Inspiring alumni

BA Sociology, 1979 

Althea Efunshile has dedicated her career to social justice, arts, and culture. Starting as a teacher and youth worker, Althea's 40-year career in the public sector culminated in the role of Deputy Chief Executive of the Arts Council England. Now retired, she holds various roles including Non-Executive Director of Channel 4 and Chair of the Board of Trustees of Ballet Black. 

Ben Okri is a leading Nigerian poet and novelist who overcame adversity and homelessness to achieve worldwide recognition. He published his first novel aged 21, became the youngest-ever winner of the Booker Prize and went on win numerous national and international prizes for his work. He is also a cultural activist and his 2017 poem Grenfell Tower, written to raise funds for victims of the disaster, has received more than 6million visits on YouTube. 

BA Philosophy, 1987

Dotun Adebayo is a radio presenter, writer, and publisher.  He launched his career as a music journalist for magazines including NME and Time Out. Today he presents the Up All Night show on BBC Radio 5 Live. Also an accomplished writer and publisher; he founded the publishing company X Press, the biggest publisher of black-interest books in Europe and is author of Can I Have My Balls Back Please? Dotun launched Britain's first general interest black internet television station, colourtelly.tv, to represent under-serviced and neglected minority viewers.  

MA Theatre Directing, 2009

Kanatip Soonthornrak, known as LG, describes himself as a perpetual English lover and a student of the world. An actor by training, he has had a successful career as a radio presenter, talk show host and media personality in Thailand. He is the founder of the of Angkriz English Academy, one of the most renowned language schools in Thailand. He has a passion for empowering others and champions learning the English language to an audience of over one million on his social media platforms. 
 

BA Politics and Human Rights, 2008

Christina Björnström is a tech entrepreneur. She has co-founded multiple businesses including Atlantic Xing, a management consultant company, and Nooroot, an artificial intelligence, security analysis and visualization platform. Outside of her entrepreneurial endeavours, she advises start-ups on fundraising, business development, and research and development and has also launched STEM initiatives including hackathons for school children.

BA Economics, 1970; MA Economics, 1971; Honorary Doctorate, 2012

Professor Sir Christopher Pissarides is a world-renowned economist and professor. In 2010, he was named the joint winner of a Nobel Prize for his work on the economics of unemployment. A year later, he served as the President of the European Economic Association and received the Grand Cross of the Republic of Cyprus, the highest honour to be bestowed. In 2013, Christopher was knighted  in recognition of his outstanding contributions to economics.

BSc Computer Science, 2002

Elizabeth Eastaugh joined the tech industry as a software developer, rising through the ranks to the role of Senior Director in technology development at travel company Expedia.  She is currently Technology Lead at Denmark's largest shipping company, managing teams across the world with a global view and influence. An inspiration for women in STEM, Elizabeth has been recognised multiple times as one of the most influential women in IT and is passionate about encouraging more women to work in technology fields.

BA Economics, 1978; MA Economics, 1980

Sir Nigel was appointed Group Chief Executive of financial services group Legal & General in June 2012 and retired in 2023.  Prior to joining Legal & General, Sir Nigel held senior roles at companies including United Business Media, Capita Group and Halfords and throughout his career has held several government advisory board positions. He received a CBE in 2022 for services to the finance industry and regional development.

MA Sociology of Gender Divisions In Society, 1993; Honorary Doctorate 2024

For more than 30 years, Jo Todd has been at the forefront of tackling domestic abuse and how to deal with the perpetrators. Jo started her career in a variety of frontline roles - as a Refuge worker, running women’s groups, and supporting survivors whose partners were attending Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Programmes.

This grounding has been crucial to her work as founder and Chief Executive of Respect for over 20 years, playing an important national role in promoting and protecting the safety, wellbeing and freedom of survivors. In 2022, she was made a CBE for her work.

LLM International Human Rights Law, 2001

Monjurul Kabir is a distinguished political scientist, human rights, and gender expert. As a global adviser in Gender Equality and Disability Inclusion at UN Women, Monjurul is helping pave the way for a more inclusive society. Prior to joining UN Women, he held various roles at United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and headed the Governance Programme Portfolio in Bangladesh developing, among others, its first ever Human Security, Criminal Justice and Security Sector Reform.

LLB Law, 2019

A social entrepreneur, Raudhah Nazran was inspired by her experience with Enactus Essex as a student and launched her own social enterprise, Accelerate Global, not long after graduating. An advocate for supporting the next generation, Accelerate Global aims to tackle youth unemployment worldwide. Her work in Malaysia has seen her deliver innovative government-backed programmes and masterclasses helping young people to gain key employability skills.

MAPH Public Health, 2013

Ugonnaya Igwilo has worked at the forefront of major public health crises in Nigeria. During the Ebola outbreak, she worked at the Emergency Operations Centre in a vital role which helped increase awareness and curb the outbreak of the disease. She has also worked closely with hundreds of patients living with HIV and AIDS and working with the Ministry of Health to provide expertise in the prevention of the Monkey Pox outbreak. Over the last year, she’s been on the frontline of Nigeria’s efforts to fight the outbreak of COVID-19.

