Public voting is now open for the finalists of the Westminster Alumni Awards 2024

The finalists for this year's Westminster Alumni Awards have been announced along with the launch of the public vote. These awards recognise and celebrate the outstanding achievements of graduates from the University of Westminster and their predecessors, including the Polytechnic of Central London, Regent Street Polytechnic and its Transnational Education partner institutions.

The awards highlight the ways in which Westminster graduates make a real impact across the globe. In 2024, more than 250 submissions were received for the Westminster Alumni Awards. Colleagues from across the University helped with shortlisting, leading to four finalists being selected in each category. People can now vote for their favourites in each category, leading to one finalist per category being chosen as a winner.

The first category, the Contribution to the Creative Industries Award, honours graduates who have demonstrated excellence within the field of arts and culture. The finalists for this award include internationally acclaimed documentary photographer and educator George Georgiou who graduated from the Film, Video and Photographic Arts BA course in 1987. Working extensively in the Balkans, Eastern Europe and Turkey, his work focuses on communities in transition, identity and how people negotiate the space they find themselves in. His work is held in several permanent collections, including the Museum of Modern Arts and the Sir Elton John Collection. Another finalist is composer Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch. After graduating from the Commercial Music BA course, she went on to compose for numerous films like the 2019 British film Rocks and the 2021 psychological horror film Censor where her score was nominated for an Ivor Novello Award. Her latest achievement is the BAFTA-nominated 2023 British romantic fantasy All of Us Strangers, premiering at Telluride Film Festival and named one of the Top 10 Independent Films of 2023 by the National Board of Review. Music Business Management MA graduate Jonathon Klein is another finalist. He helped launch Apple Music in the UK and has dedicated the last decade to supporting British talent as Apple Music's Editorial lead for Pop and Hits. Launching numerous playlists, Jonathon's goal has always been to spotlight the next generation of talent in the UK while giving opportunities to early careers in the music industry. Lastly, finalist Supriya Sobti Gupta is a graduate in Television Production BA whose career-defining role at the BBC allowed her to work with globally leading broadcasters. She returned to Mumbai with a focus on telling bold stories from India and recently made her directorial debut with a true crime sports documentary Caught Out: Crime. Corruption. Cricket. which was shortlisted for the Grierson Award. She founded MOW Productions, a production company that focuses on stories that entertain, inspire and promote public interest journalism.

The next category is the Entrepreneurial Award which celebrates alumni with ground-breaking entrepreneurial endeavours. While studying Business Management (Entrepreneurship) BA, finalist Divyashakti Vardhan Singh launched an edtech startup in 2019, empowering students for competitive exams. Within ten months, it hit a million-dollar revenue, even attracting buyout offers. His second venture, Peeyo, introduced India's first canned mocktail, cocktail and mixers, which gained market traction with $100,000 monthly revenue. His journey underscores the impact of education and perseverance in achieving entrepreneurial success. George James, Commercial Music BA graduate and CEO and founder of Be-Hookd Digital, an award-winning social media agency for entertainment and music stars, is another finalist. Since 2014, he has been leading a team of creators and digital strategists across London and New York, delivering digital campaigns for clients like Alicia Keys, Robbie Williams, LVMH and Disney Music Group. George has guest-lectured and given out internships at Westminster. The next finalist is Maria Sheharlis. After graduating in Contemporary Media Practice BA, Maria dove into a film and television career where her journey at Virtual Studios initially as a TV runner, now producer, led her to establish a successful talent agent agency, Piloet Poet Talent Agent. The agency has represented many clients and secured collaborations with several popular and influential production companies in the UK and beyond. Her agency has achieved placements for HBO, Sky, Warner Bros. and ITV productions, as well as musicals and theatre like the New Vic. The last finalist for this award is Computer Science BSc graduate Raj Sharma, award-winning Co-founder, lead investor and ex-Director, board member and CEO of Codikoat Limited (now Klura Labs) since 2020. He is a named co-inventor of the certified patented Codikoat technology, the fastest-acting antimicrobial and antiviral coating technology globally. Winning a record-breaking nine Innovate UK grants with a 100% success rate, totalling approximately $4.5m, he has also raised circa $6.5m in two rounds of funding with a current valuation of circa $50m.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is the third category, recognising graduates for their ongoing and significant contribution over the years, at any stage of their life. One finalist, Healthcare Management BA graduate Allyson Williams, came to England in 1969 and enjoyed an enlightening 40-year career in the NHS specialising in midwifery care. She has written extensively and lectured across the country, representing women and midwives in different forums and was awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for "her outstanding contribution to the development of midwifery in London". Currently a Trustee for the Mothers' Union London Diocese, Notting Hill Carnival Limited, Antillean Creatives Limited, and the Church Council for All Saints, she continues to lecture on her role as a Windrush veteran and a pioneer of the Notting Hill Carnival for the last 44 years. Another finalist is award-winning MBA graduate Dr Victoria Harmer, Consultant Nurse and lead nurse for breast screening and symptomatic services for Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. She leads the nursing team and works clinically with breast cancer patients. Victoria has published in medical press and engages in activities as an advocate for breast cancer awareness including being a medical adviser for radio and television, working with Marks & Spencer to design swimwear for those post-mastectomies, and being the nurse representative for International clinical research trials. She works extensively with charities and has a proven record of teaching and volunteering globally and has also hosted awareness events for over two decades for businesses, prisons and vulnerable groups. The next finalist, Science BSc graduate and Founder of HR advisory practice TransformHCM Mustafa El Rafey has had a successful 35-year career in business leadership and Human Capital Management (HCM). Serving in pivotal roles with world-class organisations including Carrefour MENA (Middle East and North Africa), Mars and Starbucks, he has helped to reshape organisational cultures, foster high-performing teams, develop leaders, and innovate talent management programmes, leaving an indelible mark and underscoring his commitment to excellence and innovation. The last finalist is Roger Beeden. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority's (GBRMPA) Chief Scientist graduated in Life Sciences BSc. His role culminates over 20 years working to protect the reef, building science collaborations with national and global researchers to protect the reef for future generations. In 2022, he led and secured $162m in long-term funding for the Banksia Award-winning Crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) control programme which protects corals that survive bleaching thereby driving recovery from and adaptation to climate change impacts. Roger's PhD empowered citizens, traditional owners, tourism staff and rangers to assess reef health. The resulting system has provided guidance for resilience-based management of the world's most iconic coral ecosystem to climate change.

