Over 1100 Postgraduates to Graduate next week

Professor Sally Wheeler, Vice-Chancellor of Birkbeck, congratulated the graduating cohort, saying: “These ceremonies represent the culmination of years of dedication, ambition, and perseverance. I am proud to celebrate the achievements of our postgraduate students, who have demonstrated such resilience and commitment to their studies. We warmly welcome them into Birkbeck’s global alumni community.” 

Graduating students will also be addressed by a series of inspiring guest speakers. They include: 

Makeda L. Cole 

Makeda finds joy in cultivating vibrant communities as a HR Consultant, a British-Sierra Leonean cultural custodian or, as a proud Birkbeck Alumni Ambassador. This drive led her to empowering 47,000 (and counting) talented individuals to achieve their development goals, supercharging business outcomes and boosting client value, all with a touch of compassion. With a dynamic international background spanning across sectors (including professional services, entertainment, and start-ups), she has been fortunate to serve as a trusted partner, coaching senior stakeholders including the C-Suite on strategic transformations.   

Holding a Master's in Organizational Psychology from Birkbeck (2020), Makeda excels in delivering value-driven HR solutions and compelling narratives, underpinned by data. Beyond her professional pursuits, she enjoys co-curating West African arts-based community events through The Young Sierra Leonean CIC, recognised by BBC Radio.   

Dr Harren Jhoti OBE

Harren Jhoti co-founded Astex in 1999 where he was Chief Scientific Officer until 2007 when he was appointed CEO. Dr Jhoti received an OBE for services to Cancer Research and Drug Discovery in 2023. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2018, the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2016, and the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2015. He was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the UK BioIndustry Association in 2018. Published widely and featured in TIME magazine, before founding Astex, he was head of Structural Biology and Bioinformatics at GlaxoWellcome UK. Prior to Glaxo, Dr. Jhoti was a post-doctoral scientist at Oxford University. He received a B.Sc. in Biochemistry in 1985 and a Ph.D. in Protein Crystallography from Birkbeck, University of London in 1989. 

Juliet Davenport OBE

Climate scientist, renewable pioneer, businesswoman, and environmental entrepreneur, Juliet Davenport has dedicated over two decades to not only advocating for solutions to climate change but actively creating them. With degrees in physics and economics, she founded the UK’s first 100% renewable electricity supplier in 1999, marking a significant contribution to the UK’s climate action efforts. As the Chief Executive of Good Energy Group PLC from 2002 to 2021, Juliet led the company’s growth to become one of the few profitable energy retailers in the UK. Under her leadership, Good Energy expanded its customer base to over 250,000 domestic and business customers, navigating changes in the energy and renewable energy markets while maintaining agility and profitability. 

Juan Dávila y Verdin FRSA

Juan Dávila y Verdin, originally from Argentina, has forged a remarkable international career, excelling in education, sustainability, and innovation. His BA (Hons) in Global Politics and International Relations from Birkbeck, University of London, was pivotal in shaping his global outlook and leadership trajectory. Juan is Founder and General Director of FuturED and leads the International Green Trade and Commerce Association. With over fifteen years’ experience in international project management, across private and public sectors and NGOs, he is a respected leader known for driving transformative growth. Among his achievements, Juan has participated as Head of Delegation at the United Nations Climate Change Conferences. Additionally, his impactful efforts earned acknowledgment from National Geographic.  

Dr Igor Volzhanin 

Igor is a serial entrepreneur having built and sold his startup, Datasine, to Shutterstock in 2021. He holds a PhD in Computer Science and Information System from Birkbeck. Since selling his business, Igor has travelled the world, written a book on entrepreneurship, invested in emerging businesses, started a battery technology startup and briefly joined the Ukrainian armed forces during the Russian invasion. He is a passionate innovator and optimist, hopeful of the future and believes in the power of kindness to transform the world for the better. 

Tom Merriman 

Tom Merriman is the Chief Underwriting Officer and co-founder of Kita, the carbon insurance specialist. Kita’s purpose is accelerating investment in high quality carbon sequestration projects through the provision of insurance that reduces transaction risk and safeguards the performance of carbon credit investments. Prior to founding Kita, Tom spent 15 years in capital markets working for the financial technology companies Bloomberg and Nasdaq. Tom studied at Birkbeck, University of London during the pandemic, and was awarded an MSc in Climate Change. He also holds Master’s Degrees in Finance (Cranfield), and Information Systems (LSE). 

Warren Shore 

Warren became a journalist after graduating from the University of Nottingham with a BA in American Studies. He has freelanced for the past 20 years, working mainly for The Sunday Times as a sub-editor and writer on the sports pages, and chief sub-editor of The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide. He also has experience in magazines and digital media. In 2017-19 Warren studied at Birkbeck for an MA in Contemporary Literature and Culture. The title of his dissertation was A State of Anxiety: Division and Decay in Florida’s Contemporary Fiction. He maintains a connection with Birkbeck as a volunteer on the Careers Clinics and Mentoring Pathways schemes.  

The Birkbeck community looks forward to celebrating the achievements of its newest graduates, recognising their academic journeys and the vibrant contributions they will continue to make in their fields and communities.