MA Literature - Drama, 1980; Honorary Doctorate, 2024
Sima Sami Bahous has more than 35 years of experience in the advancement of women’s rights and empowerment and has worked for a number of international development organisations, including the United Nations in New York where she served as the Permanent Representative of Jordan. A true champion for gender equality and youth empowerment, throughout her career she has advocated for quality education, poverty alleviation and inclusive governance. In 2021, she was appointed the Executive Director of UN Women. 

World-famous director David Yates is best known for directing the last four films in the Harry Potter franchise, and the subsequent Fantastic Beasts film series where he brought the wizarding world of Hogwarts and Grindlewald to life. Throughout his career he has won numerous BAFTA and Academy awards, but his most impressive accolade was the record-breaking success of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 which remains the highest-grossing film ever released by Warner Bros. 

BSc Computer Science, 1984; Honorary Doctorate, 2012

Ellen Poon is a world-renowned visual effects expert who has played a key role in the transformation of our cinematic experiences. She has worked on some of the most successful films of all time alongside legendary directors.  Her on-screen accomplishments can be seen in the creatures of Star Wars Episode 1, the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park and the stunning imagery in Frozen. As well as Hollywood blockbusters, Ellen has a passion for Chinese film projects and has worked on award-winning Chinese films including Hero and Monster Hunt, both earning her Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Visual Effects. 

MFA Acting (International), 2019

Meng’er Zhang is a Chinese actress best known for her debut role as Xu Xialing in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the first Marvel Studios film with an Asian director and a predominantly Asian cast. Meng’er landed the lead role soon after graduating from East 15 Acting School. 

John Bercow is a distinguished politician whose career began as an MP in the 1980s. In 2009, he became Speaker of the House of Commons and held the role for the next ten years seeing the tenure of four Prime Ministers, making him the longest-serving holder of the office since 1945. He worked consistently to increase diversity in Parliament and in his decade as Speaker, oversaw a period of intense political challenges, including the aftermath of the financial crisis, the formation of the first Coalition Government since 1945 and the Brexit saga. 

Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury has received international recognition for advocating the elimination of violence against women and mainstreaming women's empowerment and employment in Bangladesh. A qualified lawyer, Shirin is an expert in constitutional law and human rights and is the former Speaker of Jatiyo Sangshad, part of Bangladeshi Parliament and the supreme legislative body of Bangladesh. She was the first woman, and youngest person, to ever hold this position, breaking down previously held gender barriers. 

Yanis Varoufakis is an economist, author and high-profile politician. Formerly Greek Minister of Finance, he co-founded DiEM2, Europe’s first transnational pan European movement, and is the current leader of political party, MeRA25. Yanis also leads a successful career in research, continuing his work in world-class academia alongside politics.

BA Economics, 2017

Ahmed Faid is a digital entrepreneur and founded Dose of Society whilst still at Essex. The digital media platform provides a space for unheard voices of socially conscious millennials and has generated over one hundred million views. Ahmed has worked alongside the likes of Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Harvard Business School and The Princess Diana Award.

BEng Computers and Telecommunications Engineering, 2005 

Ankit Mehrotra is co-founder of Dineout, India’s largest dining out platform. Every year, Dineout helps more than 40 million diners to discover new restaurants, transforming the eat-out experience in India.  His role as CEO has led to multiple acquisitions over the last eight years, growing Dineout into an enormously successful business named as the Largest Dining Out and Restaurant Tech Platform in India. 

BSc Genetics, 2016

Chantelle Bell is the co-founder of Syrona Health, an innovative digital health solution that empowers women to monitor their gynaecological health and educates on conditions such as PCOS and endometriosis. Syrona Health has received recognition for ground-breaking work on a pregnancy-test like device allowing for home cervical cancer tests. Chantelle was named Alumna of the Year 2022.

Xia Yiping is a trailblazing software engineer and entrepreneur. With an entrepreneurial vision for tackling the challenge of accessible and sustainable urban mobility, he co-founded Mobike. One of the first and largest smart bike-sharing services in the world, Mobike has transformed transport systems in large cities such as Singapore. More recently, Yiping was appointed CEO of new electric vehicle firm, operated with Geely and Baidu, where they are pioneering new electric vehicle designs. 

BA Sociology, 1986; Honorary Doctorate, 2023

Deborah is the respected leader of the influential human rights charity INQUEST, which works on state related deaths. She has established a long track record of championing social justice and equality issues and holding the state to account, and has been involved in many landmark inquests and inquiries in the UK.

LLM International Human Rights Law, 2006

Kola Alapinni is a human rights lawyer based in the USA, but originally from Nigeria. He provides pro-bono legal defence in a number of high-profile blasphemy cases in Kano, Northern Nigeria, which have also seen him successfully overturn a lengthy prison sentence for a 13-year-old boy. As a result of his work, he received the US Secretary of State's International Religious Freedom Award for his outstanding work and courage, which also saw him defy the threat of mob violence when taking on cases.

