Deakin 2026 Alumni Awards recognise critical community impact

An entrepreneur taking the sustainability challenge to the beauty industry and a young doctor committed to improving healthcare in rural communities are amongst the nine recipients of the 2026 Deakin University Alumni Awards.

Natassia Nicolao is the founder and CEO of Conserving Beauty, a pioneering company uniting science, technology and sustainability to deliver world-first skincare innovations and challenge waste and water use in the beauty industry. Her waterless formulations and proprietary dissolving technologies InstaMelt™ Dissolving Fabric and nanoDOTE™ have revolutionised single-use skincare, replacing products that typically take decades to biodegrade with solutions that dissolve instantly in water.

Natassia says the drive to create Conserving Beauty came from considering what was important to her and how she could bring her personal values and things she cared about into her career.

‘I see in the future that my business can really pioneer a space within the beauty industry to hold brands to a level of accountability and transparency, especially when it comes to problems, solutions with products and sustainability,’ Natassia said.

Also amongst the recipients is Lucas Taranto, an award-winning doctor recognised for his contributions to junior doctor wellbeing and rural healthcare. Dr Taranto is also a mentor and has led the development of a ‘near-peer’ mentoring program where more senior professionals support interns transition into hospital practice.

He is an advocate for better health access for rural communities, working with Men’s Shed groups to deliver heart health education to older men, and encouraging preventative care and stronger connections with local GPs.

‘The purpose of the near-peer mentoring program was a way to help interns transition from being a medical student to a doctor. I think having the ability to have shared experiences through difficult times is something that really strengthens our abilities as doctors,’ Lucas said.

The drive to create real change at the community level is a passion many of this year’s Alumni Award winners.

Deakin Chancellor Claire Higgins congratulated the award recipients and thanked them for being part of the global Deakin community of change-makers.

‘Deakin’s alumni community of more than 370,000 have gone on to create incredible moments of impact and drive positive innovation across so many critical areas, including health, sustainability, security, education and more,’ Mrs Higgins said.

‘It is wonderful to have this opportunity to acknowledge the contribution of this year’s recipients. Our alumni are our greatest ambassadors and make such a profound difference to their communities – it is fantastic to have this night to take a moment to applaud all that they are doing.’

The Vice-Chancellor's Alumni Awards started in 2011 to acknowledge the outstanding work recipients have shown in their chosen fields, as well as their valuable contributions to the University and wider communities.

2026 Alumni Award winners

• Naomi McBride, leader in hospital-based education and the founding Principal of Yalingbu Yirramboi – The Royal Children’s Hospital School, the first fully accredited government school within an Australian hospital.
• Kelvin Ngow, founder and CEO of Coffex Coffee Malaysia
• Jestin Palakal, educator, leader, and innovator in STEM dedicated to bridging the gap in science and technology access for Aboriginal and disadvantaged students in remote Australian communities.
• Jessica Redwood, CEO of Children First Foundation, Board Member of Netball Australia’s Confident Girls Foundation and has held leadership positions with UNICEF, Save the Children Fiji, Amnesty International, Marie Stopes International, and International Social Service Australia.
• Nadia Teong, clinical psychologist, Army veteran, and founder of Veterans Psychology, the only veteran-owned private psychology consultancy of its kind in Australia.

Young Alumni Award recipients

• Natassia Grace, founder of Conserving Beauty
• Mike Monnik, founder and CEO of DroneSec
• Dr Lucas Taranto, award-winning doctor and 2021 Victorian Junior Doctor of the Year
• Neary Ty, award-winning journalist at the Nine Network and the first Cambodian reporter at Nine News Melbourne

For all the information on this 2026 Alumni Award winners visit www.alumniawards.com.au.