John Cullen (BA (Hons) Business Studies 1999)
For community work and as an ambassador for GCU
John was nominated for being an outstanding ambassador of GCU and sharing in the University's mission. He is the Scottish Taekwondo coach and set up both Caledonian Taekwondo Health and Fitness to help underprivileged children in Glasgow and sporting and cultural exchange programme with Pung Saeng High School, Seongnam, South Korea. John also founded the Lee Sung Hee sporting and cultural exchange programme in 2004 and is a regular sports presenter on TV and radio.
John said: "I am very grateful to receive this award for my work. With the University’s support, we bring two countries together through Taekwondo. I’m also proud to support the Caledonian Club in all it does."
Professor Michael Keating (PhD Political Sciences 1975)
For academic excellence
Michael was one of the three first-ever PhD candidates from what is now GCU, with a CNNA degree awarded in 1975. He has worked at various institutions, including the University of Essex, University of Strathclyde, University of Western Ontario and the European University Institute in Florence. He has also held visiting positions in France, Spain, Norway, the USA and the UK.
From 2010 until 2013, he is an Economic and Social Research Council Professorial Fellow.
Allan Kennedy BA(Hons) Consumer and Management Studies with Fashion and Business 1996)
For excellence in his chosen field
Allan is an international fashion stylist, editor and creative director who graduated in 1996 from the fashion route of the Consumer and Management Degree at Queens College. He has styled countless magazine covers and fashion editorials and has been involved in creating the visual brand identity for many top luxury brands, both in print media and film advertising.
The award this year was designed by second-year International Product Design student John McAlpine.
The awards recognise and celebrate the success and contribution our alumni make to society. The competition for the design of the 2009 awards was won by second-year International Produce Design student, Lucy Ross, From the nominations five graduates were chosen to receive the Alumni Achievement Award for 2009.
Ian Deary HNC Medical Laboratory Sciences 1976
Professor of Differential Psychology at the University of Edinburgh
Nominated as an internationally acclaimed researcher in cognitive human ageing.
Ian is a Professor of Differential Psychology at the University of Edinburgh and is internationally renowned for his work on human cognitive ageing and cognitive abilities, and has been invited as a keynote speaker in many countries.
He graduated with an HNC in Medical Laboratory Sciences (Haematology and Blood Transfusion) from Glasgow College of Technology in 1976. His HNC was awarded Distinction and a Special Mention in all subjects.
He graduated in Psychology and Medicine at the University of Edinburgh and studied there for his PhD. His principal research interest is human mental abilities, especially the origins of cognitive differences, the effects of ageing and medical conditions on mental skills, and the impact of cognitive differences on people's lives.
Recently he lead a large research team studying cognitive ageing by following up on the people who took part in the Scottish Mental Surveys of 1932 and 1947. This research is very important as it could find better ways of understanding normal cognitive ageing and possibly preserve mental abilities for longer.
- In 1996 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.
- During 1999-2001 he was the elected President of the International Society for the Study of Individual Differences.
- In 2003 he received the first of the annual Chancellor's Awards of the University of Edinburgh which "recognise excellence in vital academic areas such as teaching and research and were awarded on the basis of innovation, relevance, creativity and personal dedication".
- From Jan 2003 to Dec 2007 he held a Royal Society-Wolfson Research Merit Award for his work on human cognitive ageing.
Khalid Abdulrahim MSc Construction Management 2005
CEO Cebarco
Nominated for his entrepreneurial drive and business leadership in creating a hugely successful construction company in the Middle East.
Khalid Abdulrahim is the CEO of Cebarco Bahrain, a multi-million dollar construction company in the middle-east and is the leading building and civil engineering company based in Bahrain. Some of their projects include the Formula 1 Racing Circuit in Bahrain, the Sheikh Isa bin Salman Library and Conference Centre, Citibank Headquarters and the Seef flyover. They are currently working on the Abu Dhabi Formula 1 circuit in the UAE which is due for completion in August 2009.
Khalid undertook his MSc degree with GCU at the same time as he was building one of the most challenging construction projects in Bahrain - the Formula 1 Grand Prix Circuit which had to be completed in 16 months from a standing start. It was completed on time and this achievement helped to establish him as a major player in the construction industry in the Middle East. His turnover has grown from that time in 2003/04 when it stood at $150 million to the present $1.5 billion. He was recently nominated as Middle East Entrepreneur of the year and holds the University in very high regard and is always available to help with initiatives in the Middle East.
