A powerful force for good
A month in the life of Imperial's alumni community
A month of celebration
Throughout June, Imperial’s alumni community came together to celebrate their shared connection, inspire others, and support the next generation through a series of events and activities across the globe. The breadth of activity which took place underscores the enduring bond among Imperial alumni, as well as their continued commitment to fostering a supportive and dynamic community worldwide.
Looking to the future at the Great Exhibition Road Festival
At the heart of the celebrations were the Great Exhibition Road Festival and the Annual Alumni Celebration in London, which took place within days of each other, marking the centre point of our month of celebrations.
South Kensington’s annual celebration of science and the arts is led by Imperial, in partnership with the world-renowned cultural and research institutions that make up Albertopolis. Hundreds of alumni, with their friends and families, flocked to Exhibition Road to be inspired by bold ideas and creative thinking.
Alumni were given early-bird access to talks, as well as a preview of the Tech Zone before the Festival opened to the public. During the first day of the Festival, more than 50 alumni, donors and guests made their way to a Supporter Drop-In at the Alumni Visitor Centre, where they had a chance to meet some of the students who benefit from their support.
Among those students was PhD Scholar, Elsy Milan, who was eager to meet the alumni who made her Imperial journey possible.
You have given me a life that I could only imagine in my dreams. Your generous donation and your altruistic motives gave me hope in a humanity that will never fade away. To you this might be a minor gesture but to me, it is a chance to build my destiny. I wish you nothing but all happiness, success, health and wealth in this world!
Did you know?
Around 3,000 alumni give every year to support our student assistance fund, which helps lift the barriers to university education and give students the freedom to grasp every opportunity to develop as individuals, academics, and leaders.
A night at the museum
Just two evenings earlier, more than 200 alumni and guests gathered at the Science Museum for the Annual Alumni Celebration in London, a chance to reconnect with Imperial and each other, hear from Provost and fellow alumnus, Professor Ian Walmsley (Physics 1980), and meet this year’s Alumni Award winners.
Reconnecting in London
Among the guests was Philip Jeanes (Aeronautics 1973), who was reunited with an old friend. After graduating, Philip worked for SIA Ltd, a computer bureau in London, between 1975 and 1989, where he carried out engineering calculations using the largest commercially available supercomputer in the UK - a CDC 6600… the same CDC 6600 which was donated to the Science Museum in 1989 and displayed in the Information Age gallery where the event took place.
Having got my MSc from Imperial 48 years ago which opened a lot of doors, and after working overseas for most of my career with a ten-year stint in Alaska and 15 years in California, it's nice to come back and visit the college where it all started.
Celebrating success
The event also served as a platform to recognise the winners of the 2024 Alumni Awards with a ceremony led by Professor Walmsley and Professor Faith Osier, Co-Director of the Institute of Infection and Chair of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, and member of this year’s judging panel.
The Alumni Awards programme celebrates the outstanding achievements of Imperial graduates and shines a light on their contributions to science, engineering, medicine, business and society across three award categories. They recognise alumni who are game-changers, disruptors and problem solvers. Global citizens with the courage to take risks, lead and collaborate to make things better.
Flying in to attend the ceremony was energy equaliser, Alexandre Tourre (MSc Computing 2009), winner of the Emerging Alumni Leader Award.
I was deeply honoured to be among such a distinguished crowd of alumni and to receive this award. Since the award was announced and during the ceremony, the outpouring of support and opportunities from fellow Imperial alumni has been truly transformative and highlights the incredible impact and strength of our alumni network. This experience has reaffirmed my pride in being part of such a remarkable institution.
Alex is the founder of Easy Solar, who provide power to 200,000 homes across Sierra Leone to transform the lives of millions.
Agent of change, Lola Aworanti-Ekugo (MBA 2019) also travelled to London to receive her award. A digital expert, Lola steers organisations towards an innovative and sustainable future using technology, and works to boost diversity in tech and to support the next generation of female leaders.
My parents valued education deeply and made many sacrifices because they believed it was the key to a better future. This award truly hits home and stands as one of my greatest honours. Thank you Imperial.
Distinguished Alumni Award winner, Professor Monique Frize (MPhil Electrical Engineering 1970) wasn’t able to join the event in person so shared this video message about her inspiration and motivation.
A pioneering electrical engineer and visionary, Monique has pushed the boundaries of the seemingly impossible for over five decades, making a tangible difference to the safety of hospital medical equipment around the world while paving the way for countless female engineers.
