Winner
Iruthisham Adam
Diplomatic Studies MA, 2001
Iru has served as Minister of Health and Minister of Youth and Sports for the Republic of Maldives. After graduating she advanced in her diplomatic career, serving in key posts in London, New York and Geneva. Under the first democratically elected Maldives government, she was appointed as the first-ever female Ambassador/Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, and in 2013 she was elected as a Vice President of the UN Human Rights Council.
In 2015, Iru was appointed as the Minister of Health. Under her leadership, the health system began initiatives for universal health coverage, the infrastructure of atoll hospitals, and specialist medical services. Her achievements include the setup of medical councils under new health legislation, inaugurating an MRI service and a centre for cancer screening.
Finalists
Bruno Aziza
Diploma of Special Study (exchange programme), 1996
Bruno is the Head of Data & Analytics at Google. As a technology executive he has helped launch three start-ups, two of which have been sold, and he has contributed to the significant growth of major companies such as Microsoft and Oracle. He has also written two books on the topic of business performance, and has a monthly column in Forbes magazine on artificial intelligence, machine learning, data and analytics. He has lectured at Stanford University and Harvard.
Bruno spoke little English when he came from France to study in London. His experience of studying at the University of Westminster helped him discover himself, and it’s also where he met his wife. His story was recently featured on French national television channel BFMTV.
David Buchanan
Computing BSc, 2009
David is Vice President, Strategic Partnerships at Salesforce, supporting their strategy and growth into China. He started out as a programmer working for a start-up but found his passion in leading technical and services teams for close to 30 years, working for US-based firms such as Sun Microsystems and Cisco Systems.
He started at Salesforce in 2013, progressing through various roles to his current position. Salesforce has been a high growth business and David has led the recruitment and development of multiple teams. He also contributed to the creation of their first Success Graduate programme bringing in over 100 graduates to support their growth. Giving back has been central to David’s motivation, and he has been active as a mentor and coach for various schemes. He also recently became a flight instructor.
Anis Rahman
Law Diploma, 1985 (Honorary Doctor of Law, 2013)
Anis Rahman OBE is a senior practising Barrister, former Magistrate and was Adviser to the Home Secretary on Race Equality and Community Affairs. He was a Whitehall civil servant for twenty years. He was called to the English Bar from the Honourable Society of Inner Temple and is a member of 12 Old Square Chambers. Anis has served as a Trustee of Anti-Slavery International and Toynbee Hall. As a member of the Windrush generation, he is noted for his expertise in tackling racism and promoting community cohesion and access to justice for the most disadvantaged communities.
Anis created the United Nations Student Association in 1969, and when the state of Bangladesh was formed he joined the Bangladesh Liberation Movement and became a founder member of the Bengal Students Action Committee.