Mike Zervos OAM was among seven alumni from the Monash University Business School honoured at the annual Dean’s Alumni Awards, recognising him for his decades of philanthropic work.
Zervos was the recipient of a Monash University Business School Alumni Impact Award at the Dean’s Gala Dinner earlier this month, honouring him for his many contributions across three decades in the area of social justice.
The Kastellorizian, or Kazie, has served in many key roles at the Make-a-Wish Foundation, Alannah and Madeline Foundation, and Guide Dogs Victoria, which earned him a 2023 King’s Birthday Honours Order of Australia.
One of his main roles is with Courage to Care Victoria, a non-profit organisation of which he was appointed its inaugural CEO in 2018, which runs many programs at schools to educate students on the dangers of racism and discrimination.
Zervos expressed immense pride in being honoured by his old university, telling Neos Kosmos that “the best part of winning the award was that the emphasis was on the educational work of Courage to Care, which was applauded and celebrated.”
Professor Simon Wilkie (Monash Business School Dean, Faculty of Business and Economics) commended all the honoured alumni for their various achievements, calling them remarkable leaders that are leaving a great impact across numerous areas.
“Your exceptional contributions towards addressing challenges that future generations will face, and your dedication to making a substantial difference in our communities, are deeply admired,” Professor Wilkie said in reference to Zervos’ efforts.
The Courage to Care CEO has played a big role in helping the charity teach more than 175,000 Victorian students about the dangers of racism, antisemitism and hate speech.
He shared his belief that, as a business graduate, “investing in educating our younger generations will have a strong social return on that investment”.