Following our announcement of the Women in Defence Awards 2025 finalist, ADM will be introducing each of our amazing finalists across the categories in more detail. Today we are focusing on the finalists in the Rising Star Category.
In this category, judges were looking for the best and brightest women under 30 who achieved a remarkable level of success in 2024, as well as demonstrating clear effort to promote Defence above and beyond the scope of their roles or to promote inclusion within their organisations. In addition, judges also looked for entries that evidenced the overcoming of personal challenges on their way to success.
The winners and Hall of Fame inductee will be announced at a gala dinner at The National Arboretum, Canberra, on 15 October 2025. Book your tickets here – we hope to see you there!
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Alisha Collenette Alisha Collenette is currently an Associate Systems Engineer at Saab Australia. During 2024, Alisha played a pivotal role in the delivery of Saab’s TactiCall Communications System for the MQ-28 Ghost Bat program. Alisha taught herself computer networking, travelled to Denmark to learn Saab’s TactiCall system, and quickly delivered Block 1.4 of the Ground Support Voice Communications System. Her growing expertise significantly reduced troubleshooting times and led to a 100 per cent Factory Acceptance Test success on two deliveries in 2024. |
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Stacey Fitzpatrick Saab Australia Field Service Representative Stacey Fitzpatrick plays a critical role in ensuring the Royal Australian Navy’s Anzac Class frigates remain operational. In 2024, when a frigate was preparing for deployment, a problem was identified. With limited time before departure, Stacey was called on standby late Friday, spent Saturday troubleshooting remotely, and by Sunday had flown interstate to be in-location and helping to restore system functionality. The pressure was immense, however Stacey ensured the defect was rectified without impacting operational schedule. |
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Amelia Grace In 2024, Amelia demonstrated exceptional leadership on two complex Defence projects. Amelia was Construction Phase Site Lead for the Land 8116 project and Design Manager (DM) for the ESTJ 8218 project. This placed Amelia in a small cohort of women appointed to such leadership positions early in their careers, and one of only seven female Defence DMs at AECOM. Amelia was ultimately responsible for project delivery and successfully delivered the design of the $75 million project on time and in line with changing strategic objectives. |
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| Xiaoyan (Yanny) Li Principal Consultant and Senior Systems Engineer Downer Professional Services Xiaoyan (Yanny) Li is a Principal Consultant and Senior Systems Engineer at Downer Professional Services. Embedded in the LAND 4140 program, Yanny led two critical capability elements—Beyond Line-of-Sight Communications and the High-Capacity Data Network—shaping early-stage design and procurement decisions. For Land 400 Phase 3, Yanny resolved a major performance issue with the vehicles’ situational awareness system in low-light conditions. Yanny also volunteers as a mentor in the ANU College of Business and Economics (CBE) Momentum Program. |
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Emily Margerison In 2024, Emily maintained her senior RAM Engineer role and assumed the responsibility of the RAM Lead SME. One of Emily's key achievements involved orchestrating a collaborative brainstorming session with stakeholders to address long-standing issues affecting aircraft reliability—issues many deemed 'beyond resolution.' Leveraging cross-functional expertise, the sessions yielded concrete ways forward that, once implemented, improved the aircraft's reliability and maintainability for Defence. |
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Charlotte Marshall Charlotte Marshall is a Radio Frequency Engineer at CEA Technologies. In 2024, Charlotte undertook complex tasks including reworking legacy system designs, supporting new hardware development, and ensuring component reliability across CEA’s radar platforms. Her efforts directly contributed to capability readiness for the Royal Australian Navy, exemplifying technical excellence and reliability under pressure. |
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