The fourth category is the Outstanding Achievement Award which celebrates notable personal or professional success. Finalists include International Relations and Democratic Politics MA graduate Aasya Ismail, a human rights lawyer who has defended women and girls, religious minority groups and those of the media often at great personal risk in a conservative country which has a challenging human rights case. She seeks to decriminalise abortion due to many rape victims being forced to have the babies of their attackers. Working on behalf of these victims of gender-based violence, she has secured the Court's approval to argue what will be a historic case in the battle for women's rights in Pakistan. Aasya has received recognition from many for her work, including an award from the Christian community for defending religious minorities. After graduating in Law LLB and Legal Practice LLM, Abdullah Yaqub, another finalist, became the Head of Legal for the biggest estate management firm in the UK. Following this, he landed a legal consultant position for a Taiwanese investment management firm and became a lead consultant for contracts at Subway across the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa (UKEMEA). He has been working as a Contracts Manager in construction, building data centres for multinationals and providing legal and commercial advice and has also used his platform to create social impact with key initiatives by mentoring children for tennis and football and Westminster students for nine years in a row. The next finalist is Human Resource Management MA graduate Sunita Harley. After working in the corporate and legal sectors in senior HR roles, she now specialises in inclusion, professional development and coaching and has launched her own consultancy business, Collective Insight, in 2016. Sunita has featured on the BBC and was recognised as DEI Champion of the Year at the Women & Diversity in Law Awards in 2023. She has helped teams and leaders to work collaboratively and build impactful inclusion at companies including Marie Curie, Lloyds Banking Group and numerous other law firms. As a British South Asian woman featured in assignments for Nike, Vogue, The Body Shop and Top of the Pops, she has been instrumental in inspiring individuals from all backgrounds to pursue opportunities to succeed professionally. The last finalist is Arabic and International Relations BA and International Human Resource Management MA graduate Yahye Siyad. In the last six years of working in Dubai, he secured a new role within learning and development at Emirates NBD Bank and found his passion for building people's personal and professional development. Yahye became a certified professional coach, working for organisations to design and deliver workshops for corporate clients and subsequently became a speaker and guest lecturer before building his consultancy, Inclusive Horizons, providing accessibility and inclusion policies to international brands. He played a key role in establishing a school for blind students in Somalia and later became an independent inclusion consultant, working with organisations globally. He published his book The Unshakeable Will and recently won the BIMA 100 2023 for most influential people in the digital industry in the UK.

