Inspiring Alumni
Throughout our long history, Keele alumni have gone on to achieve great things. With over 100,000 alumni in 162 countries, here we celebrate our global inspiring alumni community and their successes.
Presenter AJ Odudu who has held a variety of TV roles including being a digital presenter on The Voice and performing on Strictly Come Dancing since graduating from Keele in 2009, reflects on the importance of education.
Medical graduate Harriet Scott spent five years balancing a demanding medical degree with a career in professional football for Birmingham City Women's FC, and represented Ireland in the World Cup.
Dr Matthew Lancett talks about his career in medicine, and how Keele prepared him for life at Old Trafford.
Former International Relations student Thomas Weaver OBE is now the Captain of the Royal Navy’s only Ice Patrol Ship.
Keele graduate Olivia Miceli is well on her way to building a career in radio and the media – after landing a job at the BBC as a studio director.
"My degree from Keele has helped me a great deal during my career, especially in terms of furthering my understanding of human behaviour and how we respond in certain situations and to stressors that we may perceive. I always look back at my time at Keele with fond memories"
As a leading employment and sports lawyer, Dan Chapman is regularly called upon by national media to provide his experts views on the big stories of the day.
Dan Torpey graduated from Keele in 2004 with a physiotherapy degree and now works for Manchester United as a Senior Academy Physiotherapist.
As Head of Talent at the Alpine Formula 1 Team, Alastair Pemberton is responsible for hiring talent, and more importantly retaining it, in one of the fastest-growing sports globally.
Keele alumnus Luke Morgan is currently a Senior Manager for Enterprise Consumer Payments at The Walt Disney Company.
Award-winning professional illustrator Sam Gilbey has created artwork for some of the world’s biggest and most famous brands.
Sam Henry, who graduated from Keele in 2011 with a degree in Business Economics, is currently the Vice-President, Commercial, at Singer Vehicle Design.
Sarah Powell, who studied Film with Creative Writing at Keele, is now creating content for one of the world’s most famous theatres.
“My time at Keele had such a profound effect on me as a person, and I always look back with fond memories. I made friends for life there.”
Mark Pakula, Player Recruitment Lead at the Football Association (FA)
For His Honour Judge Edward Connell, the journey to becoming a Crown Court Judge was different compared to many others in the role.
When Chris Rust started working part-time as a steward at Keele University’s Students’ Union, he had no idea it was the first career step in a journey that would take him to the Palace of Westminster.
Chris Thomas joined Twitch in 2015 as an International Account Director, and now working as Twitch’s Head of Games.
Nina Collins has cerebral palsy and received round-the-clock support from personal assistants, she has graduated with a degree in Psychology and Counselling.
Since graduating in 1981, alumnus Mike Tipton has spent 40 years studying the body’s responses to adverse environments, publishing over 600 research papers. Mike reflects on his time at Keele.
"Keele opened doors for me and helped me find a career which suited my ambitions. My advice to students would be to dedicate yourself to a greater purpose. With perseverance and discipline there is no limit  to what you can achieve."
Award-winning criminal defence barrister and prosecutor at No5 Barristers' Chambers, Law and American Studies alumnus Earl Pinnock reflects on his time at Keele.
CEO of health club group Total Fitness, Sophie Lawler, reflects on her time at Keele and gives her advice for current students.
At 24-years-old, Victoria Zinzan became one of the youngest qualified solicitors her firm had ever seen.
As the head of UK football policing, Mark Roberts has been responsible for policing support at some of the world’s biggest football tournaments – including the last two World Cup tournaments in Russia and Qatar.
Keele Alumnus and BBC Radio Presenter Simon Pryde shares how his time at Keele gave him a taste for his dream career.
Keele alumnus Stephen Barber talks about his job on BBC's Strictly Come Dancing.
Lawyer Zane Shihab has negotiated numerous high-value sponsorship and supplier agreements including London Marathon, UEFA and The All England Lawn Tennis Club (Wimbledon).
