Alumni in the media October to December 2021

Here is your quarterly summary of some of the successes of Cranfield alumni:

• Dr Pierre Wiart (MSc Land and Water Management 1996), Head of Consultancy and Risk Management Solutions at CoreLogic, discusses the financial impact of climate change.
• An interview with Peter Bečár (Business Directors Programme 2013) partner at investment platform Crowberry, who talks about development investment.
• Lord Karan Bilimoria (BGP 1998) was interviewed on Times Radio about the recent supply chain problems.
• Profile of Abubakar Kundiri (PhD in Soil and Water Management 1995), professor of soil science.  He is the former vice-chancellor of Federal University Dutse and Federal University Wukari, in Nigeria.
• Harry Holt (MA Military Studies 2001) has been appointed Chief Operating Officer at Vertical Aerospace.
• Real estate investor and fund manager Afraz Ahmed (MBA 2004) has been appointed Head of Treasury for Europe at Cromwell Property Group.
• Rizwan Nayeem (MBA 2005), Chief Strategist at Bluestreams, has written an article on what makes a great corporate board.
• Andrew Jamieson (MSc Automotive Product Engineering 2002) has been appointed Principal Engineer at auto supplier Farmington Hills.
• Susan Wilkins (Non-Executive Directors Seminar 2013) Partner and Chief Operating Officer at Actis, has been named a ‘woman to watch’ in the annual list compiled by SOM.
• Pod Point, a leading UK provider of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, has appointed Andy Palmer (PhD in School of Applied Sciences 2003) Senior Independent Director as it floats on the London stock market.
• Neil Armstrong’s (Honorary Graduate 1996) visit to Cranfield to receive his Honorary Degree was mentioned in an episode of Antique’s Roadshow over the weekend. Cris Beadman interviews someone who was working at Cranfield at the time and can be seen talking about it here at 47.30.
• Stephen Dyke (BEng Electrical Engineering 1998) has been appointed Chief Operating Officer at automotive company Cosworth. 
• Hugh Pelham (MBA 1995) has stepped down as CEO of agriculture and engineering firm Carr’s Group after only nine months, causing shares to fall. 
• Dr Simone Weber (PhD in Aerospace Engineering 2019) will be giving an online lecture next week, on the history of vertical flight and rotorcraft design.
• Major General Emmanuel Kotia (MSc Global Security 2005) has been commended for his service as the national co-ordinator of the Ghana Boundary Commission by President Akufo-Addo.
• Lieutenant General Sir Tyrone Urch (Failure of Structural Materials 1995) has retired from the British Army after 38 years’ service. 
• Interview with Arthur Wungkana (MSc Finance & Management 2017) who is doing an MBA at Kenan-Flagler Business School in North Carolina.
• Alison McMillan (MSc Applied Mechanics 1998) Professor at Wrexham Glyndwr University, has been appointed Honorary Secretary of the Institute of Physics.
• Avtar Boparai (Executive MBA 2021) Development Expert at Corndell, is mentioned in a Financial Times article. His Cranfield MBA was funded through an apprenticeship levy which has since been cut.
• Profile of Benson Abounu (MSc Industrial Engineering and Administration 1978) Deputy Governor of Benue state in Nigeria.
• Professor Joe Nellis (PhD in Leadership and Management 1990) will take part in a seminar on global economics in the aftermath of Covid-19.
• Ahmad Syahid Fawzal (MSc Computational Fluid Dynamics 2012) a Malaysian engineer, talks about how his dyslexia was not a barrier to success.
• Former RAF pilot Peter Curtis (MBA 1993) has joined the board of Broughton House Veteran Care Village as a trustee.
• Juan Miguel Guerra (MBA 2011) has been announced as the CEO of neobank Revolut in Mexico, as it establishes itself in Latin America.
• Manos Kotronakis (MSc Computer Applications 1998) becomes a Partner at Deloitte. 
• Renowned finance expert John Hull (PhD in Finance) is to serve as Senior Advisor to GARP’s FRM Advisory Committee.
• Libby Jackson (MSc Astronautics and Space Engineering 2003) featured in a Space4U podcast, discussing her career and writing.
• Angus Thirlwell (BGP 2000) is the Board Adviser for Silverwood Brands, a new company that will be floated on the Aquis Stock Exchange.
• Brent Hudson (MBA 1991) has become CEO of Plextek Services, a Cambridge-based technology company.
• Onaghinon Lloyd (MSc Finance and Management 2008) has written about the Central Bank of Nigeria launching eNaira, a digital currency.
• Katherine Bennell (MSc Astronautics and Space Engineering 2010) will be a keynote speaker at an Australian Space Agency event in December.
• Nick Bradley (Business Leadership 2009) will be a facilitator at an Institute of Directors North Yorkshire online event this month.
• Ana Gabriela Juarez (MSc Water Management 2009) has joined the Board of Directors at Royal Road Minerals as a Non-Executive Director.
