Dr. Nicolás Gambetta received the “COALAR Australia-Latin America Young Entrepreneur Award” from the Council on Australia-Latin America Relations (COALAR), which operates under the Australian government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Gambetta is the academic coordinator for the graduate programs in accounting and taxation at the School of Management and Social Sciences and a member of the executive committee of the university’sAustralian Studies Centre Advisory Board.
The COALAR Australia-Latin America Young Entrepreneur Award
First established in December 2016, this award aims to recognize the achievements of a young Latin American entrepreneur and a young Australian entrepreneur.
Nominees must lead a project that has the potential to improve the lives of both Australians and Latin Americans by promoting the cultural, economic, environmental, technological, or academic prosperity of both peoples.
Therefore, candidates must demonstrate that, through their contribution and dedication to this project, they have enriched the relationship between Australia and Latin America.
The Australian government aims to help the winning startups gain access to a network of contacts in government, academia, and the business community to support their growth.
The sponsors are Air New Zealand and the Australian Technology Network of Universities (ATN). The Australian universities that are members of the ATN are: University of Technology Sydney, RMIT University, University of South Australia, Queensland University of Technology, and Curtin University.
The winners were selected from a large number of startups led by young Australians and Latin Americans that had been nominated.
The awards ceremony
The awards were announced by Chris Gale, chairman of COALAR, on Monday, May 22, 2017, in Melbourne, Australia, during the opening reception of the “Latin America Infrastructure Forum 2017,” organized by the Australia-Latin America Business Council (ALABC). The reception took place at the Victorian Government’s Investment Centre.
On Tuesday, May 23, during a gala dinner held at the Sofitel Melbourne hotel, the Australian government presented the awards to the winning entrepreneurs.
Dr. Nicolás Gambetta was the entrepreneur who won the award on behalf of Latin America, and he received it, according to Chris Gale, “in recognition of his work in establishing the first Center for Australian Studies in Latin America at Universidad ORT Uruguay.”
"TheAustralian Studies Centre (ASC) is recognized as a turning point in relations between Australia and Latin America, and seeks to strengthen academic and cultural ties between Australia and the region."
Dr. Gambetta was nominated for the award by Uruguay’s ambassador to Australia, Ricardo Varela, and by Australia’s honorary consul in Uruguay, Dr. Alfredo Taullard. Ryan Montgomery, Air New Zealand’s manager for New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, presented the award to Dr. Gambetta during the gala.
The Australian government organized a packed schedule for Dr. Gambetta during the week of May 22 in Melbourne. It included meetings with ATN, Monash University, the University of Melbourne, Deakin University, RMIT University, and Swinburne University.
In addition, he was received by the COALAR board during the meeting held in Melbourne and by the Department of Economic Development of the Government of the State of Victoria. Dr. Gambetta also participated in the 2017 Latin America Infrastructure Forum alongside the Uruguayan delegation, which included Uruguay XXI, the Municipality of Canelones, and the Australian Consul in Uruguay.
