Leicester alumni celebrated for their positive community impact
Inspiring alumni were recognised for their achievements at a special awards evening at the University of Leicester.
Graduates from across the decades returned to the University on Thursday 30 May for the annual Alumni Awards Dinner. During the celebration, several alumni won awards for having a positive impact on a local, national and international scale.
Professor Sir Geoff Palmer OBE was the recipient of the coveted Lifetime Achievement Award. Following his graduation from the BSc Botany course in 1964, Sir Geoff secured a place to study for a PhD in grain science and technology at Heriot-Watt College and the University of Edinburgh, where he discovered the barley abrasion process that revolutionised the world of brewing.
The first black professor in Scotland, Sir Geoff was later installed as Heriot-Watt’s Chancellor in 2021. He has received multiple awards during his career, including an OBE in 2003, a knighthood in 2014 for services to human rights, science and charity and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Leicester in 2016.
Fellow awards winners on the night were:
- Alumni Association Graduating Student of the Year Award 2024 – Kiran Bhavra (Medicine MBChB, 2024)
- Future Leader Award 2024 – Anuj Ashar (Aerospace Engineering BEng, 2022)
- Alumna of the Year Award 2024 – Dr Justine Reilly (History and Archaeology BA, 1997)
- Rhoda Bennett Philanthropy Award 2024 – John Taylor FRCS (Doctor of Medicine, 1989)
- Lifetime Achievement Award 2024 – Sir Geoff Palmer OBE (Botany BSc, 1964, Honorary Doctor of Science, 2016)
- Dr Mark Sims Memorial Award for Public Service 2024 – Chika Okeoma Okwuolisa (Master of Business Administration (DL), 2012)
- Mary Attenborough Award for Volunteering 2024 – Lynda Wight (Biological Sciences BSc, 1978)
Find out more about our 2024 Alumni Award Winners.
Hosting the evening was award-winning radio broadcaster and alumna, Sandy Warr, while guests also heard from special guest speaker and alumna, honorary graduate and former Alumni Award winner, Baroness Sue Campbell.
Attendees also took part in silent auction, which raised £1,370 for University priorities and its students, including the Student Hardship Fund. The lots comprised a range of exclusive gifts and experiences from staff and departments across the University, including a two-tiered cake baked by 2023 Great British Bake-Off finalist and Chemistry alumnus, Dr Joshua Smalley; a behind-the-scenes tour of the University Archives and Special Collections, and a night in the Oadby Observatory for a family of six.