Remarkable Herts graduates celebrated at Vice-Chancellor's Alumni Awards
Remarkable 91¿´Æ¬ graduates including Zainab Alema - the first person to play Premiership Women's Rugby wearing a hijab - have been celebrated at this years’ Vice-Chancellor's Alumni Awards.
Herts’ annual Alumni Awards celebrate the University’s most inspiring, ambitious, and enterprising graduates from across the world, recognising those who have made a significant impact across industry and society.
Over 250 nominations were received for the four categories – Rising Star, Outstanding Achievement, the Business Innovation Spotlight Award and the Alumni Ambassador of the Year – which were then judged by a panel representing different areas of the University and Students’ Union. The winners were announced and presented with their awards during a special Alumni Awards ceremony held at the University earlier this week.
Victors included Dr Denis Mustafov, who was awarded the Rising Star award recognising graduates who are making an impact early in their career. A pioneering postdoctoral research fellow studying paediatric brain malignancies and microRNAs at the University of California, Dr Mustafov’s work aims to improve current clinical challenges and enhance cancer treatments for children across the world.
Nohman Ahmed, co-founder and CEO of global sneaker care brand Crep Protect, won the Business Innovation Spotlight award, which celebrates graduates who are innovators in business and entrepreneurship. The innovative, ‘invisible’ and water repellent footwear spray ingeniously protects shoes from grime and moisture, repelling water, oil and stains. Selling in more than 20,000 stores and over 100 countries worldwide, Crep Protect is today an international best seller that regularly receives celebrity endorsement.
Studying nursing while at Herts, Zainab 'The Bulldozer’ Alema is today a national role model for Black and Muslim women in sport, making history as the first person to play Premiership Women's Rugby wearing a hijab. Also the founder of Studs in the Mud, a charitable project supporting grassroots rugby in Ghana, she won the Outstanding Achievement award, recognising graduates who make an impact in a significant way.
The prestigious Alumni Ambassador of the Year award -recognising graduates who volunteer and give back to support students – then went to Chris Parker, touring production manager for the Sugababes. As well as building a hugely successful career in the music industry since graduating from Herts, Chris has been an active Herts ambassador; frequently joining University career events, mentoring students and facilitating workplace experiences and student masterclasses.
Speaking at the event, Vice-Chancellor Professor Quintin McKellar CBE said:
“Our graduates are ambitious, and I am always in awe of what they go on to achieve. Through this awards programme we celebrate the accomplishments of some of our most outstanding alumni and recognise their dedication and commitment to their professions, pursuit of excellence, and remarkable contributions to their respective fields.
“I would like to congratulate each and every one of our awardees on their incredible achievements and thank them for continuing to be such inspirational and wonderful ambassadors for the 91¿´Æ¬.”
Other alumni highly commended included:
- Hamid Ibrahim, Emmy-nominated animator who created the Disney science fiction series Iwájú
- Kim Everitt, one of the Women’s Engineering Society’s Top 50 Women in Engineering in 2024
- Professor Anna Cox, a global authority on human-computer interaction
- Harry Woodgate, an award-winning children’s author and illustrator.
Read about all our winning and highly commended alumni for the Alumni Awards 2025.
The 91¿´Æ¬ provides 700 career-focused degrees. Find out more about studying at Herts at herts.ac.uk.