• Peter Cooper (PgDip Cyberspace 2014) talks about promoting cybersecurity culture among small businesses.
• Blueprint published a ‘Where are they now’ profile on Omobola Johnson (DBA 2013).
• Jonathan Challis (EMBA 1979) recently became CEO of Alerio Gold Corp – previously known as Project One Resources.
• Muhammad bin Abdul Hamid Islam (MSc Environmental Engineering 2021) was recently honoured by His Excellency the Mayor of the Holy Capital, Muhammad bin Abdullah Al-Quwais, for obtaining his Master’s degree at Cranfield. 
• Q&A with Michael Waymouth (MA Military Studies 1999) who joined Badminton School in Bristol as Director of Finance and Operations earlier this year.  He previously had a distinguished career in the army.
• Richard Godwin (PhD at Silsoe 1974) Emeritus and Honorary Professor at Cranfield, shares lessons in effective research supervision, based on his former students’ feedback.
• Profile of Austrian motorsport executive and former racing driver Toto Wolff (Honorary Doctorate 2021).
• Bose Dasan (MBA 1983) has written an opinion piece on the 2021 Malaysian Finance Bill.
• Article about Cranfield alumnus and Visiting Lecturer Giuseppe Dell’Anno (PhD in the School of Applied Sciences 2007) who has reached the semi-finals of this year’s Great British Bake Off.
• Robinson Manufacturing is sponsoring the WhatHouse Awards 2021. Their CEO Simon Kidney (DBA 2021) recently completed his Doctorate at Cranfield.
• Michael B Arthur (MBA 1975, PhD in Management Studies 1977) has written an article about Kim Nichols, Founder and CEO of Franklin Apprenticeships. Michael is a Visiting Lecturer at Cranfield.
• Alfredo Canziani (MSc Microsystems & Nanotechnology 2011) is an instructor on an online Deep Learning course offered by New York University, where he is a Professor of Computer Science.
• Steve Phillips (Fellowship in Manufacturing 1992) a global technology executive, has joined TAG CXO, an IT company based in Phoenix, Arizona. 
• Obituary of Alan Garwood (Executive MBA 1986, Honorary Graduate 2003) former Visiting Professor who passed away in August.
• Nemone Wynn-Evans (MBA 2001) has been appointed Chair of mutual insurer Shepherds Friendly. 
• Ayoku Liadi (Cranfield General Management Programme 2014) has been appointed Group Managing Director of Sky Capital.
• Interview with Sanjay Kapoor (MBA 1997) about his career.
• Konstantin Tarasov (Executive MSc in Air Transport Management 2017) will become Director of low-cost airline Pobeda.
• David Richards (Honorary Graduate 2005, SOM Advisory Board Member) has been appointed Non-Executive Director of RAW Charging, an electric vehicle charging provider.
• Economist and investment banker Dr Sam Ankrah (Leadership Advantage Programme 2016) will deliver an address on Ghana’s economy on 30^th
• Evangelos Theocharis (MSc Logistics and Supply Chain Management 1999) will assume the position of EMEIA Talent Procurement Director, with 98 countries under his supervision.
• Recent Cranfield graduates Skif Dobney (MSc Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering 2021) and Natasha Marples (MSc Aerospace Vehicle Design 2021) have joined SAMAD Aerospace, based at Cranfield University. SAMAD’s CEO, Seyed Mohseni, is also a Cranfield alumnus.
• Paul Potter (MSc Underwater Technology 1998, PhD in the School of Applied Sciences 2006) recently published a book titled ‘A Subjective Journey Into This Era’.
• Glenn Collinson (Executive MBA 1994) has been appointed Chairman of Aquis Exchange. He joined the company’s Board in 2019, and was made an Independent Non-Executive Director in September.
• Jorge Strapasson (Basics in International Management 2012) has been announced as Henkel’s new Business President in Peru.  Henkel is a German multinational consumer goods company.
• Helen Ramsay (MBA 2005), Operations Engineering Manager at Abbott, is featured in a series of profiles on engineering managers.
• Kate Underhill (MSc Astronautics & Space Engineering 2006) discusses her work as a rocket scientist with the European Space Agency. 
• Katharina McFarland (Honorary Graduate 2013) has been announced as a Board Member for Virgin Orbit.
• Mark Jenkins (PhD in the School of Management 1995) a former Cranfield lecturer, discusses a clinical trial that detected his prostate cancer early.
• Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh (MSc Global Security 2005) took over as the Flag Officer Commanding–in-Chief (FOC-in-C) of the Western Naval Command in the Indian Navy.  He previously served as FOC-in-C of the Eastern Naval Command, making him one of the few commanders-in-chief who have headed both operational commands of the Indian Navy.

If you've been featured in the media, don't forget to share your successes with us so we can include them in our quarterly roundup. Email our Alumni Communications team including a link to the web site or press release.

Check out last quarter's summary (July - September 2021) here.