"Studying Physics ended up being the happiest of accidents and it is what I have ended up doing for my whole working life. I also met my wife through doing an elective subject in French, which came in very handy when we ended up moving to France!"
Mark Evans OBE on playing an important role in New Zealand's response to COVID-19.
A tragic event during her time at secondary school inspired Keele graduate Kate Harwood, Medical Physiotherapist at West Cumberland Hospital to work in healthcare and help others.
Victoria Stephenson shares her story of leading a team that secured millions of pounds in donations to support UNICEF’s causes all over the world.
Keele alumnus Sajan Khullar on how the School of Medicine prepared him for a career in paediatrics.
Andrew Sherwood shares how Keele broadened his horizons, leading him to a career at the LEGO Group headquarters in Denmark.
Since graduating from Keele in 2011, Reena Lavji has been the medical lead for new medications that are helping people living with diabetes and obesity.
Dr Faizel shares her experience as an international student at Keele as well as her inspiring journey bringing democratic change her home country of the Maldives and her work now as a proud female diplomat on the international stage.
Berenice Hughes lived in care from the age of four and never thought university was an option for her, now has graduated from university and achieved a life-long dream
Amy Brodie's law career has taken her all over the country
Kimberley Colombo has held a variety of impressive roles around the world since graduating.
We are proud to mention these few from among our many distinguished and notable alumni; descriptors may change over time:
- John Abram (composer)
- Jamie Aitchison (BAFTA-winning broadcaster)
- Eliathamby Ambikairajah (engineer)
- Maggie Atkinson (Children's Commissioner)
- Paul Atterbury (writer, antiques expert)
- Phil Avery (BBC meteorologist)
- Yvette Baker (orienteer)
- Neil Baldwin (clown and "personality")
- William Bardo (maser research)
- Tony Barrand (anthropologist and folk musician)
- Emran bin Bahar (ambassador)
- Stan Beckensall (prehistoric rock art)
- Francis Beckett (writer, biographer, journalist)
- Stephen Bend (professor, geologist)
- Jo Beverley (novelist)
- Carol Birch (author)
- Jonty Bloom (journalist, broadcaster
- Jack Bowman (entrepreneur)
- Becci Bryant (Chief Fire Officer, Staffordshire)
- Phillida Bunkle (New Zealand politician)
- Mike Cattermole (racing commentator)
- Peter Child (composer)
- Alys Clare (novelist)
- Wayne Clarke (radio presenter)
- Dominic Coles (BBC Director of Operations)
- David Collett (Director VSO and CEO Wateraid)
- Bob Cooling (Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff)
- David Cooney (Irish ambassador to the UK)
- Sean Corbett (CIA deputy director)
- Peter Coulson (High Court judge)
- Araminta Craig Hall (author)
- Steve Cutts (UN Assistant Secretary-General)
- Dame Sandra Dawson (organisational theorist, business and education)
- Edward Derbyshire (geologist)
- Keith Dobson (Director, British Council)
- Jonathan Dollimore (philosopher and cultural critic)
- Kenred Dorsett (politician, Bahamas)
- John Duncan (diplomat)
- David Edwards (the second person to win "Who wants to be a Millionaire?")
