12 Pakistanis receive Study UK Alumni Awards 2018

Awards presented to British varsities' alumni for their extraordinary achievements

KARACHI: The British Council presented on Tuesday the Study UK Alumni Awards 2018 in Karachi to 12 Pakistanis who studied in the United Kingdom.

The 12 recipients were selected from more than 150 applicants from across Pakistan for their outstanding achievements as business professionals, entrepreneurs and community leaders, and for their contribution in strengthening ties between the UK and Pakistan.

The international award celebrates the UK's higher education and achievements of British universities' alumni across the world. This year, more than 1,700 applications were received for the awards from foreign alumni of more than 140 British higher education institutes, representing 123 countries.

"The remarkable individuals selected as finalists for the Study UK Alumni Awards in Pakistan have all taken their UK education as a starting point to excel in their chosen careers and shape the world around them. This year's finalists are testimony not only to the diversity of UK alumni but also to the transformative impact of a UK education," said British Council Country Director Rosemary Hilhorst.



The Study UK Alumni Awards are given in different categories. The Professional Achievement Award, which recognises alumni who have distinguished themselves through exemplary leadership in their professional fields, was presented to Dr Aroosa Kanwal, assistant professor of English literature at International Islamic University, Islamabad. Dr Kanwal received her PhD from Lancaster University. She is the author of 'Rethinking Identities in Contemporary Pakistani Fiction: Beyond 9/11', which was awarded the Coca-Cola Prize at the Karachi Literary Festival, 2016 under the category of the best non-fiction book of the year. She is currently editing the first 'Companion to Pakistani Anglophone Writing', which will be published by Routledge in the UK.

The Entrepreneurial Award, which highlights alumni who have played a leading role in business innovation, was presented to Muhammad Uzair, co-founder of Blimp and Peshawar 2.0, which support young entrepreneurs of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Uzair is a mass communications and business graduate from Northumbria University.

The Social Impact Award, which acknowledges alumni who have made an exceptional contribution to create a positive social change, was presented to Bilal Shahid, consultant for Renewable Energy Experts in Pakistan. Shahid completed his MSc in renewable energy and clean technology in 2016 from the University of Manchester.