King's College London

Alum of the Year – Richard Rieser OBE (Geography, 1970)

This accolade recognises someone who has demonstrated outstanding achievement and impact.

Richard is the General Secretary of the Commonwealth Disabled People’s Forum, the founder of UK Disability History Month, and a globally respected expert in the field of disability equality and inclusion in education.

An activist, advocate and passionate campaigner, he’s spent four decades fighting for the rights of disabled people. He worked as a teacher for the Inner London Education Authority and Advisor for Inclusion in Hackney, and consultant to Comic Relief, Save the Children, the UK Government and the European Union.

Richard was also CEO of the charity, Disability Equality in Education, which trained 150,000 teachers. He now runs the consultancy World of Inclusion.

He spent eight years on the board of the European Disability Forum and he represented the British disability movement at the United Nations. In the latter role, he helped draft the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This legally binding international treaty was adopted in 2006, and it plays a key role in protecting the dignity, equality and fundamental rights of more than one billion people with disabilities across the globe.

Helen Hudson Award – Hsien Chih Low (MSci Physiotherapy, 2002)

The award honours alumni who have made an exemplary contribution to our King’s community.

Hsien Chih Low began his career as a physiotherapist at the National University Hospital in Singapore. After earning an MBA in 2009, he transitioned into healthcare administration. Today, he is an established and successful executive in this area.

Alongside this demanding career, he has worked with the King’s College London Alumni Society Singapore. As president, he led the group and helped create meaningful opportunities for connection and strengthening the King’s graduate community in that country. The Society is also one of our institution’s most engaged volunteer groups and this is hugely down to his inspirational leadership.

Despite stepping down after three years as president in 2024, Hsien Chih Low continues to represent King’s at notable events in Singapore. He recently volunteered as the guest alumni speaker at the Ngee Ann Academy Graduation Celebration, giving a memorable speech to the new graduates and encouraging them to join the Singapore alumni community.

Future Alumni Award – Michelle Agyemang (BSc Business Management)

This accolade recognises a current King’s student who has demonstrated exceptional potential alongside their studies through extracurricular activities.

King’s Business School undergraduate Michelle Agyemang is an English professional footballer for Women’s Super League club Arsenal.

She was part of the victorious England Women’s Football Team in Euro 2025, memorably scoring dramatic late goals in the quarter-final and the semi-final of the competition.

She was awarded Young Player of the Tournament at Euro 2025. In December 2025, she also won the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year.

Michelle is part of King’s Sport & Wellness Performance Athletes Programme.

Business & Entrepreneurial Award – Dr Dev Pragad (Computer Systems & Electronics, 2005; PhD Telecommunications Research, 2009)

This accolade recognises alumni who have demonstrated exceptional entrepreneurial acumen and a drive to make the world a better place through their business.

Dev is the owner and CEO of Newsweek. A visionary entrepreneur and transformative business leader, Dev turned Newsweek from a struggling print-first legacy publication into a trusted, future-facing global news and multi-media organisation. It now boasts a formidable digital presence with a global reach of millions.

A proud alum of King’s and Harvard Business School, Dev contributes to educating future leaders with roles on the Board of Directors of Harvard Business Publishing and The King’s Trust Advisory Board.

Changemaker Award – Dr Rachael Kent (PhD Culture, Media & Creative Industries, 2019)

This accolade celebrates alumni who are changing the status quo for good.

Rachael is a King’s College London academic and a leading voice on the impact of digital technology on health. She is a consultant, author and podcast host, and her recent work addresses the spread of health misinformation and broader digital harms on social media.

She recently won a first-of-its-kind lawsuit against the technology giant, Apple. The case found Apple had abused its dominant position through its App Store practices.

Alongside her academic work, she is the founder of Dr Digital Health, through which she advises businesses, the NHS, government and policymakers.

Local Communities Impact Award – Pete Brierley (MA Theology & Politics, 2012)

This accolade recognises a King’s graduate who has made an outstanding impact within one of King’s home boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark or Westminster.

Pete is Director at the people-powered community alliance, Citizens UK. He leads on strategy for its London as a Living Wage City campaign and the emerging Southwark Equity Neighbourhood initiative.