Khalid, who previously studied Engineering at the University of Austin, Texas, USA has over 20 years of experience in the construction industry and his company was responsible for the construction of the prestigious Bahrain Formula One Race Circuit, the first of its type in the Arab world.
Lena Wilson BA/BA (Hons) Public Administration and Management 1985
Current Position: Chief Operating Officer of Scottish Enterprise and the CEO of Scottish Development Internationals
Nominated for her outstanding success in the business development field, especially in promoting Scottish businesses overseas.
Lena Wilson is the Chief Operating Officer of Scottish Enterprise and the CEO of Scottish Development International. She leads Scottish Enterprise in supporting companies to grow and Scottish Development International in both helping to promote Scottish businesses overseas and attracting new high-value investments to Scotland.
Born in Glasgow, Ms Wilson grew up in East Kilbride. A graduate of Strathclyde University as well, she holds a BA in Public Administration Management from Glasgow Caledonian University
Her early career was spent in Production and Quality Management in the Electronics industry after which she joined the Scottish Development Agency (now Scottish Enterprise) in 1989. She has had a range of roles covering all aspects of economic development.
Seconded to World Bank in 1998 for two years as senior Investment Advisor to the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, she worked in over 20 countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia advising governments on economic development strategies with particular emphasis on the conditions necessary for the attraction of FDI.
Non-executive appointments include her being a Board Member of the Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust, and a Board Member of the Tartan Clef Foundation (Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy in Scotland). She has also held non-executive roles in Arts and Leadership organisations.
Outside interests include keeping fit, live music and the arts, spending time with her family and travel.
Ethel Hofman Institutional Management 1956
Co-director Greenlee Concepts/USA
Nominated for the Alumni Achievement Awards for her unique career as a dietician and her success as a food critic/writer and syndicated food columnist in the US.
Ethel has come a long way from teaching in the Shetland Islands after graduating from the "Do School". She immigrated to the US in 1959 and has since worked as a dietetic intern at the University of Chicago, then chief administrative dietician at Michael Resse Hospital, Chicago.
Currently, Ethel Hofman is a nationally syndicated columnist, a contributor to Gastronomica, Cooking Pleasures, and other publications featuring food and travel. She is also the food editor of the Baltimore Jewish Times and the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent. She promoted her third cookbook, Everyday Cooking for The Jewish Home, through numerous television appearances and radio and press interviews. Her cookbook, The Art of Cooking was published in May 2001. Her latest book, Mackerel at Midnight - growing up Jewish on a remote Scottish Island was published in March 2005. As a consultant and recipe developer, her clients include the Dannon Company, Inc., Welch's Grape Juice, Vermont Cheese Company and The National Association for Specialty Food Trade (NASFT).
Ethel is the Co-director of Greenlee Concepts, an online training program for wait staff.
- Ms Hofman's food and wine expertise are specifically targeted to contemporary home cooks and to the culinary industry. She is a consultant to Integrated Marketing Communications, Inc. (New York). She has conducted seminars at The Restaurant School (Philadelphia, PA).
- Ms Hofman was president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) from 1995-1996 and is a member of the prestigious Les Dames d'Escoffier.
- Her books were also featured at the Edinburgh Book Festival in 2007.
Ian McLeod BA (Hons) Business Studies 1981
Managing Director of Coles Supermarkets, Australia.
Nominated for his business leadership and outstanding success in the retail industry
Ian joined Coles as Managing Director in May 2008 and oversees the Coles Supermarkets, Liquor and Convenience businesses. He is in charge of 106,000 employees including 700 managers.
Prior to this, Ian was Chief Executive Officer of Halfords Group Plc: the UK's leading retailer of car parts, leisure and cycling products. Between 2000 and 2001, Ian was on the Executive Board of Wal-Mart Germany as Chief Merchandise Officer and prior to that was the Managing Director of Asda's largest operating division with direct responsibility for over 40 superstores and 20,000 employees. His performance here was judged to be the strongest in the company.
Prior to the Wal-Mart takeover in June 1999 Ian held various senior roles and Asda Management Board positions including Productivity Director, Trading Director for Ambient Grocery (the company's biggest trading division) and Trading Director for Bakery, Frozen Food, Dairy, and in-store restaurants. He was one of only two Asda managers promoted to this level after Archie Norman took over as Asda CEO.
Following the Victoria bushfires of 2009, he personally signed off on Coles donating A$10M to the relief fund to help the victims of the fire which was the largest donation by an Australian company.
Outside of his experience in retail, Ian also spent two years as CEO of Celtic Plc, the listed company controlling Celtic Football Club and has also added Melbourne Victory to his list of directorships. Ian also completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 1999.
