The British Council is pleased to announce the finalists for a prestigious award celebrating the outstanding achievements of the UK’s international alumni, with fourteen awards ceremonies taking place this year in Egypt, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Turkey and the USA.
Top alumni have been selected from more than a global total of 1200 applicants, many of whom were nominated by their host UK universities. The Study UK Alumni Awards, created by the British Council in partnership with UK higher education institutions, are intended to recognise outstanding success in Entrepreneurism, Professional Achievement, and Social Impact by people who have studied at UK higher education institutions within the last 15 years.
In Nigeria, over 200 applications were received across the three award categories – Entrepreneurial, Professional Achievement, and Social Impact categories and 14 finalists were selected in across the three categories. They are:
| Award Category | Finalist | Institution |
| Professional Achievement | Mary Stephen | University of Leeds |
| Tolu Ogunlesi | University of East Anglia | |
| Olanrewaju Akinsola | University of Warwick | |
| Paul Oluikpo | Loughborough University; University of Oxford | |
| Timipre Wolo | University of Aberdeen | |
| Social Impact | Bolaji Abdullahi | University of Sussex |
| Fatima Oyiza Ademoh | University of Leeds | |
| Mary Dinah | University of Surrey; University of Nottingham | |
| Mfon Ekpo | University of Southampton | |
| Entrepreneurial | Nasir Abdulkadir | Middlesex University |
| Ehime Eigbe | London Metropolitan University | |
| Adebambo Akani | University of Cambridge | |
| Anas Balarabe Yazid | Imperial College London | |
| Isoken Ogiemwonyi | University of Nottingham; BPP University |
Applications were received from alumni from more than 125 UK universities in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. They were then reviewed by judging panels in the applicant’s country of entry, and their respective universities.
Bryony Inge, Alumni Campaign Manager at the British Council said “It’s inspiring to hear how alumni are using their UK education experience to make a positive difference to their professions, communities and countries around the world. We had more than a thousand excellent nominations and selecting the finalists was difficult: they are a small representative of so many outstanding alumni doing amazing things, and they all deserve to be celebrated. These alumni are a credit to their universities and will serve as an inspiration to the next generation of international students.
Legendary shoe designer and UK alumnus Professor Jimmy Choo, OBE, is Global Ambassador of the Alumni Awards.
He said: “I’m delighted to support the Alumni Awards 2017 as Global Ambassador. Studying in the UK was an experience that changed my life and contributed to my success today. It is an honour to be supporting today’s recent outstanding UK university alumni by sharing their success stories and positive impact on the world.”
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