Alumni in the media - January to March

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

• Winnie Byanyima (PhD Applied Energy 1988) has been named in a list of ‘Women achievers of 2019’ published by Full Woman Magazine.
• Sandra de Zoysa (Executive Development, Customer Experience Strategy 2016) features in an interview published by customerthink.com – she is also the winner of MyCustomer.com 2019 CX Leader of the Year.
• Aishah Ahmad (MSc Finance and Management 2007) has been named in a list of the Top 30 Leading Women in Nigeria’s financial technology industry.
• Richard Vigne (MSc Management for Agricultural Development 1996) features in an article on the visit of President Uhuru Kenyatta to the Ol Pejeta Coservancy, of which Vigne is creator and founder.
• Bill Thomas (MBA 1992) has been made a Knight Bachelor in recognition of his services to charity and politics.
• Dr Andy Palmer (PhD School of Applied Sciences 2003) is due to feature as the key note speaker at a Business News Wales event in Cardiff in May.
• Yewande Mayomi-Akinola (MSc Innovation and Design for Sustainability 2012) has been awarded an MBE in the 2020 New Year Honours, in recognition of her services to engineering and to diversity in STEM design and innovation. She will also be the guest speaker at this year's Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) Building Performance Awards in February.
• Sabeena Yousuf, who studied for her pilot’s licence at Cranfield, features in an article on the need for more female pilots.
• François Caudron (MSc Aerospace Vehicle Design 1989) discusses major trends in aeronautics in an article published by Voyages D’Affaires.
• Major General Peter Jacobs (MSc Corporate Security Management 2001) has been announced as the divisional commissioner of crime intelligence by the South African Police Services.
• Ian Whiting (MA European Management 1987) has been appointed President of Global Field Operations at Silver Peak.
• Pasi Vainikka (MSc Applied Energy 2001) CEO of Solar Foods features in a BBC article on a new protein being grown at the firm’s pilot plant which is produced “from thin air”, and could be grown with near-zero greenhouse gas emissions.
• President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated Dr Adesola Adeduntan (MBA 2005) on winning the Cranfield School of Management Alumnus of the Year Award, and shareholders from First Bank - where Dr Adeduntan is MD - have celebrated his award.
• Jamie Waller (Business Growth Programme 2010) features in Growth Business, discussing how he grew his business 'Just.'
• François Commune (MBA 1985) has been appointed as a member of the Supervisory Board at The SPB Group.
• Ahmad Lawan (PhD Applied Remote Sensing 1991) features in an interview on PM Parrot and Inside Business, and in an article on Ghana GH.
• Gary Wilmot (MSc Electronic System Design 1993), CEO of Kilwaughter Minerals, features in an interview in the Belfast Telegraph.
• Jośe Muñoz Global COO and Head of North America features in an article on Global Biz. 
• Amal Ratnayake (MBA 1998), CIMA President, features in Sri Lankan publication Daily FT as he will be visiting the country later this month.
• Harry Watts (MSc Logistics and Supply Chain Management 2020) features in an interview with SHD Logistics, discussing key digital trends in 2020 for the logistics sector.
• Elizabeth Maffei (MSc Logistics and Supply Chain Management 2004) discusses managing retail experience and costs in a Digitalist Magazine article. 
• Jason D’souza (MSc Aerospace Vehicle Design) has written a guest post for  Aerospace Engineering on wingtip vortices and fluidic winglets.
• Boris Johnson has highlighted the work carried out by Lolade Oresanwo (MBA 2011) in helping to set up West Africa ENRG following her MBA at Cranfield, in a speech delivered at the start of the UK-Africa Investment Summit which opened in London yesterday. The speech has been published by publications including The Observer (Uganda), Govwire,  Further Africa, All Africa and was also featured on LBC Radio.
• Paul Mainwaring (MBA 1992) is set to retire, stepping down from his role as Chief Financial Officer at IG.
• Andy Wood (DBA 2007) has been appointed as a board member on the Visit England Advisory Board by the Secretary of State.
• Jerome Mayhew (BGP 2010) has been elected as a conservative MP.
• Stuart Cox (Executive MBA 1996) has been appointed as Chief Engineering Officer at Dalrada Financial Corporation – following the company acquiring Likido Limited, where Cox is currently CEO. 
• Westpac Group has announced that John McFarlane OBE (MBA 1975) has been appointed as Non-Executive Director and Chairman-Elect.
• Peter Caddick-Adams (PhD Military Battlefield Studies) featured as a speaker in a televised D-Day conference on C-Span 3's American History TV.
• Founder of AML3D, Andy Sales (MSc Welding Engineering 2012), discusses the company’s plans to go public.
• Paul Davies (Management Excellence Programme 2007) has been appointed by the BBC as Director of Marketing for audiences, content, radio and education, leaving his role as Consumer Marketing Director at Microsoft in March. Further coverage in Campaign and Marketing Week.
