Rock stars of the new economy

Rock stars of the new economy
A/Prof Cyrille Boyer is among the newly minted Knowledge Nation 100. Image: Quentin Jones

A/Prof Cyrille Boyer is among the newly minted Knowledge Nation 100 – the “visionaries, intellects, founders and game changers” who will shape Australia’s prosperity.

The inaugural Knowledge Nation 100 includes “visionaries, intellects, founders and game changers” who will help shape the country’s future prosperity. The list, consisting of 10 recipients across 10 categories, was revealed at a lunch in Sydney today attended by the Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull.

The group was chosen by the Knowledge Society, guided by Australia’s Chief Scientist, Professor Ian Chubb and senior commentators from The Australian newspaper, which will publish the full list tomorrow in its The Deal magazine.

“Australia’s greatest assets are not those under the ground but the men and women walking on top of it,” Prime Minister Turnbull said.

“If we are to achieve our potential as a nation and remain a prosperous economy, we must put innovation at the heart of everything we do.”

The UNSW recipients are:

Among the UNSW alumni featured on the list are:

  • Scott Farquar and Mike Cannon-Brookes, UNSW engineering graduates, co-founders and CEOs of Atlassian. The Sydney-based technology company this week raised $638 million in an initial public offering on the US Nasdaq, bringing its market value to over $6 billion.
  • Daniel Petre, a UNSW commerce graduate, venture capitalist, philanthropist and Partner of Air Tree Adventures.