service (Friends in the UK) and the Australian Wildlife Conservancy and is involved with a variety of organisations and charities with British-Australian roots. She holds an LLM from the University of Cambridge as well as an LLB (hons), BA (broadcast journalism) and DipEd (Drama) from the University of Queensland. Louise grew up in Brisbane and moved to the UK in her twenties, working in the City for many years.
Dick Porter AM
Director
Dick Porter has been a Trustee with the Australia Foundation and Director of the Australia Foundation UK Trust since 2013. He is Chair of The Australia-United Kingdom Chamber of Commerce (Director since 2010, Chair since 2013, renamed from “Australian Business” in 2016). He is a Member of the Global Strategy Group at University College London (UCL); President of the British Educational Travel Association; Trustee of the University of Western Australia UK Friends. As a co-founder of STA Travel he spent his career mainly as CEO for 35 years until 2011 when it covered 100 countries as the major global specialist in student and young travel.
Isaac Levido OBE
Director
Isaac Levido is Founding Partner at Fleetwood Strategy, a strategic communications, public policy and opinion research agency based in London. He is a highly experienced campaign strategist who is regularly sought out by leaders globally for his advice.
A native of Port Macquarie in New South Wales, Isaac’s career has taken him across the world spanning the USA, UK and beyond. Prior to founding Fleetwood Strategy, Isaac was General Election Campaign Director for the UK Conservative Party and Deputy Federal Director of the Liberal Party in Australia. Earlier in his career Isaac worked in a range of corporate consulting and advisory roles across multiple markets.
Philip Aiken AM
Director Emeritus
Philip Aiken is a Director of Newcrest Mining, New Energy One and Business at OECD. He was formerly Chairman of Aveva plc, Balfour Beatty plc, and Robert Walters plc. He spent his executive career with BHP and BOC based in both UK and Australia. He has been involved with the Australia Day Foundation since its inception in 2003 and was Chairman of Australian Business for a number of years. He was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his services to Australian and UK business relationships in 2013.
Bill Muirhead AO
Director Emeritus
Bill Muirhead is a Founder and Executive Director of the new communications company, Act 111. Prior to this he was CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide and Co-Founder and Executive Director of M&C Saatchi. From 2007 to 2021 he was Agent-General for South Australia in Europe. In 2011 he founded the South Australia Club, an international community of people connected to South Australia through business, politics, academia, media and the arts. In 2018 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of South Australia where he is a Council Member. In 2023, he became an Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to the business sector, to the community of South Australia, and to international relations.
Annabelle Molina
Event Manager
