Social Action Award

Alumni who have made an exceptional contribution and commitment to creating positive social change and improving the lives of others. These finalists represent seven regions worldwide, demonstrating the far-reaching impact of UK alumni driving positive change in communities across the globe.

Prof. Abdul Al Lily, Saudi Arabia, Middle East and North Africa

University of Oxford, University of Manchester

Abdulrahman is Vice President for Graduate Studies, Research, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship, King Faisal University. He transformed the university, emphasising environmental sustainability and food security. He secured multi-million-pound funding for research, patents, initiatives, and scholarships in one year. Under his leadership, the university ranked 1st for USA patents, 10th worldwide in clean energy research, and 1st nationally for fostering entrepreneurship, establishing a ‘Science Park’ classified globally as an ‘Innovation District’. He published 14 papers in top journals and three bestselling books.

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Kola Alapinni, Nigeria, Sub-Saharan Africa

University of Essex

Kola is an international human rights lawyer defending freedom of religion or belief in some of Nigeria’s most high‑risk legal contexts. He has led strategic litigation and advocacy that have strengthened constitutional protections, advanced fair trial standards, and promoted greater tolerance across Nigeria’s justice system. His advocacy has strengthened legal protections for millions, inspired interfaith dialogue, and earned international recognition, including the U.S. Secretary of State’s International Religious Freedom Award.

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Loïc Chave, France, Europe

University of Leeds

Loïc is a leading advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights, driving systemic change through research, policy and public institutions. They have influenced national policy in France through landmark work for the Equality and Human Rights Commission and later led discrimination and equality issues at the French Ombudsman’s office. Today, they head the Observatory of Queer Vulnerabilities with Le Refuge Foundation, strengthening protection and opportunity for queer youth nationwide.

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Miao Wang, China, East Asia

University of Manchester

Miao is a marine conservation leader transforming how people engage with the ocean through science, community and culture. She founded Better Blue, China’s first marine NGO with United Nations Economic and Social Council consultative status, mobilising citizen scientists to generate data that informs national marine policy. Through large‑scale media partnerships, her work reaches over a billion people annually. A UN Young Champion of the Earth, Miao brings community‑driven ocean protection to global platforms.

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Michele Puga Sarubbi, Brazil, Americas

University College London

Michele is an education leader working to widen opportunity for young people from underserved communities in Brazil. She now leads large‑scale education programmes that reach over 275,000 students each year. As Head of the Arco Institute, a social impact education organisation, Michele has expanded access to Knowledge Olympiads nationwide, helping students build confidence, skills and ambition through learning. Her UK education strengthened her ability to turn lived experience in education into practical, system‑wide change for social justice.

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Mushtariy Madrakhimova, Uzbekistan, Wider Europe

University of Oxford, Westminster International University in Tashkent

Mushtariy is a legal and public sector leader driving access to justice, integrity and opportunity in Uzbekistan. She led the creation of Madad, a nationwide free legal aid initiative that has supported over four million people, particularly in rural areas. Alongside national anti‑corruption reforms and corporate transformation work, Mushtariy also mentors young people in remote communities inspiring them to pursue global education. Her work shows how leadership, policy and giving back can create lasting change.

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Pavan Kumar Sriram, India, South Asia

Swansea University (Prifysgol Abertawe), University of Southampton

Pavan is a global inclusion leader expanding access to international education for underrepresented learners. As President of the Erasmus Mundus Association, he helped grow a network of 15,000 members across 150 countries. In 2021, Pavan founded Kohort, which now supports 600,000 learners worldwide and has helped over 1,100 students secure £28 million in scholarships, particularly first‐generation, marginalised, and historically excluded students. Previously a recipient of Erasmus Mundus and Dorothy Hodgkin scholarships, he is now building transparent, accessible systems to democratise education decisions.

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