The British Council is pleased to announce the finalists for a prestigious award celebrating the outstanding achievements of the UK’s international alumni. They are selected by our panel of judges as best representatives for the impact of UK higher education in their chosen career path and the impact they have made for the development of Egypt.
We are proud of them!
Also an alumnus of the Emerging Leaders Institute – APAP|NYC
Mohamed Eleryan is an XR and AI entrepreneur and CEO of VRTEEK, pioneering immersive technologies in culture, education, and enterprise. A Goldsmiths, University of London graduate, Mohamed has led the digitization of 30+ archaeological sites, reaching over 25 million virtual visitors. He drives innovation across MENA, mentors founders, and applies human-centred tech to preserve heritage and enable sustainable digital transformation.
Mohamed Owais is a senior financial advisor and Leeds MBA graduate, specializing in finance, investment, and economic development. He co-founded ECH, providing advisory services to SMEs and corporates. As an advisor for Pathfinder International/USAID, he pioneered behavioural strategies that empowered 57,000 underserved women to access formal and digital finance, setting new standards for inclusive growth and national impact.
Dr. Heikal, an MBA graduate of Heriot-Watt University, is a healthcare executive and innovator leading nationwide emergency medical logistics in Egypt. With over 12 years of experience, he has modernized supply chains across 200+ healthcare facilities, achieving a 97% reduction in delays and generating EGP 288 million in cost savings. Renowned for his evidence-based leadership and cross-functional empowerment, he is a finalist for the Study UK Alumni Awards 2026 in Business & Innovation.
Muhammad Mansour is the Head of Business Development and Partnerships at the British Council Egypt. He holds a B.Sc. in Pharmacy from Cairo University and has over 15 years of professional experience. After beginning his career in the health sector, he joined the British Council, where he led IELTS operations across Egypt and built key partnerships with universities. In his current role, he focuses on optimising operations and securing new business opportunities in Egypt’s education sector.
Nevine Sharaf is the Chevening Programme Manager at the British Embassy in Cairo. She holds a master’s degree in Public Policy and Administration from the AUC and has 20 years of experience in education programming and project management, including over a decade with the Chevening Scholarships and alumni relations. Previously, she worked at the British Council on IGCSE, IELTS, and professional qualifications, and with CARE International and IFAD–UN on poverty reduction projects.
Prof. Inas Abdel Dayem - the head of the Cairo Opera House. She graduated in Cairo Conservatoire, flute department and continued her studies in France, where she obtained a PhD from the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris. Since then her extensive tours as a flutist cover the US, Europe, Africa and Middle East. Inas has the Creative Prize from the Academy of Arts operating, first prizes from the Federation Nationale des Unions des Conservatoires Municipaux Dramatique in France.
Rania has recently been selected by Women of Egypt as one of the top 100 distinguished women in Egypt and by the Hall of Fame in Science. She is also a pioneer of Computational Pharmaceutics school in Egypt which includes the integration of modelling and simulation of drug carriers and the exploitation of mathematical relationships, and machine learning methods in the selection of the most appropriate pairs between the drugs and their carriers in the body.
Reem is a gender expert working across research, policy, and program management in the SWANA region. Her work addresses gender and intersectional marginalization in education, health, technology, environmental sustainability, and the economy. She is the former Executive Director of HarassMap, author of Negotiating the Power of NGOs, a Professor at AUC, founder of Basata W Batata, and an associate with Gender at Work.
