Indian Entrepreneur and Philanthropist, Mr Vijay D. Patil has been awarded Bond University’s highest commendation at its annual Alumni Awards.
Mr Patil flew in from Mumbai, India with his family to receive the prestigious Robert Stable Alumni Medal, which is named after the University’s longest serving Vice-Chancellor. It recognises exceptional achievement by a graduate who has brought distinction to themselves and the University, and benefit to their communities through their vocation.
Mr Patil, who was one of Bond’s first international students and graduated with an MBA from the university in 1991, said he was extremely humbled to receive the award.
“It’s a very special feeling to be recognised by an institution that means so much to you,” Mr Patil said.
 “I dedicate this award to my family, who gave me the opportunity to study at this beautiful university, Bond’s Bond Business School who invested their time and effort in educating me and all my colleagues, fellow students and friends who made it a wonderfully enriching experience for me,” he said.
Bond Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Tim Brailsford said Mr Patil’s remarkable achievements, entrepreneurial spirit and desire to give back to his community made him the ideal all-round candidate for this year’s top alumni award.
“Mr Patil is one of India’s most influential and successful entrepreneurs and has driven major advancements and innovation in India’s education, healthcare and sporting sectors,” said Professor Brailsford.
“He embodies the qualities of visionary leadership, entrepreneurialism and community-mindedness that we strive to instil in all our students here at Bond.
“I am very proud to award this year’s Robert Stable Alumni Medal to such a deserving recipient.”
Mr Patil first set eyes upon the Bond University campus on his first visit to Australia for a wedding in the late 1980s. He was so impressed with the facility, he decided to return to Bond to undertake an MBA (Corporate Financial Management).
“For me it was definitely love at first sight. It was a privilege and honour to be enrolled at Bond University, to access the best facilities available, and to be part of the wonderful faculty of academics and students who came from all across the globe to live and learn in a world class environment,” Mr Patil said.
“My learnings here at Bond, inside and outside the classroom, made a massive contribution to what I did in the future.
“I was able to witness, first hand, the functioning of an international, private university which was a massive learning experience for me. Also, to see the synergy between sports and education that exists at Bond, and only at Bond, was a lesson I learnt here and carried forward into my own career.”
Upon completion of his MBA in 1991, Mr Patil returned to India and in 1992 took over the development and administration of Dr DY Patil Educational Academy in Mumbai, which provided education and healthcare to the poor and needy. As President of the Dr DY Patil Group, he spearheaded the development of numerous institutions throughout India, providing education from kindergarten to postgraduate level.
In 2000, Mr Patil conceived and established the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, dedicated to promoting and advancing research, development and education in the field of sports, and specialising in the provision of vision care for athletes.Â
Two years later, Mr Patil established the Padmashree Dr DY Patil University (of which he was made Chancellor in 2010), and then in 2004 established the Dr DY Patil Hospital and Research Centre, a super-speciality 1400-bed charitable hospital.
In 2007 Mr Patil created the multi-disciplinary Dr DY Patil International Sports Stadium, which has been universally applauded as the finest sporting facility in India and one of the best stadiums in the world. He is also currently the Vice President of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), an organization that has been central to national administration of the sport for decades.
“I have always been passionate about sports, particularly cricket, and this passion manifest itself in the development of the Sports Stadium. For me it was a labour of love,” Mr Patil said.
“MCA keeps me motivated to contribute on a larger canvas my experience in the cricketing environment and love for the game.”
Mr Patil has received a number of awards in recognition of his continuous commitment to education, sports and healthcare including receiving an Honorary Doctorate by J J T University, Rajasthan. He plans to continue to dedicate himself to his three passions with plans to construct a Medical Simulation Laboratory, a School of Management and specialty hospital focusing on clinical research in various fields.
Mr Patil was honoured, together with other finalists, at Bond University’s Annual Alumni Awards Gala Dinner last night [Tuesday November 26].
Other winners were Kirsten Hagon, international human rights and advocacy expert currently based in Palestine, who received the Alumni Award for Exceptional Community Achievement; and recent Commerce/Law graduate James Graham, who received the Alumni Student Award.