The British Council and the British Embassy are delighted to announce the ten finalists for the Study UK Alumni Awards 2019 in Azerbaijan.
Our ten finalists were selected from more than 1,200 applicants from around the world, for their outstanding achievements as business professionals, entrepreneurs and community leaders, and for their important contribution to strengthening collaborative ties between the UK and Azerbaijan. The three award winners will be announced at a ceremony at Hotel Fairmont Baku - Flame Towers on 13 December. The British Council will also livestream the awards ceremony on our official Facebook page.
Media representatives are kindly invited to attend this event at 18.10 on 13 December in Hotel Fairmont Baku at the Nizami Ganjavi Hall.
The prestigious international award celebrates UK higher education and the achievements of UK alumni all over the world. Now in its fifth year, the award received more than 1,200 applications from international UK alumni in more than 100 countries, representing more than 120 UK higher education institutions across the UK.
In Azerbaijan, the Study UK Alumni Awards 2019-20 are brought to you by the British Council, the British Embassy in Baku and BP Azerbaijan.
The finalists of the Professional Achievement Award, which recognises alumni who have distinguished themselves through exemplary leadership in their professional field, are:
- Elvin Balajanov - graduate of the University of Leeds,
- Tural Gulu - graduate of the University of Sheffield,
- Orkhan Karimzada - graduate of the Imperial College London.
The finalists of the Entrepreneurial Award, which highlights alumni who have played a leading role in innovation, solutions or business opportunities are:
- Tural Abbasov - graduate of the London Metropolitan University,
- Murad Muradov - graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science,
- Jafar Najafov - graduate of the Coventry University.
The finalists of the Social Impact Award, which acknowledges alumni who have made an exceptional contribution to creating positive social change, are:
- Sovgat Azimova - graduate of the University of Bristol,
- Zumrud Jalilova - graduate of the University of Bristol,
- Narmin Shahbazova - graduate of the University of Birmingham,
- Sanan Yusifov - graduate of the University of Glasgow.
The winners of each award category in Azerbaijan will win a prize of 3,000 GBP (6,700 AZN) to spend for a professional development opportunity of their choice, plus a return flight to the UK.
Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. James Sharp, says:
“Choosing the finalists for these Study UK Alumni Awards was incredibly difficult. There are so many impressive people here in Azerbaijan who have studied in the UK and are using the skills and knowledge they gained there to support the development of their country. I applaud all of them and wish them every success.”
Summer Xia, Country Director at the British Council in Azerbaijan, says:
“The remarkable individuals selected as finalists for the Study UK Alumni Awards in Azerbaijan have all taken their UK education as a starting point to excel in their chosen careers and shape the world around them. This year’s finalists are testimony not only to the diversity of UK alumni and their endeavours, but also to the transformative impact of a UK education.”