• Dr Ashitey Trebi-Ollenu (PhD Control Systems Engineering) features in articles across several outlets, which discuss his work to develop autonomous space landers: Ghana Guardian, Ghana Web, Ghana MMA, Graphic Online, Fooshya, News Summed Up, Peace FM online.
• Chris Ashton (MBA 1996) is set to become the new Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director at Worley, following the announcement that Andrew Wood will be retiring.
• Dr Alexandros Georgiades (PhD Aerospace 2018) is set to speak at the Cambridge Wireless ‘Talk to the eye in the sky’ event on 26 March, discussing the challenges of Beyond Visual Line of Sight operations and the CAA’s new Innovation Hub. 
• Nikolaos Kardoulas (MSc Applied Remote Sensing and GIS 1994) has been named Deputy Secretary of the Organisation of Thessaly.
• Dr Siobhan Gardiner (PhD Environment and Agrifood 2017) has been appointed as climate change and environment lead in Deloitte Ventures.
• Eyal Ben-Cohen (MBA 2004) was featured in the Bedford Independent after receiving his Cranfield School of Management Entrepreneur Alumnus of the Year Award at our awards dinner on 30 January.
• Vitec has announced the appointment of Martin Green (MBA 1998) as Group Finance Director, with immediate effect.
• Dr Nneka Abulokwe (DBA 2013) appeared on BBC News discussing the issue of diversity on boards.
• Dan Bedi (MBA 2017) and his business Jafa were named on the ‘who to watch’ list in an article published by The Times discussing Milton Keynes’ status as one of the best places for business.
• Charles Lee (Executive Development 2016) has been named as the new CEO of sports betting app, Kwiff.
• Karel Loos (MSc Motorsport Engineering & Management 2010), race engineer to Daniel Ricciardo, features in a round-up of key personnel at Renault F1 team.
• Kellen Kariuki (MSc International Human Resource Management 2013) has been appointed as an independent non-executive director on the Standard Chartered Bank Kenya board.
• Carl Carrington (MBA 1991) has joined the advisory board at Reefton Distillling Co.
• Markus Zsolt (Supply Chain Management), Managing Director of Veresi Paradicsom Kft., features in an article on Agro Inform regarding the use of precision technology for tomato growth.
• Dr Omobola Johnson (DBA 2013) features in an article regarding the venture capital firm TLcom  - where she is a senior partner – which is closing its sub-Saharan African-focused fund in order to invest in tech startups across Africa.
• Ankita Vashista (MSc Finance and Management 2009), CEO and founder of Saha Fund (Asia’s first venture capital fund that promotes women entrepreneurship) features in a Yahoo! India article on five women leading VC investments in Indian startups. 
• Dr Sarah Qureshi (PhD Aerospace 2016), CEO of Aero Engine Craft, has been named as one of twelve finalists in the Study UK Alumni Awards in Pakistan.
• Dr Bill Robb (MSc by Research Transport Systems 2019) features in an article discussing the need for better definitions of human factors if they are to be the ‘next safety frontier’ the oil industry promotes them as.
• Dr Erin Losty (PhD Water 2018) features in the East Anglian Daily Times discussing her recovery from a stroke at age 29, and the work she is now doing to support the Stroke Association in their charity film, Rebuilding Lives.
• Sam Nwanze (MSc Finance and Management 2007) is set to be the keynote speaker in a panel session on ‘Impact investing & funding of SDGS in Nigeria’ as part of social media week Lagos.
• Nicol Low (MSc Motorsport Engineering and Management 2004) worked with students at a school in Edinburgh to help them prepare for the Scotland Regional Final of the F1 in Schools challenge – competing for a place at the UK National Final at Aerospace Bristol in April. 
• Professor Joshua Danso Owusu-Sekyere (PhD School of Applied Sciences 2004) has been inducted as the Vice Chancellor of the Cape Coast Technical University. Further coverage in GH Headlines and My Joy Online.
• Atholl Duncan (Executive Development) features in an article discussing executive behaviour and reshaping the BBC. 
• Eyal Ben-Cohen (MBA 2004) features in a Business MK article, discussing the extent to which inaccuracies are found on job applications and the need for stringent background screening. 
• Dr Sarah Qureshi (PhD Aerospace 2016) features in Tribune, RS News, The News International and AviaPort Russia, as she is set to unveil the ‘world’s first eco-friendly aircraft engine’ later this year. Dr Qureshi also spoke at the Senate’s Standing Committee on Science and Technology in Pakistan on 11 March, briefing the committee on her work and stressing the need for technology projects to be commercialised in the county. Further coverage in BR Recorder, Daily Times.
