ACS Honours Leading IT Professionals with Fellowships
Wednesday 28 October 1998 - The Australian Computer Society (ACS) has elected 11 Members to the prestigious Grade of Fellow in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the Australian IT industry.
A meeting of the ACS Council earlier this month voted to accept endorsements from four State Branches - Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania - after each of the Members passed set eligibility requirements.
The Society's newest Fellows are: Professor Paul Bailes (QLD); Gabriel Berger (NSW); Grant Burrows (QLD); Phillip Collier (TAS); Graham Coote (QLD); Dennis Doyle (NSW); Charles Lakos (TAS); Frank Liebeskind (NSW); John Ridge (NSW); Donald Sanderson (QLD); and Graeme Simsion (VIC).
ACS President, Prins Ralston, said ACS Fellows are a select group of members who have demonstrated over considerable time a strong commitment to building or developing the Australian IT industry for the benefit of all IT professionals and the community in general.
"Each of these people has distinguished himself beyond normal expectations, making a significant contribution to his chosen field of specialisation. This honour is not given lightly, with the ACS currently recognising only 154 Fellows from a total of 16,000 Members.
"We are proud to number these dedicated and highly respected Members among this select group," he said.
Professor Paul Bailes is a leading academic and currently serves as Head of the University of Queensland's combined School of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. He has an excellent research record, with numerous significant publications in the core area of Software Engineering and enjoys a distinguished reputation both within Australia and overseas.
Gabriel Berger joined the ACS back in 1969 and carried out pioneering work in change management. He also made a significant contribution to the development on an indigenous advanced software development industry in Australia through the efforts of his company, Berger Software.
Grant Burrows is a long-serving IT professional who has held various senior positions within the electrical industry and with the Golden Casket Lottery Corporation, making substantial contributions to various major projects over time.
Phillip Collier has served in senior positions within the Tasmanian education sector and has worked tirelessly both in educating students and in briefing politicians and others of influence. He has been a successful researcher in the disciplines of Artificial Intelligence and Expert Systems and has also worked to promote the knowledge and use of IT within Australia and Asia.
Graham Coote has enjoyed a long and distinguished career as an IT professional within the Queensland Government and now heads up a private consulting business. He has led a number of highly significant projects including development of an Integrated Telecommunications Strategy for QLD Transport.
Dennis Doyle, an ACS Member since 1965, was honoured for his contribution to the early software and professional services industry to Government, business and the community. He was also recognised for his pioneering work in systems development techniques and his successful lobbying to mitigate the effects of sales tax on computer software.
Charles Lakos is widely considered to be a world leader in his chosen field of Petri Nets, which he has researched extensively and also placed within an object oriented framework. As a respected academic, he has shared his knowledge freely both with students and the wider community and has conducted most of his extensive research in addition to a full teaching load and senior administrative responsibilities.
Frank Liebeskind has been an active participant at all levels of the IT industry over an extended period. A past State and Federal President of AISA, a member of the ACS NSW BEC and a NSW AIIA Committee Member, he has also served as an Editorial Adviser to Informatics/Information Age and been a prominent speaker as ACS functions. His distinguished career as a business systems professional has encompassed senior positions at Anderson Consulting, Consolidated Press, Praxa, Fujitsu and MMI.
John Ridge has been outspoken in promoting the ideals of the ACS and its value to business and Government. He has also distinguished himself in his enthusiastic support for Technical Aid to the Disabled and by strongly encouraging the NSW Government to promote small business discussion and awareness of Year 2000 issues. Currently ACS NSW Branch Chair, Mr Ridge will serve as National Vice President in 1999. His company, Martin Ridge & Associates, provides IT training and support services to industry and Government.
Donald Sanderson has made notable contributions at senior management levels in the finance and banking sector over an extensive period. He has operated for many years at Board level, providing expert IT-related advice and obtaining Board approval for various major projects within Suncorp-Metway Limited.
Graeme Simsion enjoys a distinguished reputation both within Australia and overseas, gained through his quality contributions to international conferences and journals and the innovative and pragmatic approach her brings to his high profile consulting practice. In addition to influencing the decisions of many Australian CEOs, CFOs and CIOs, Simsion has made valued contributions to various educational institutions and helped develop courses for the ACS Certification Program.
This media release is located on the Web at http://www.acs.org.au/news/felloc98.htm
ENDS
Media Enquiries:
Prins Ralston, ACS President, Tel: (0411) 755 069, Email: P_Ralston@ntu.edu.au
Caroline New, Caroline New PR, Tel: (02) 9980 8060 or (0411) 889 456, Email: cnew@acslink.net.au
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