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Best of the best – ECU alumni recognised with 40under40 accolades

Monday, 08 June 2026

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Five Edith Cowan University (ECU) alumni are among the recipients of the 2026 40under40 Awards, which recognise and celebrate Western Australia’s leading entrepreneurs, innovators, and future business leaders under the age of 40.

Now in its 25th year, the Business News awards were held on 1 May , and ECU 2019 Master of Business Administration graduate Justin Barnes, was one of the major category winners, presented with the 2026 City of Perth Strategic Alliance award.

Mr Barnes is the founder and director of a marketing consultancy, Rocket Launcher, and also formed the community focused Perth Networking Club in 2021.

He is also a visual artist, LGBTIQA+ advocate and keynote speaker, and his company was behind Perth’s winning bid for the 2030 Gay Games.

Mr Barnes also holds a Bachelor of Communications in Film and Video and Creative Technologies from ECU.

Being nominated and winning the 40under40 accolade has been an intrinsic part of his five-year plus journey in business, Mr Barnes said.

“It's still hard to fathom, and I think for me, because I've been surrounded by so many incredible people, it's kind of just been just lovely,” he said.

“I think part of the win highlights the need for inclusion in sport, which is part of what we've been working on, winning and helping to win the 2030 Gay Games (bid for Perth).”

Looking back on his time at ECU, Mr Barnes said he started his studies set on becoming a creative and a film director but post-university, he ventured into web hosting and then quickly fell into a career in recruitment across multiple industries.

“Between both the communications degree and then the subsequent MBA, they both kind of helped me pivot multiple times,” he said.

“I think the one thing I guess I'm a great example of - in this new age of work - is that you can have multiple careers and still be successful in all of them.”

He credits his “ECU path” as a key building block for harnessing his entrepreneurial side.

“I think the one thing that ECU has done well for me is, there is this practical component to everything that you get to do, and on top of that, there is multiple pathways to move forward,” he said.

“It's not just one, and that really for me has been probably what kind of changed the trajectory of like my career, and my life.”

Other ECU alums who walked away with accolades included 2009 Bachelor of Sport Management graduate Ben Smith, who is the former managing director of frank green, who is now the chief executive of the not-for-profit group, Holyoake.

Alastair Mackenzie, the Founder and Managing Director of Buddiup and Sisterup, social enterprises which provide programs and mentoring to people with disabilities, and 2012 Bachelor of Business graduate, was also recognised.

Rounding out the ECU alum 40under40 winners were 2025 Doctor of Philosophy (Integrated) Ashley McGrath, who is now the executive officer for CEOs for Gender Equity, and 2025 ECU Master of Business Psychology graduate Catherine Hyde, who is the chief operating office of Amity Resources.

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