Monday 11 July 2016

British Council Launches Prestigious International Awards

Celebrating UK Higher Education and Distinguished Alumni Achievements
 
11 July 2016 (Hong Kong) – The British Council Hong Kong has launched the second year of a prestigious award celebrating outstanding achievements of the UK’s international alumni. Hong Kong is one of 14 locations honoured to be hosting the Alumni Awards 2017, alongside Egypt, Ghana, Greece, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Turkey and the USA. 

Award winners and finalists are leaders 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 demonstrate the impact of UK higher education and celebrate the achievements of distinguished UK alumni, raising the profile of the universities they attended, and UK higher education.

One recent award winner is Kenny Chui Chi Man, winner of the Social Impact award in Hong Kong 2016. Kenny is passionate about changing perceptions of dementia in Hong Kong. His goal is to embed a culture of person centred care for people with dementia. Since graduating from the University of Stirling, he has developed an innovative, one-year professional education programme focusing on dementia care. Offered through the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the programme supports healthcare workers to improve their interactions with people with dementia. 
  
‘Studying in UK gave me the chance to enrich my view and knowledge of dementia care. It widened my scope in designing services for people with dementia. The networking opportunities and resources at Stirling also helped to strengthen my persistence and confidence,’ says Kenny.

The Alumni Awards are open to alumni currently residing in any of the 14 participating countries who have studied in the UK, at an officially recognised provider of UK university degree level study, within the last 15 years.

UK university alumni from the 14 participating countries can apply themselves or be nominated for the awards from 7 September 2016. Nominations close on 16 October and applications close on 31 October 2016. Award finalists will be announced in early January 2017 and the winners will be revealed at prestigious award ceremonies in each of the participating countries between January and March 2017. Finalists and award winners have the opportunity to raise their international profile, expand their professional networks, and enhance their careers.

Legendary shoe designer and UK alumnus Professor Jimmy Choo, OBE, is Global Ambassador of the Alumni Awards. He said "I’m delighted to support the Alumni Awards 2017 as Global Ambassador. Studying in the UK was an experience that changed my life and contributed to my success today. It is an honour to be supporting today’s recent outstanding UK university alumni by sharing their success stories and positive impact on the world."

The Alumni Awards were developed by the British Council and UK universities and were first launched by the British Council in September 2014 in three countries. In 2016 the awards took place in ten countries and received more than 1,000 applications. The awards have been attended by VIPs and royalty: HRH Duke of Cambridge presented the Alumni Awards in China in 2015 and Professor Jimmy Choo, OBE, launched the Alumni Awards 2016.

Robert Ness, Director of British Council Hong Kong and chair of the Hong Kong judging panel for 2016 commented that, “the awards are all about honouring the success of individuals whose achievements here in Hong Kong have been influenced by their experience of studying at a UK university. We celebrate with them and congratulate them not only on their impressive professional successes but also in their capacity as 'ambassadors' for UK higher education.”

For full details on the eligibility criteria and participating countries, please refer to www.britishcouncil.org/education-uk-awards
 

For more information please contact:
Mavis Ma, Communications Manager, British Council Hong Kong at
mavis.ma@britishcouncil.org.hk or on (852) 2913 5260

Notes to Editor

More information on the Alumni Awards 2017:
http://www.britishcouncil.org/education-uk-awards

More information on Alumni Awards 2016 award winners:
http://www.educationuk.org/global/sub/education-uk-alumni-awards-2016/

Alumni Award categories:
Professional Achievement Award
Recognises alumni who have distinguished themselves through exemplary leadership and achievements in their professional industry, and who can demonstrate the scale of their achievements and how they have made a strong and positive difference to their profession and society.

Entrepreneurial Award
Successful applicants in this category will be active in initiating, or contributing to, innovative new business opportunities with strong growth prospects.

Social Impact Award
The Social Impact Award acknowledges alumni who have made an exceptional contribution and commitment to creating positive social change and improving the lives of others

About Education UK
Education UK (www.educationuk.org) is the British Council’s official website for international students who are interested in a UK education. It offers impartial advice and resources to help students find suitable courses and scholarships and helps students prepare for and enjoy their UK experience. The website receives around two million unique visitors per year.

About the British Council

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We create international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and build trust between them worldwide.

We work in more than 100 countries and our 8,000 staff – including 2,000 teachers – work with thousands of professionals and policy makers and millions of young people every year by teaching English, sharing the arts and delivering education and society programmes.
 
We are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter. A core publicly-funded grant provides less than 20 per cent of our turnover which last year was £864 million. The rest of our revenues are earned from services which customers around the world pay for, through education and development contracts and from partnerships with public and private organisations. All our work is in pursuit of our charitable purpose and supports prosperity and security for the UK and globally.
 
For more information, please visit: www.britishcouncil.org. You can also keep in touch with the British Council through http://twitter.com/britishcouncil and http://blog.britishcouncil.org/.