The 2025 Alumni Awards are open for nominations until 5 August. We encourage everyone to nominate exceptional former students, colleagues and friends who are Imperial graduates - or nominate yourself if you are an alumnus.
A vibrant global network: strengthening connections from Hong Kong to Athens
Activity has not been limited to London. Just over a third of Imperial alumni live outside the UK, and contribute to a thriving network of groups and associations around the world. These groups are run by volunteers who are dedicated to enhancing a sense of community away from campus, supporting each other, students and the university. Their efforts and dedication keep our graduates connected and mean that wherever our students end up in the world, there is always a friendly face to welcome them and be a point of contact.
Alongside the London celebrations, these volunteers are also responsible for the success of our Global Celebrations programme, an international event series which brings together alumni around the world through local and regional events throughout June.
This year, groups stepped up to organise more than 20 events, attended by more than 700 alumni, from museum visits to social gatherings, academic panels to picnics. Read on to discover some of our highlights from this month.
First stop: Hong Kong
Imperial College Alumni Association of Hong Kong kickstarted the month of Global Celebrations with a lunch event.
A long-established and very active group, ICAAHK also runs a mentoring programme which provides career guidance unique to Hong Kong. Since they launched the programme, more than 90 alumni mentors from multiple disciplines have supported 350 undergraduate students from Hong Kong. The Association also awards an annual scholarship to outstanding Hong Kong students beginning their first year of an undergraduate degree at Imperial.
Celebrating Science for Humanity in Turkey
Imperial alumnus and Eczacıbaşı Holding Chairperson, Bülent Eczacıbaşı (Chemistry 1972) hosted Turkey’s Global Celebration event in the spectacular location of Istanbul Museum of Modern Art. Alumni at the event were joined by 2024 offer-holders who will soon join the Imperial community, as well as Professor Peter Haynes, Vice Provost (Education and Student Experience), who introduced Imperial’s new strategy, Science for Humanity.
Welcoming the new generation of Imperial students from Turkey to the event, Bülent commented:
Scientists have a great responsibility to contribute to the solutions of the serious problems the world is facing. You should be aware that the eyes of the world will be on you, especially as you will be studying at an institution among the very best in the world. I wish you all the best of luck and a life full of great happiness and success in a bright future which you will create with your own hands.
Back where it all began
Congratulations to our long-established group in Germany, who celebrated their 25th anniversary back where it all began - in London. To celebrate, the group organised a weekend of stimulating discussions, networking, German food, and a street art and graffiti tour of Brick Lane.
Back in Germany, the local network in Munich organised a social gathering as part of the Global Celebrations series.
Imperial Global
Global Celebrations also took place in Singapore, home to the first Imperial Global hub, and in San Francisco and New York ahead of the Imperial Global USA launch later this year.
Part of the new strategy, Imperial Global is our plan to bring even more of our work to the world, and more of the world to our work, amplifying our impact through a network of hubs in strategic global cities. Alumni networks will play a vital role in this goal as we forge ever stronger bonds in these regions.
Imperial Global USA
Addressing the impact of climate change
This month also saw Imperial and the University of Ghana sign a major research and education partnership which will see increased mobility of scientists and students between Imperial and the University of Ghana – with researchers spending time in each other’s laboratories in London and Accra, working on joint projects and sharing knowledge and data.
During the visit, Imperial hosted a special event in Accra for scientists, policymakers, industry, alumni and supporters to hear about our work with partners to better understand the impact of climate change on African cities.
The people who mean the most
The Imperial experience is about more than textbooks, exams and that official degree certificate. The relationships forged here can last a lifetime and many years later graduates are still bonded by their shared experience – one that is unique to Imperial and can only really be understood by someone else who has spent part of their life here with us. There is nowhere this is more evident than at reunions.
Reunions and celebrations
From five-year-on catch-ups to 50 year milestone celebrations, in June alone the Alumni Engagement team supported ten reunions and counted at least 175 attendees. And of course, that doesn’t include the get-togethers, phone calls, emails and messages flying back and forth between alumni who are still an active part of each other’s lives.
Reunion highlights this month include the BEng Mechanical Engineering Class of 1974, who returned to our South Kensington Campus to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their graduation. Initiated by graduate Kam Cheng, who came all the way from Australia, and organised with support from the Alumni Engagement team, the alumni enjoyed a tour of their old department and chats with Professor Michael Lowe, Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and lecturer Dr Jang Ah Kim.