He helped pioneer Lewisham’s first Community Land Trust and he was the catalyst for Refugee Welcome groups across South London. He also co-founded a mental health partnership called South London Listens to co-develop solutions that remove social and economic barriers to good mental health.

STEM Award – Arabi Karteepan (Mathematics & Physics with Astrophysics & PGCE, 2009)

This accolade recognises a member of the King’s alumni community who is driving transformation in the fields of science, technology, engineering or mathematics. 

As Head of Physics at Croydon High School in 2021, Arabi founded Astrogazers. This co-curricular club is dedicated to opening opportunities for girls interested in space exploration, empowering them to envision themselves as future leaders in this sector.

Astrogazers’ Mission Pegasus aims to make Croydon High School the first girls’ school in the world to reach space by launching a satellite into orbit. This project continues to gain attention in the UK.

Arabi’s achievements have earned endorsement from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and the UK Space Agency.

International Impact Award – Dr Arjuna Sathiaseelan (MSc Computing & Internet Systems, 2001; PhD Networking, 2005)

This accolade recognises a member of our alumni body who has made an outstanding impact globally or within an international community, and is working to address worldwide challenges.

Arjuna’s work focuses on making technology more accessible, driving global change by first tackling internet inclusion and now advancing AI accessibility.

As Visiting Fellow and Chief Technology Officer of the Frugal AI Hub at Cambridge Judge Business School, he is dedicated to making AI more inclusive, accessible and sustainable.

As co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of GAIUS Networks, he expanded mobile technology access in regions without broadband by enabling simplified, low-data content. This includes scaling services to two million users in Africa and Asia.

In Service Award – Marianna Sfyridi (MPharm, 2015)

This accolade recognises a member of the King’s alumni community who has made a significant impact to society through charitable or voluntary work.

Marianna is a performer, NHS pharmacist and movement practitioner with a background in healthcare and education technology. Currently undertaking research fieldwork in Brazil, she teaches and choreographs inclusive groups, focusing on migration ecology and collective knowledge systems.

She has volunteered as a capoeira instructor across non-governmental organisations in Greece and the UK, working with refugee children and women victims of trafficking. Marianna also works for Atelier Armonico, a company dedicated to opening doors to creative opportunities for those with limited access.

Emerging Leader Award – Rich Preston (MA Intelligence & International Security, 2023)

A recent King’s graduate who has exhibited exceptional success or rapid progression in their chosen profession.

Rich is an anchor and correspondent for the BBC. He has hosted its coverage of several major events, including the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, the war in Ukraine, the 2024 US Presidential Election and the war in Gaza. In Europe, he reported on the Charlie Hebdo, Bataclan and Brussels attacks. His early coverage included the first TV news piece by an international broadcaster on what became the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rich is also a mentor for the John Schofield Trust, which helps aspiring journalists.

Global Health Award – Professor Alison Leary MBE (Biology & DipHE Nursing Studies, 1996)

This accolade recognises someone who has demonstrated outstanding impact in the medical or healthcare sectors. 

A Senior Consultant at the World Health Organization, Alison employs her world-leading expertise in workforce and human systems modelling. This has helped small countries with vulnerable systems and nations at war with depleted services provide better patient care.

She has worked in the UK and internationally for two decades applying modelling and computation in the areas of patient safety and workforce. Her research paper in the British Medical Journal Open platform also helped set a new benchmark for care standards in UK football grounds in the post-Hillsborough era.

King’s Arts & Culture Award – Sir Michael Morpurgo OBE (French & English, 1967)

This accolade recognises alumni who have made outstanding contributions to creativity and cultural impact.

An award-winning writer, Michael is a former Children’s Laureate and the best-selling author of more than 150 books. These include War Horse, which became a hit National Theatre production, then an Oscar-nominated film directed by Steven Spielberg.

Michael and his wife, Lady Clare Morpurgo MBE, co-founded Farms for City Children, which enables youngsters from disadvantaged communities to have hands-on experience of the countryside.

A King’s Honorary Fellow, Michael received a Knighthood for services to literature and charity in 2018. He is also President of the children’s reading charity, Book Trust.