Two University of Westminster alumni have been successful at the British Council Study UK Alumni Awards, with Dr Natasa Christou being announced as the winner of the Culture and Creativity Award in Cyprus and Lishni Tilakaratne winning the Business and Innovation Award in Sri Lanka.
Study UK is a global campaign that promotes the UK as the first-choice study destination to international students and their influencers. Their prestigious international Alumni Awards were launched in September 2014 and were developed by the British Council and UK universities.
On 7 March Dr Natasa Christou was announced the winner of the Culture and Creativity award in a ceremony in Cyprus. The Master of Architecture (MArch) (RIBA Part II) alumna won the award for her contribution in the field of creativity and technology, working across government, industry and research. She is the founder of two start-ups within the industry, one being Tellalis, a one-stop shop for finding local creative experts, and the other, Gardens of the Future, which aims to enable locals to become agro-entrepreneurs in the Cyprian city of Nicosia, to help the area become a catalyst for sustainable action.
At a different British Council Study UK Alumni Awards ceremony that took place in Sri Lanka on 1 March, Westminster alumna Lishni Tilakaratne was also celebrated, winning the Business and Innovation Award. Lishni is an Artist and Tech and User Experience (UX) Designer based in Sri Lanka who is committed to transforming Sri Lanka into a global design hub. She has partnered with state and private universities to put on UX workshops and lectures for students to boost interest in the field. She came to Westminster to study while she completed her Software Engineering (Sandwich) BEng course from the Informatics Institute of Technology in Sri Lanka.
On winning the award Lishni said: "Winning the British Council's Study UK Alumni Award is a tremendous honour. It acknowledges the transformative impact my education at the University of Westminster had on my career. The knowledge and skills I gained equipped me to make a positive contribution to Sri Lanka's UX design landscape, and I am grateful for the opportunity to represent the University on the global stage."
Along with the winners, Westminster alumni were also nominated at the Study UK Alumni Awards in the Philippines, with Jose Amelito II nominated for the Business and Innovation Award while John Macato was nominated for the Social Action Award.
Award winners and finalists are leaders in their fields who have used their experience of studying at a UK university to make a positive contribution to their communities, professions and countries. The Alumni Awards celebrate and showcase the impact and value of a UK higher education and raises the profile and reputation of UK alumni, their former universities and the whole of UK education.
David Brooks, Alumni Relations Officer at the University of Westminster, said: “I am delighted that so many Westminster alumni have been recognised once again as winners and finalists of the Study UK Alumni Awards around the world. Reading about their achievements, I see a common thread of Westminster graduates not just excelling in their various fields, but giving back to their communities and demonstrating a social purpose which we share at Westminster. We are so proud of our international alumni community, so huge congratulations to this year’s national winners and finalists!”
By being part of Study UK, Westminster contributes toward the Partnerships for the Goals (17) and Quality Education (4) development goals of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which were adopted by the University of Westminster to help make the University a more sustainable, responsible and inclusive place to live, work and study.
Find out more about Alumni and Supporters at the University of Westminster.
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