The Department of Chemical Engineering hosted two reunion groups during a reception at the Great Exhibition Road Festival – for the classes of 1994 (celebrating 30 years) and 1989 (celebrating 35 years).
Alumni, are you celebrating a milestone anniversary in 2024? If you finished your Imperial studies in a year ending in 4 or 9, we'd like to help you celebrate by sending you a free pack containing a commemorative pin and souvenir postcards, to be posted to you wherever you are in the world. Just complete the form on our website to request your milestone pack.
Reunions are the foundation of the ICBS events calendar: our team loves supporting you to reconnect across the miles and years. Do you have a milestone reunion coming up? Get in touch to see how we can help you bring your cohort together!
35 year reunion: the Chemical Engineering Class of 1989
Alumni Henrik Roos and Per Hansson organised a 25 year reunion for their MSc Computing Class of 1999.
The Strategic Marketing class of 2013-2014 gathered at the Alumni Visitor Centre for a reunion organised by Hugo Brun and Janet Malmstrom.
40 year reunion: Westminster Hospital Medical School Class of 1984.
Musical mates
Imperial College Sinfonietta, a full student-run symphony orchestra, celebrated their 25th anniversary in style with a weekend of activities.
The highlight was a Reunion Concert, where 60 current members of Sinfonietta were joined by 50 alumni to form a huge orchestra, who performed for a packed auditorium including many more alumni and their families.
They were led by distinguished conductor Daniel Capps (Physics 1996), founder of the society, as they performed a piece written by Bill Carslake.
The piece was commissioned by the Harry Woolhouse Charitable Trust, named after alumnus Harry Woolhouse. The trust supports the current membership, and the long-term future of the orchestra.
Former members of Imperial College Sinfonietta are invited to join the orchestra's LinkedIn group for alumni.
Imperial Male Voice Choir also held a reunion concert in June for lovers of choral and folk music. The choir was formed by alumni who graduated from 1974 onwards. To their knowledge, there are no other alumni male voice choirs formed at British universities – at least none that have clocked up 50 years of singing so far!
It was great to see such a wide range of alumni, from the first chair of Sinfonietta, who now runs Manchester Airport, to students who only left last year. One of our Hon Patrons, Michael Son BEM, spoke movingly to the audience about Imperial students going out to change the world for a better place! There was a great atmosphere in the Great Hall; and I'm sure there will be more reunions to come.
A committed community
Imperial alumni are passionate ambassadors for the university. Whether it’s taking part in consultations as we developed our new strategy and brand, or really living that strategy by helping us to continue to attract the best and brightest new students and staff, alumni are an integral part of who we are.
Thank you to our amazing alumni volunteers
At the beginning of June, we celebrated Volunteers’ Week, a chance for us to recognise the contributions of alumni who step up to support our students and fellow alumni.
Just a few of the roles alumni have taken on in the past month include:
- Joining Plexus Alumni Mentoring, a peer-to-peer online mentoring programme where alumni can connect for either a one-off conversation or fixed-term mentoring.
- Volunteering to lead or support an alumni group. International networks are pivotal when it comes to keeping our community connected. We have around 40 groups around the world who dedicate their time to organising events (like Global Celebrations) and representing Imperial in their city.
- Sharing their knowledge with students. Whether its delivering a careers talk or signing up to ‘Ask an Alum’, an online programme where alumni can respond to one-off career-related questions from students, the insight that our graduates can provide is invaluable.
- Representing Imperial at student recruitment events internationally, talking to prospective students about the impact Imperial has had on their lives and careers.
I would like to thank the thousands among our community in London, across the UK and across the globe, who have contributed to our Strategy. We have been inspired and humbled in equal measure by your ideas and support.
Looking to the future
As we look ahead to a summer of sport – good luck to Julimar Avila (MSc International Health Management 2023) who will be competing in her second Olympic Games in Paris – and an autumn of international travel and the launch of several of our new global hubs, it is clearer than ever that our alumni community is a vital part of everything Imperial is, and aims to accomplish.
Our biggest supporters, you celebrated alongside us when we rose to second place in the world. You gave us your valuable time and insight as we worked on our new strategy. You come together to welcome the newest graduates into the alumni family twice a year. You support each other. You provide opportunities, experience and insight for our students. You inspire us.
We look forward to seeing many of you in the autumn, and we hope you will continue to celebrate your Imperial connection with us every month, not just in June.
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