- Tony Elliott (publisher, founder of Time Out)
- Jack Emery (director, writer, producer)
- Richard English (political historian)
- Farahanaz Faizal (diplomat, Maldives)
- Jem Finer (musician, songwriter, with The Pogues)
- Janet Fitch (author)
- David Forman (cancer research scientist)
- Lord Don Foster of Bath (politician)
- Zuklfikar Ghose (author)
- Jonathan Gledhill (Bishop of Lichfield)
- Andrew Glover (composer)
- John Golding (politician)
- Peter Gordon (documentary film-maker)
- Sir Richard Gorrara (diplomat)
- Charles Iain Hamilton (historian)
- Jon Haylett (novelist)
- David Heard (geologist)
- David Hey (local historian)
- Brian Hopkins (footballer Port Vale FC 1957-1958)
- Steve Jackson (game designer)
- Sir Jeffrey James (UK diplomat
- John Idris Jones (author)
- Mumtaz Kassam (ambassador, Uganda)
- Liz Kessler (author)
- Denise King (chief executive Girlguiding UK)
- Claire Kober (politician)
- Greg Lambert (writer, broadcaster, wrestling impressario)
- Jon Lamonte (CEO Transport for Greater Manchester)
- Marina Lewycka (author)
- Bernard Lloyd (actor)
- Manali Lukha (ITV/C4 meteorologist)
- Ron Maddison (astronomer)
- Datuk Seri Panglima Clarence Bongkos Malakun (politician, Malaysia)
- Laurence Mann (political adviser)
- Michael Mansfield (barrister)
- Pradeep Mathur (educationalist)
- Feisal al-Mazidi (Kuwait, politician)
- Innes McCarthey (nautical archaeologist)
- Andy McDermott (author)
- Alun Michael (politician)
- Terry Milewski (Canada, broadcaster and journalist)
- Peter Mond, Lord Melchett (executive director, Greenpeace)
- Ian Moncrieff (UK National Hydrographer)
- Madeleine Moon (politician)
- Peter Moore (business executive, CEO Liverpool FC)
- Jim Moran (EU ambassador)
- Marcus Mortimer (TV producer and director)
- Richard Moseley-Williams (OXFAM, Internationalist)
- Sir Richard Mottram (government service)
- Bernard Myers (puzzle-book author)
- Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah (Namibia, politician)
- Roger Nightingale (computer analyst)
- Sam Nolutshungu (political scientist)
- Gerry Northam (BBC investigative journalist)
- Hugh 'Hoblyn' Oliver (novelist, comic, jazz musician)
- Marina Oliver (novelist)
- Keith Ovenden (novelist)
- Adrian Pang (actor)
- Sir Nick Partridge (chief executive Terence Higgins Trust)
- Priti Patel (politician)
- David Pownall (playwright and author)
- Ken Rattenbury (musician)
- Ian Redmond (biologist, conservationist)
- Ash Regan-Denham (Member of Scottish Parliament)
- Davide Rossi (musician, composer)
- Antti Sakari Saario (composer, lecturer)
- Joe Sang (Kenya, ambassador)
- Malcolm Shaw (legal scholar)
- Clare Short (politician)
- Beverley Skeggs (sociologist)
- Gareth Snell (politician)
- Margaret Spurr (educationalist)
- Brian Stewart (ambassador)
- Sir James Moray Stewart (government service)
- Joan Stringer (political scientist)
- John Sutton (General Secretary Secondary Heads Association)
- Adelaide "Mama" Tambo (South Africa, anti-apartheid activist)
- Chris Taylor (landscape archaeologist)
- Ian Taylor (politician)
- Lord John Taylor of Warwick (politician)
- John Thompson (sociologist)
- Sir John Vereker (UK diplomat)
- Bryan Waites (historian/author)
- Lynda Waltho (politician)
- Peter Whelan (playwright)
- Rosemary Whitfield-Jones (lawyer)
- Andy Whittaker (business)
- Dame Jo Williams (chief executive MENCAP)
- Sir Chris Woodhead (chief inspector of schools)
- Fiona Woolf (President of the Law Society, Lord Mayor of the City of London)
- Mark Worrall (football writer)
- Hso Kan Pha "Tiger" Yanghwe (President-in-exile Shan States)
-
Fumiko Yonezawa (theoretical physicist, the laureate of the L'Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science) - first-ever Japanese student at Keele (studied 1963-64) and a famous theoretical physicist, the first female president of the Physical Society of Japan, and the winner of the L'Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science for "pioneering theory and computer simulations on amorphous semiconductors and liquid metals" in 2005.
- Paul Goa Zoumanighi (ambassador of Guinea to UK)
And a special mention for the 1968 University Challenge winning team: Paul Brownsey, Pam Maddison (Groves), Aubrey Lawrence and Andy MacMullen