The British Council hosted the first of its kind Education UK Alumni Awards 2015 on February 28 in New Delhi to honour outstanding success in Entrepreneurship, Professional Achievement, and Social Impact by Indians who have graduated from UK higher education institutions.

The Awards were launched in September 2014 for UK alumni from India who have completed their higher education in the UK, and graduated within the last ten years. 

The awards ceremony was attended by leaders from government, industry and education, as well as other outstanding UK alumni. The guest of honour was Professor Nick Petford, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Northampton. A total of 14 finalists were selected across the three categories out of which only 3 were facilitated with an award.

Amit Mehra, Founder and CEO of the RML Group presented the award for the Entrepreneurship category to Amit Inamdar who graduated from the University of Liverpool and founded  PlusOne Design for Humanity; Meenu Vadera, Founder - Sakha Consulting Wings Private limited and Founder/Executive Director – Azad Foundation for India presented the Social Impact award to Rajesh Babu Bhatchala from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine for his initiative, Drishti Vision for Life in Karnataka and Manoj Jain, Country Sector Coordinator/ World Bank- Lead Financial Management Specialist presented the Professional Achievement award to writer, Siddharth Chowdhury from University of Stirling.

The finalists will become part of a new international UK Alumni Award Network and winners will be invited to the UK to connect with government and industry leaders in a sector of their choice. In addition, the winners will also raise their international profile, expand their networks, and enhance their careers. The winners were delighted after receiving their respective awards. This recognition will surely help them in going a long way in their career.

The winner of the Entrepreneurial Award, Amit Inamdar, founder of PlusOne Design for Humanity said, “In retrospect, pursuing my higher education in the UK was certainly the right decision that I made as it has helped me not only to widen my horizons but also provided me the global exposure to further hone my creative skills. The UK continues to be one of the most attractive destinations for Indian students looking to build a strong career and an enriching life.”

Rajesh Babu Bhatchala, receiver of the Social Impact Award said, “The UK gives you an incredible mix of international cultures and contemporary thinking, held together by a strong sense of identity and tradition; I never felt I was away from home. The experience of studying and living in the UK has indeed equipped me in project planning skills, which has enabled me to lead a strong team and drive my vision forward. At Drishti Vision for Life, it is our endeavour to provide people of all economic backgrounds access to high quality eye care.”

The guest presenter for the Entrepreneurial Award, Amit Mehra, Founder and CEO of the RML Group, Alumnus London Business School said ‘I think it was a wonderful evening. I really enjoyed myself. It was great to come back to British Council that I had last come about 15 year ago. It was a wonderful moment and based on my experiences in London and at London Business School in particular, I think an event like this is fantastic. It's a great encouragement for people who have studied in the UK and the kind of impact they can create professionally, entrepreneurially and socially. The recognition the winners have got, I can already see it in their excitement’.

The guest presenter for the Professional Achievement Award, Country Sector Coordinator/ World Bank- Lead Financial Management Specialist, Chevening Scholar – London School of Economics and Political Science said ‘I think it's an excellent initiative in terms of incentivizing the students in terms of actually learning from UK. From my own experience I think learning in UK is fantastic. The kind of relationship that gets build between the student and the professor actually stays with one for a life time’

After the successful implementation of the event, the British Council will be opening sometime in August the nominations for next year Awards ceremony.