Four Saudis win top British alumni education awards

Four Saudis who graduated from British universities have been honored for their achievements at the Education United Kingdom Alumni Awards for 2016.
This was announced here Thursday night at a gala awards ceremony hosted by Simon Collis, British ambassador to the Kingdom. The awards were organized by the British Council with support of the embassy.
Hani Choudhry, head of the cancer biology unit at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, won the Professional Achievement Award and Fawaz A. Saad, founder of MVRmedia.net and co-founder of the Excellence Entrepreneurship Center, won the Entrepreneurial Achievement Award.
Abdullah Al-Fraidan, dean of e-learning and distance education at King Faisal University in the Eastern Province, won the Social Impact Award, and Tamara Talal Tayeb from the Ministry of Health won the Ambassador Award.
Collis congratulated the recipients and wished them greater success. “Education has the power to transform lives. The winners of this year’s Education United Kingdom Alumni Awards clearly demonstrate how a United Kingdom education can produce outstanding individuals who possess the competitive edge to thrive in a global job market,” he said.
“As we mark a century of diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia, I would like to thank all United Kingdom alumni in Saudi Arabia for their important contribution to strengthening ties between our two countries,” he said.
Charlie Walker, director of the British Council in the Kingdom, said: “I am delighted that this year we are able to recognize for the first time in Saudi Arabia the achievements of those who have used their studies to outstanding effect in their professional lives ...”
There were 10 people chosen out of 100 nominees for the awards. They were presented by Lubna Al-Ansary, Shoura Council member and United Kingdom alumnus, Vic Annells, head of United Kingdom Trade and Investment in Saudi Arabia, and Baroness Pauline Neville-Jones.
This year the awards were held in 10 countries — Brazil, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United States. Walker said that all United Kingdom alumni who have returned to Saudi Arabia and graduated in the last 10 years are eligible to apply or be nominated.
Addressing the audience at the awards ceremony, the winners said their education was transformational, expanding their vision and equipping them with the skills crucial to their success and careers.