Winner
Mariam Ahmadi-Moghaddam
Professional Practice in Architecture PgDip, 2011
Mariam is an exceptionally talented architect who has been contributing to the design and construction industry for over ten years. Since qualifying as a British Architect in 2011 her rapid progression since has been outstanding. Her work has greatly contributed to the success of high profile infrastructure projects in London and overseas.
In 2014, she was seconded to Kuala Lumpur where she progressed the city’s new metro line, Klang Valley MRT project and in 2017 she was the Lead Architect on the prestigious Crossrail Paddington project, Europe’s largest infrastructure project and one of the most complex ever undertaken in the UK.
Mariam continues to craft architecture at its highest level with effective management skills and exceptional conceptualisation and delivery. In 2018, Mariam was promoted as a Senior Associate at Weston Williamson, and was commissioned to Melbourne to deliver the Melbourne Metro Rail project with an estimated construction value of $11 billion, delivering five new stations in the city.
Mariam overcomes challenges through sheer determination, perseverance, passion and excellence. These projects demand a robust design as well as a leader with the ability to thrive in a multidisciplinary, male-dominated environment of architects, engineers and contractors. The professionalism and natural talent she has demonstrated throughout has been outstanding.
She was particularly recognised for her achievements when she became a finalist for the ‘Best Woman Architect’ of the Women in Construction and Engineering Awards of 2017. Mariam works hard to excel in all aspects of her career. As a co-founder of the Women at Weston Williamson group, Mariam is an advocate of creating an even playing field, promoting gender equality and redefining the understanding of women’s capabilities and contributions. She works hard to make a real difference, to create change and be the example of female empowerment, albeit a modest but progressive example.
Mariam has used her skills to mentor university students to set their journey in motion. She has also been recognised for her work in non-governmental organisations in Tehran that focus on women’s education and opportunities. Whilst in Kuala Lumpur she focused on supporting charity organisations like the Tasputra Perkim, who help children with special needs.
Her personal and professional success is as a result of her courage, strength and her commitment to give back to society.
Finalists
Alison Bancroft
English Studies BA, 1996
Alison was the first member of her family to go to university. She is from the north of England, and went to a school where so few kids were expected to go into higher education that it didn't have a sixth form. She got in to the English programme at Westminster, when it was run by Dani Cavallaro, and it was a transformative experience. Alison graduated in 1996 with a first class honours degree, and, after a career in the music industry, she made her way to a PhD at Queen Mary, University of London (2005 - 2010).
Her thesis became the book, Fashion and Psychoanalysis, published in 2012. At the time it was one of only three books ever written on the subject, ever, the only one by a living author, and the only one by a woman. Since its publication, it has proved to be quite influential. There have been two conferences on the subject of Fashion and Psychoanalysis, one in NYC in 2015, and one in London in 2017, a special journal edition, several book chapters, and one book on the same subject that came out in 2017. It has been credited with starting a new conceptual approach to fashion. Outside of academia, it has been even more significant: in 2018, it was the inspiration for the Christian Dior haute couture collection.
Not many people from Alison's hometown go to university, much less attain a PhD. And of the PhDs in the UK, very few of them have turned into books that have had the impact that Fashion and Psychoanalysis has. Alison is incredibly privileged to have been born with the gifts that she has, and were it not for the University of Westminster, with its progressive approach to student recruitment and its highly innovative and original courses, she may never have had the opportunity to develop these gifts. Alison's achievements are her own, but she reached them because she had the right support at the right time, and that started with the University of Westminster.
Delphine Duff
Social Work Dip, 1989
An experienced and versatile criminal justice professional, Delphine was employed by London Probation in 1989, initially as a probation officer. Delphine has developed a range of training courses and specialist interventions which include assisting offenders into employment and tackling unconscious bias. From 2005 she took the lead in developing practical answers to the challenges of working with serious youth crime and gang violence, including key policy and operational advice as well as development of operational and strategic interventions. She was instrumental in the setting up of Gangs Units within London Probation and again in London Community Rehabilitation Company which formed the template for a number of other units across the country and abroad.
Delphine engaged in the Home Office peer review process and has acted as a consultant for a number of documentaries and soap operas. She is a qualified Restorative Justice Practitioner and a High Level Conflict Mediator, who in 2006 was the catalyst for the setting up of the first High Level Conflict Mediation Service with authority to work across London and which is used by the police to assist in the management of “Peace on the Streets”.
In 2010 Delphine was assigned as a short-term expert in Jamaica’s Department of Corrections. A programme she designed for work with offenders has now become an integral component of service delivery. Her expertise also helped ensure Estonia and Croatia became members of the EU.
In 2009, Delphine received a National Probation Award for my diverse approach to practice. In 2010 she received the Kids Count Chairman Award for her commitment to addressing the needs of young people, and in 2011 she received a Butler Trust Commendation for ongoing professionalism and achievements in the UK and abroad. In 2011 she was one of the first to receive a Sheriff of London Award for her dedication to engaging communities. In 2016 she became the first female to twice receive a Butler Trust commendation, acknowledging her key role in design and implementation of the referral centre and processes needed for a pan-London gang exit service for both victims and perpetrators.
In February 2018 Delphine retired from probation practice. However she is a visiting lecturer at Middlesex University, acts as a consultant on criminal justice matters in varied arenas and remains active within the community, paying particular attention to addressing serious youth violence, safeguarding communities and empowering young people to release their potential and achieve their goals.