The penultimate award is the Recent Graduate Award which honours recent graduates who have achieved something extraordinary within just three years of leaving Westminster. One finalist, Camila Quinonez graduated in Biochemistry BSc and Pharmacology, Toxicology & Pharmacy PhD. After dedicating four years of her academic career to finding new drugs for tuberculosis, Camila's fascination for microorganisms and bioeconomy led her to climate research where she embarked on working on biotech startups, spearheading the research and development of novel technologies such as animal-vegan cheese made from microorganisms, and developing new enzymes for plastic degradation. She is also the co-founder of the Atlantic Forest Association, a conservation initiative dedicated to the preservation of this threatened biome in Brazil. Camila empowers young innovators to transform scientific ideas into climate-conscious biotech ventures. The next finalist is Music Business Management MA graduate Esta Rae, a neurodivergent advocate who has dyslexia, dyspraxia, and number dyscalculia. She is a recognised public speaker in schools, prisons and corporate companies, educating and inspiring people with her incredible journey in the music industry. In 2023, Esta was inducted into the Women in Music Roll of Honour for campaigning around neurodiversity in the industry. She is a board member for the charity Attitude is Everything which connects disabled people with music and live events. Appearing in many papers like DJ Mag and Notion magazine, she has curated awards shows, album launches, artist tours, galas, festivals and more for companies like Sony Music, GRM Daily, Spotify, Amazon, BBC and Channel 4. Another nominee Maha Javed, Smart Computer Systems BEng graduate, transitioned into the finance and business industry shortly after graduation, becoming one of the few Pakistani women in global finance. Alongside her distinguished career, Maha founded eTransform, a digital agency offering comprehensive business solutions. She has worked with over 35 startups, guiding them to achieve sustainable growth and success in today's competitive market. Maha has also co-founded StemScape, a nonprofit fostering STEM education which not only encourages students to pursue STEM subjects, but also provides funding support for their education and living. Her research contributions have been acknowledged at prestigious events and she has also been honoured with the Engineering Medal for the sustainable development of a Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm (SCARA). Global Public Health Nutrition MSc Graduate Natsuki Kawai is another finalist who has greatly impacted supporting malnourished children in Southeast Asia and West Africa. Natsuki initiated a hospital meal programme in rural Cambodia for childhood cancer patients and directed a nutrition project in Kandal province, improving the nutritional status of mothers, infants and children by providing balanced meals rich in essential nutrients, managing water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and promoting nutrition. Her efforts led to results like decreasing wasting rates, achieving a 93% dietary diversity ratio and improving meal intake for infant and child patients. Natsuki has presented her work at prestigious conferences and currently serves as a Nutrition Officer at UNICEF's West and Central Africa regional office.

The last category is the Social Impact Award, which celebrates alumni who have made a positive contribution to others' lives. After completing his European Legal Studies LLB at Westminster, finalist Askia Warne started working on CAD-HR, an organisation he founded that was built to promote various community development projects, supporting migrant communities to gain financial security, independence and resilience. It also promotes human rights by providing free legal services to people from low-income and marginalised backgrounds. Askia's Health and Wellbeing Hub project was selected by the Greater London Authority as a solution with huge potential to significantly reduce poverty and build resilience. The Hub was based on four pillars: physical and mental health support, social, economic and legal wellbeing. In just 12 months, the project has supported over 12,000 migrants and people from low-income or marginalised backgrounds. Another finalist, MBA graduate Professor Miranda Brawn is an award-winning diversity champion, chair and non-executive director for several listed, private, public and third sector companies. She is also a social impact investor and philanthropist supporting many global charities. Her work includes leading health equalities at the NHS Trust and acting as board advisor for Schroders Cazenove Capital's sustainability and charity funds. Miranda's global consultancy includes advising the UK government on its strategy to improve the nation's equality. Miranda is Founder, President and CEO of The Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Foundation, which has awarded over 400 innovative scholarships and delivered the first diversity leadership lecture aimed at full-time students, making UK history in 2016. The Foundation supports thousands of diverse students with their education and career. Another finalist is Dr Vali Mahlouji who completed his PhD in Visual Arts by Published Work. He is a cultural activist and founder of Archaeology of the Final Decade (AOTFD) who exposes violated cultural histories, championing art subjected to censorship, banned, endangered or deliberately destroyed by states. AOTFD protects endangered artworks and assists international museums in acquiring, protecting and exhibiting them, including the British Museum, Tate Modern, the V&A, the Smithsonian, Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris and LACMA. Making the first Iranian room at Tate Modern possible, it brought the Whitechapel Gallery a nomination for Best Exhibition at the Global Fine Arts Awards in 2015. Vali founded Queer Liberation Collective (QLC) in 2023 to advocate for Iranian LGBTQIA+ rights. He represented the Iranian LGBTQIA+ community at the House of Commons and the House of Lords in September 2023. QLC campaigns to decriminalise and repeal Chapter 2 of Iran's Islamic Penal Code that codifies the death penalty for homosexuality. Finally, Wahyu Dhyatmika, Journalism (International) - Broadcast MA graduate and CEO of Tempo Digital is responsible for Tempo to be a fully digital news organisation that relies on readers' revenue as its main business model. He also started a community reporting project called Tempo Witness to give voice to marginalised communities across Indonesia. Wahyu has a long career as an investigative journalist, from participating in the Panama Papers, the cross-border investigative project led by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) which exposed politicians and businessmen who have offshore companies in tax haven countries, to initiating IndonesiaLeaks.id, a platform for whistle-blowers so that they can securely send documents to newsrooms. He was also involved in the creation of CekFakta.com, the first collaborative fact-checking initiative in Indonesia, and was Editor- in- Chief of Tempo magazine for two years.

Voting is now live and will close at 11:59pm BST on Sunday 21 July 2024.

Find out more about the Westminster Alumni Awards.

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