07/08/2024

Riikka Dunn has been named as the winner of the Australian publishing industry’s 2024 Rising Star award, recognising her role as a ‘game-changer’ making ‘significant advances’ within her first year in the industry.

Proudly supported by Media Super, the Rising Star award recognises emerging talent in the Australian publishing industry, and is open to Australian publishing professionals who have been part of the industry for no more than 10 years. 

Riikka was named Rising Star for the incredible impact she’s made as distribution director at Alliance Distribution Services (ADS), selected from a ‘very impressive and competitive shortlist’ of six industry professionals representing a ‘diverse spectrum of roles, seniority and experience’. 

While acknowledging her seniority, the judges were impressed by the ‘fundamental cultural and systems changes’ that Riikka has enabled at ADS since joining the company – and the book industry – in May 2023, saying:

‘A “rising star” is someone who shows exceptional promise and has made a significant impact. Riikka achieved this in a very short time – in a year. We acknowledge she has come into a senior role and therefore has more agency to effect change, but she has not wasted a moment and already introduced significant advances to her new industry, which attests to her strong leadership skills. 

‘She has enabled fundamental cultural and systems change, which includes managing the challenges of technology and sustainability, a range of complex internal and external stakeholders, and is cognisant of the overall ecosystem she is part of.

‘Systems game-changers are rare; that they come from outside the industry and have quickly grasped how it works – and now have ambitions to make meaningful difference across the whole industry – is testament to hybrid vigour, which is to be encouraged.’

The judges also acknowledged the other shortlisted candidates ‘who are already having an impact on the books they work on, the authors and illustrators they support, their companies and the wider industry’, saying:

‘While Riikka stood out as exceptional, she was in excellent company in a very impressive and competitive shortlist, who will surely go on to be future leaders in their areas of specialty.’ 

To learn more about Riikka’s career, read our interview with her.

This year’s award was judged by Matt Hoy (Allen & Unwin), Foong Ling Kong (MUP), Claire Miller (Fremantle Press), Julie-Ann Nelson (Jacaranda) and Emma Rafferty (Hachette), with Riikka presented the award by Media Super’s Michael Schultz at the BookUp conference in Melbourne on 7 August.

Congratulations to Riikka and all the nominated and shortlisted candidates this year. Find more information about the Rising Star award here.

The Rising Star award is proudly supported by Media Super, the super fund dedicated to those who publish, inform, entertain, create and inspire.