Two Westminster alumni, Adar Poonawalla and Raksha Kumar, have been named in the India UK Achievers Awards which celebrate 75 Indian achievers who have studied in the UK, to mark the 75th anniversary of India gaining independence. The alumni were celebrated in the Business & Entrepreneurship and Media & Journalism categories respectively.
Poonawalla studied for a BA in Services at Westminster Business School, before graduating in 2002. He is the CEO of the vaccine manufacturer Serum Institute of India, which played a pivotal role in the global COVID-19 vaccine rollout. Last month, his company announced it was the first company in India to offer a cervical cancer (HPV) vaccine. He won the Outstanding Award in the Business category.
Kumar studied at Westminster as a Chevening Fellow. She is a multimedia journalist focussing on human rights, telling the stories of underprivileged people from around the world. So far, she has covered the plight of Indian sex workers during the pandemic, the effect the conflict in Kashmir is having on its children and the impact the pandemic had on the #MeToo movement. Her work has appeared in the BBC, The Guardian and The New York Times.
The awards took place on Wednesday 25 January 2023 at a Gala Ceremony in London, following a breakfast reception in the Houses of Parliament.
Alyssa Martin, Senior Alumni Networks Manager at the University of Westminster, said: “We are delighted our alumni, Adar Poonawalla and Raksha Kumar, have been recognised as part of the India UK Achievers Awards for their important work in their respective fields.
“Their achievements are inspiring to the entire Westminster community. We have a diverse global alumni network and to be included in this prestigious group of Indians who have studied in the UK highlights the great work our Indian alumni are contributing to not just Westminster but the world around us.”
Find out more about the University of Westminster’s alumni community.
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