MA Theory and Practice Human Rights, 2001

Laya Vasudevan is an advocate for providing legal protection to vulnerable communities and as the former Director of Delhi-based Centre for Legal Aid and Rights, she played a major role in a landmark case which advanced and protected the rights of the transgender community in India. Now working with New Zealand's Ministry of Women, Laya supports the country’s mission for achieving better outcomes for women and girls.

 LLM International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, 2012

Stephanie Case is a human rights lawyer and women's rights advocate. She gave up a career in corporate law to assist some of the world's most vulnerable populations in Afghanistan, South Sudan, Kyrgyzstan, and Palestine. She now works for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Having witnessed first-hand the harmful effects of conflict and the disproportionate negative impact on women and girls, she founded Free to Run, an award-winning non-profit organisation that uses outdoor sports and adventure to create and support female leaders in areas of conflict.

LLB Law, 1986

Trevor James was the first Black Managing Partner at major city law firm, Morrison and Foerster.  He has over 30 years of experience in providing corporate and international tax advice to international banks, public and private companies, venture capital houses and high-net-worth individuals in a variety of sectors. Constantly campaigning for equality, Trevor's also involved in many of Morrison & Foerster’s Corporate Social Responsibility work, including work for homeless charities. 

LLM International Human Rights Law, 2004

International human rights expert, Juana Kweitel, is Executive Director of Conectas Human Rights, a Brazilian-based NGO with a mission to preserve, implement and extend human rights and consolidation of the Rule of Law in the Global South. Recognised worldwide as a human rights leader, she recently became the Chair of Board for Global Witness, an international organisation breaking the links between natural resource exploitation, conflict, poverty, corruption, and human rights abuses.

Afsheen Kabir Rashid is the Founding Director of Repowering, a London-based organisation supporting communities with their own renewable energy or energy efficiency projects. Also Chair of Community Energy England and a Board member of Friends of the Earth, she was instrumental in setting up the Muslim Women’s Collective which aims to empower Muslim women to play an active role in improving the environment. 

BSc Electronic Engineering, 1979; Honorary Doctorate, 2023

Dr Bagherli built a hugely successful career around the development and manufacture of semiconductors, the technology at the heart of almost every product we use every day from cars to smart phones. He spent 16 years as the CEO of Dialog Semiconductor Plc, a chip company specialising in mixed signal connectivity and power management products for mobile and Internet of Things devices, culminating in the sale of the business to Japanese company Renesas for $5.8bn. He is now Co-Chair for the UK Government Semiconductor Policy Advisory Panel, which advises the government on the country’s semiconductor strategy.

In 2024, Jalal and his wife, Pauline, collaborate with the University to launch the Dr Jalal Bagherli programme to support five PhD studentships in the School of Computer Science across three key areas: Embedded Hardware Systems for Net Zero; Embodied Biological Computing Artificial Intelligence and Responsible AI.

MSc Tropical Marine Biology, 2018

Climate change lobbyer Rebecca Daniel is co-founder of The Marine Diaries, an ‘ocean science communication initiative’ which she set up with friends while still at Essex. The Marine Diaries uses digital media to communicate ocean science, and collaborates with other organisations to educate, influence, and inspire the next generation of ocean warriors. 

MSD Computer Science, 2015

A pioneering computer scientist, Ruijiao Li is the founder of AMY Robotics, a tech company specialising in service robot customisation. Once listed as ‘China's Top 10 Most Potential Companies for Commercial Robots’, Ruijiao has led AMY Robotics to become a world-leading and award-winning company with a network of international branches.

MSc Telematics, 1985; Honorary Doctorate, 2024

Houlin Zhao is Secretary General at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a specialised agency of the United Nations. An engineer by trade, Houlin leads ITU to deliver its strategic objectives in facilitating international connectivity in communications networks, developing the technical standards that ensure seamless global interconnectivity, and improving technology access to under-served communities worldwide. 

LLB Law and Politics, 2016

Adeseye Ogunlewe is a professional athlete and Olympian once dubbed 'Nigeria's fastest man'. Arriving at Essex in 2013, he soon began to establish his athletics career and was spotted by the University's Human Performance Unit who helped him knock 0.7 seconds off his 100m time.  Immediately after graduating, he made his Olympic debut at Rio 2016 where he represented Nigeria in the 100m. 

BA Accounting and Finance, 2012

Dan Azeez is a professional boxer and current holder of the English and British light-heavyweight title. He discovered boxing during his studies at Essex and began competing as an amateur boxer before he made his professional debut in 2017. Since then, he's taken the Southern Area title, the English title and, in November 2021, became the new British light-heavyweight champion.

BSc Sports and Exercise Science, 2019

Harry Hughes is a British javelin thrower and the only British athlete to throw over 80m in more than eight year. He became the British Champion in 2019. Consecutive elbow injuries prevented his Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020.