As senior producer of 'VICE News Tonight', which aired on HBO, Ms Simpson and her team were recently awarded two News & Documentary Emmy Awards.
‘Best Story in a Newscast’ and ‘Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story in a Newscast’ were both awarded to them for the 'Yemen's Forgotten War' series.
The news series took the team deep in to Yemen and used intensive investigative journalism to uncover issues within the government and throughout the country.
Speaking to her hometown newspaper last week, Ms Simpson said it was an honour to receive the Emmy.
But she said the difference she can help make in the world far outweighs any accolade.
‘‘We were looking for a way in to cover the ongoing conflict and suffering happening in Yemen as a result of the civil war,’’ she said.
‘‘It is one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
‘‘It is a nice pat on the back from the industry, but the best recognition comes when we can make an impact by telling compelling stories that can make a difference.’’
Ms Simpson graduated from Finley High School in 1992, and after a gap year studied archaeology and history at The University of Sydney.
While not a traditional pathway to broadcast journalism, it was through part-time work, while atending university, that Ms Simpson realised media was her calling.
Now based in London, Ms Simpson has worked for American networks since 2003.
‘‘I worked part time in television and loved it,’’ she said.
‘‘I worked all over the world, mostly doing conflict journalism in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan,’’ she added.
‘‘I’ve covered every terror attack in Europe, covered Mandela stories in South Africa every time he (former president Nelson Mendela) got sick, and then there was also the Oscar Pistorius trial (the paralympian convicted of the 2013 murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp).
‘‘After South Africa it was back to Isis in Iraq — all the major news events.’’
Ms Simpson has previously been honoured at the News & Documentary Emmy Awards, with a nod in 2016 for producing a piece on the Malaysia Flight 17 crash in 2014, after it was shot down over Ukraine.