Perth alumni council
Get connected with fellow UQ engineering, architecture and IT alumni living in Perth.
There is a vibrant community of UQ alumni living in WA, including a team of dedicated volunteer ambassadors who are eager to build an alumni network within their community and remain connected to UQ. There are opportunities to connect with fellow alumni at events hosted by our Alumni Ambassadors and also through social media.
If you are a UQ graduate living in WA, connect with fellow alumni in the area via the Perth UQ Alumni LinkedIngroup.
Meet our alumni ambassadors
Kristie Young
Kristie Young graduated from UQ in 1995 with a Bachelor of Engineering (Mining) Hons. Whilst at UQ she was Treasurer of the Engineering Undergraduate Society (EUS) and the UQ student chapter of the AusIMM.
Kristie began her career as a Mining Engineer in the mid 90’s across underground & open cut operations, feasibility study work and project evaluation. Since that time she has had a diverse career over 25+ years which includes Business Development Director roles with both EY and PwC, and over 15 years experience on boards & committees.
Today Kristie is a Professional Board Director and holds a portfolio of Non-Executive Director roles with Brazilian Rare Earths Ltd, Tasmea Ltd, Lithium Australia Ltd, Corazon Mining Ltd and MinEx CRC. Kristie is a Graduate of the AICD and a Fellow of the AusIMM.
Vilaiwan Suvanmani
Vilaiwan graduated with a Bachelor in Engineering (Chemical) from The University of Queensland in 2017. She was actively involved with the Faculty of Engineering Architecture and Information Technology (EAIT) by tutoring first, second and third year chemical engineering courses during her university years as well as becoming one of the EAIT Ambassadors. Vilaiwan also held a position in the Chemical and Environmental Engineering Society as an International Officer and International Ambassador for UQ International Office.
Vilaiwan kick starts her career as a Graduate Process Engineer with Woodside Energy in Perth and is looking forward to working onsite up in Karratha whilst hoping to be able to pursue a Masters Program in Oil and Gas after gaining industrial experience. She had always been passionate about giving back to the community. Vilaiwan career goal is to be a specialist in her field and work as a consultant.
Vilaiwan is keen to work alongside with the other Perth Alumni Ambassadors to unite UQ Alumni in Perth from all graduate classes and keep them closely connected with the University. She is keen to connect the young UQ Alumni with the older Alumni and hope her peers will have a good time working in Perth.
Andrew Dittmann
Having graduated from UQ in 2011, Andrew Dittmann is a mining engineer with a broad technical, operational and corporate career working for BHP, MEC Mining, Orica and DownerEDi Blasting. Andrew currently holds the position of General Manager of Western Australian at one of Australia's leading mining consultancies, MEC Mining.
In his role, he is responsible for spearheading the growth and expansion of multiple business units across Western Australia. With a strong technical and operational background, Andrew works with his clients and team to develop innovative and practical solutions to complex mining problems. Since commencing in his role, his team has delivered numerous projects with a focus on implementing future mining technologies to decarbonise and electrify both greenfield and brownfield operations.
As a founding member of the Young Mining Professionals, Andrew is passionate about the future of the mining industry and is actively engaged in providing a platform for mining's future leaders to connect, learn and develop in Australia. In joining UQ's Perth Alumni Council, Andrew is excited by the opportunity to reconnect with former classmates while showcasing technical excellence from within the industry and academia.
Tara Henrys
Tara graduated from UQ with a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) in 2007, followed up with a Masters of Engineering (Power Generation) in 2012.
Tara’s career has predominantly been in the gold industry, focusing on fixed plant and processing. Her career has seen her work on projects across Western Australia, as well as New Zealand and the USA, working for companies that include Newmont, AngloGold Ashanti and Northern Star Resources. She is currently a Project Manager, with extensive experience in maintenance engineering, brownfields plant start-ups, project engineering and management, with her most recent achievement, the delivery of the $189M Thunderbox Expansion Project for NSR.
As a Project Manager for Northern Star Resources, she is responsible for identifying, scoping, evaluating and delivering large-scale capital projects to support the various process plants across the business.
She has a keen interest in efficient power generation solutions for remote sites and is excited by the prospect of a future of low-carbon and carbon-neutral mining. She advocates for more inclusive and diverse workplaces and strongly believes in the benefits and importance of building strong professional networks.
Previous ambassadors
Craig Hook
Craig Hook graduated in 1984 with Bachelor of Engineering (Mining Honours) and embarked on a career of international travel (and work!) including tackling unionism in the Pilbara, -40C temperatures in northern Canada (perhaps that’s why there are so many UG mines) before returning to Brisbane working as a consultant. Next was a move to Melbourne when CRA and RTZ joined to become Rio Tinto in the technical services group. After completing a Master of Business Administration at Melbourne Business School (1997) Craig travelled to California to manage a major operational disruption and improvement project. Four years and two kids later he returned to Australia to be an independent consultant and was head hunted to run the Macraes gold mine in NZ for three years.
Allyson Woodford
Based in Perth, Allyson is the Operations Manager at BP Kwinana Refinery. Allyson is an experienced leader with more than 17 years in the Oil and Gas Industry with BP at Kwinana and Caltex at their Lytton Refinery in Brisbane and Head Office in Sydney.
After starting her working life as a Process Engineer in the refinery she went on to perform roles in engineering, operations, business improvement, corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions. Allyson is the current Chair of the Australian Board of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) and is also a board member of the IChemE Energy Centre.
Harold Burnett
Harold graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical)(Honours) and Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) in 2014. He also has a Graduate Diploma of Commercial and Resource Law from the University of Western Australia. 
After graduating from the University of Queensland, Harold began his career in Western Australia working in Rio Tinto’s Cape Lambert Port as a reliability engineer before moving into operations for the Rio Tinto Railways Division.
Lacey Filipich
Lacey Filipich helps people become financially independent and reclaim their lives. Thousands around the world have used her Money School courses to liberate themselves from debt, start saving and raise financially capable kids. 
Money School is also the title of her international award-winning book, out now with Penguin Life.
Lacey graduated as valedictorian from the University of Queensland with an Honours degree in Chemical Engineering (if you want to find out how a chemical engineer ends up teaching people about money, check out her TEDx talk.) She is the winner of a 2019 Business News '40 under 40’ Award.