Lucy Liu receives Faculty of Business and Economics Rising Star for Young Alumni Award

Lucy Liu has received the Faculty of Business and Economics Rising Star for Young Alumni Award.

The Rising Star Award is presented to an individual aged 35 or under who has demonstrated an outstanding level of professional achievement and community involvement since graduating from the University, and/or has gained recognition by colleagues and peers for outstanding leadership and impact as a global citizen.

This award recognises Ms Liu’s outstanding level of leadership and community service to date.

As President and Co-Founder of Airwallex, a company which has seen rapid success and expansion, her long list of incredible achievements at such a young age is an absolute inspiration.

At the age of 25 and with no prior start-up experience, Ms Liu - together with four other Melbourne alumni - co-founded Airwallex, a global payment platform.

Since inception, the fintech startup has seen phenomenal growth, scaling from five co-founders to more than 400 staff globally in five years.

Airwallex is now backed by some of the biggest investors including Sequoia Capital China, Tencent Holdings ANZ Bank and Mastercard.

After its Series C round in March 2019, Airwallex reached $US1 billion valuation and became the quickest company in Australian history to achieve unicorn status.

Ms Liu speaks regularly at international finance and payments seminars and events, and has become a prominent thought leader in the Melbourne start up community. She also gives back to the University of Melbourne community that nurtured her talent by getting involved with the Melbourne Accelerator Program as a mentor.

Ms Liu’s work with early stage companies and founders, and her drive to be a female role model in the industry, is equally inspiring and makes her a truly deserving recipient of the Rising Star Award.

The Faculty of Business and Economics is proud to acknowledge Ms Liu’s achievements with this award.