Social Impact Award 2024
Read about the Westminster Alumni Award finalists in this category and vote for who you think deserves to win.
Finalists
Askia Warne
European Legal Studies LLB, 2018
After completing his LLB at Westminster, LLM at Queen Mary, and BPTC (Barrister Training Course) at BPP, Askia started working on CAD-HR, an organisation he founded while studying at Westminster.
CAD-HR was set up 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.
In 2023, 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 concept of the Hub was based on four pillars: physical and mental health support, social wellbeing, economic wellbeing and legal wellbeing.
In just 12 months, the project has supported over 12,000 migrants and people from low-income or marginalised backgrounds.
Professor Miranda K Brawn
MBA, 2001
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 UK's largest NHS Trust and acting as board advisor for Schroders Cazenove Capital's sustainability and charity funds. Miranda’s global consultancy includes advising UK government on its strategy to improve our nation’s equality.
Miranda is Founder, President and CEO of UK registered The Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Foundation. The Foundation has awarded over 400 innovative scholarships and delivered the first diversity leadership lecture at the time aimed at full-time students, making UK history in 2016. The Foundation supports thousands of diverse students with their education and career.
Miranda is a global speaker and podcaster for The D.A.R.E. Podcast and is the world’s fastest success mindset coach AKA The 60 Second Coach.
Vali Mahlouji
Visual Arts by Published Work PhD, 2023
Dr Vali Mahlouji, cultural activist and founder of Archaeology of the Final Decade (AOTFD), excavates and 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.
AOTFD made the first Iranian room at Tate Modern possible, and 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.
Wahyu Dhyatmika
Journalism (International) - Broadcast MA, 2005
Wahyu Dhyatmika is the CEO of Tempo Digital. He is responsible for Tempo’s digital transformation 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 2019-2021, he was Editor in Chief of Tempo magazine.
In 2015, he was part of the Panama Papers, the collaborative cross-border investigative project led by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). Tempo managed to expose politicians and businessmen who have offshore companies in tax haven countries.
In 2017, Wahyu initiated IndonesiaLeaks.id, a platform for whistle-blowers so they can securely send documents to newsrooms. In 2018, he was involved in the creation of CekFakta.com, the first collaborative fact-checking initiative in Indonesia.