• Samantha Pearce (MBA 1996) has been appointed as Senior Vice President for Europe/Rest of world, at Jazz Pharmaceuticals.
• Lucy MacLennan (MBA 2013) is hosting a webinar on the Innovation Agenda: Opportunities to Improve the Audit Process.
• Steven McIntyre (MBA) has been appointed as CEO at Stonewall Housing, an LGBT+ charity working to tackle homelessness, and will take up the role in March.
• Amir Yazdanpanah (MBA 1989) has been appointed Managing Director, MEA, at Flybits as part of the company’s global expansion of its executive team.
• Vivion Cox (MBA 2008) shares his experience of how he turned a failing company into a fast growth tech business. 
• The Cranfield College of Aeronautics Alumni Association (CCAAA) has made a generous donation to Cranfield's National Flying Laboratory Centre fundraising campaign.
• Riz Lateef (MBA 1995) has been named as Nations and Regions Presenter of the Year in the Royal Television Society Television Journalism Awards 2020.
• Harriet Griffin (MBA 2020) has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer at Kingswood Holdings Limited. Further coverage in Investegate , Shares Magazine, Research Tree.
• Vincent Marrot (MSc Engineering for Competitive Manufacturing 1993) has been appointed as Senior Executive General Adjuster of the Energy & Natural Resources division at Mclarens.
• Biju Menon (MBA in association Centre d’Etudes Superieure du Management, Ecole Superieure de Commerce, Lyon 2006) features in a video on Business Because discussing his experiences of launching Nottx – a blind recruitment platform that aims to make the hiring process fairer.
• Rob O’Byrne (MSc Logistics 1991), owner and CEO of Logistics Bureau, discusses the impact of Covid-19 on the supply chain in an article published by The Business Conversation. 
• Oluwatoyin Olajide features in an interview published by Business Day Nigeria, discussing her role as Chief Operating Officer at Air Peace Limited and working in a male-dominated industry
• Lolade Oresanwo (MBA 2011) features in an article published by The Voice on how female-led tech businesses are transforming Africa.
• Laura Navarro (MSc Airport Planning and Management 2015) was a round table participant at the “Committed to Diversity” conference organised by Hosbec and CaixaBank in Benidorm.
• Lucie Basch (MSc Logistics and Supply Chain Management 2014) features in a La Tribune International Women’s Day piece: “Portraits of women committed to the planet”.
• Adrian Muchlis Rahmansyah (MSc Management and Entrepreneurship 2016) CEO of ArgaPro discusses the company’s use of Peer-to-Peer lending services to support micro, small and medium enterprises. Also features in SWA.
• Rita Henderson (MSc Water Pollution Control Technology 2004, PhD School of Applied Sciences 2007) features in an article published by the International Water Association, as part of an International Women’s Day piece, discussing her journey into STEM and how the global financial crisis in 2007-8 led to her moving to Australia and becoming an Associate Professor at the University of New South Wales.
• Nargis Zamary (MSc Airport Planning and Management 2013) features in an interview published by WeesperNieuws Extra as part of their International Women's Day celebration, discussing her path into the aviation industry and being female in a male-dominated industry.
• Damien Murphy (Business Growth Programme 2013) has been appointed as Managing Director at Parsons Container Group. Additional coverage in The Northern Echo, B Daily, Business Durham.
• Romain de Villeneuve (Executive Programme – E-M Lyon and Cranfield University) has been appointed as CEO at WeLight, with immediate effect.
• Elaine Gallagher (MSc Astronautics and Space Engineering) is running in the Rector Hustings at the University of Glasgow – a role that entails representing students in University court and bringing student concerns to University management. 
• Alexandra Warrington (MSc Food Chain Systems 2017) featured in the print edition of the Western Daily Press discussing how a grant from the Royal Bath and West of England Society allowed her to study for her MSc at Cranfield, and the subsequent impact of her career path.
• Juerg Baggenstoss (MBA 2012), has been appointed as Consulting Partner at Stonehaven. 
• Wayne Close (Executive Development Senior Managers Programme 1999), Managing Director of Health Services at Bupa UK, features on Business in the Community 
• Nandkumar Pai (International Development Programme) has been promoted to CEO – PV Modules & Cells at RenewSys, effective 1 April 2020. Further coverage in Business World People, Saur Energy, EQ International 
• Adrian Reynard (MSc Automobile Engineering 1976) has been announced as Honorary Vice President of the 750 Motor Club.
• Anino Emuwa (MBA 1992) is featured by Business Day Nigeria in a Women in Business article.
• Richard Williams (MBA) has been named as Director and Executive Chairman at Bunker Hill Mining. Further coverage in several outlets including Wallstreet Online and Digital Journal.
• Thomas Chatfield (Executive MSc Air Transport Management 2004) has taken on the role of CEO at Camber Aviation.

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.