Alumni graduation speakers 2026

Michael Wolfson qualified as a Chartered Accountant at PWC. After a role as Head of Internal Audit, he has held several roles as a CFO in PE back Media Companies from Getty Images, Antenna Audio, The Mill, and Encore Tickets. In 2018, he co-founded Untold Studios, a cloud native creative studio, creating high end visual effects for film, episodic, and advertising, as well as producing high end content for music, advertising and television. Today Untold employs 600 people in three continents and has won numerous awards.

Professor Jennifer Visser-Rogers is an internationally recognised statistician. She specialises in clinical trial methodology, working at the intersection of data, medicine, and decision-making to accelerate the development of new therapies. Jennifer is also a leading voice in public engagement with data, regularly appearing on television and radio, and served as a trusted authority during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reflecting her leadership and impact, she was named one of the 2024 Twenty Women in Data and Tech for her advocacy and influence and has received multiple awards for improving public understanding of statistics. She is deeply committed to mentoring and developing the next generation of data leaders.

Tom Goodman-Hill is a prolific English actor known for his extensive work across film, television, and theatre. Recently, he gained widespread acclaim and a Primetime Emmy nomination for his portrayal of the abusive writer Darrien O’Connor in the 2024 Netflix hit Baby Reindeer. In television, he is well-recognised for starring as Joe Hawkins in Humans, Roger Grove in Mr. Selfridge, and the corrupt PC Phil Collins in Ideal. Other appearances include Black Mirror, The Devil’s Whore and The Office. His filmography includes major productions such as The Imitation Game, Everest, and the 2020 adaptation of Rebecca. A seasoned stage performer, he earned an Olivier Award nomination for his role as Sir Lancelot in the original London cast of the musical Spamalot, starred in the West End in Lucy Prebble’s Enron, Death & The Maiden, and at The National Theatre in The Effect. He is also a regular voice on BBC Radio 4.

Darrell Brookes-Coker is a Forbes 30 Under 30 entrepreneur with over ten years' experience building and scaling tech companies. He graduated from WBS with a First Class Degree in Management, then turned down a graduate job at Accenture to launch a startup with his cousin. Almost ten years later, he has built and scaled multiple tech products. The journey has been far from smooth: building an app with no coding skills, pivoting countless times, and a pandemic that nearly wiped out his business. But there have been unimaginable moments too, from a 10 Downing Street invite to taking products from zero to millions in revenue. He's a firm believer that the best lessons come from setbacks.

Ben is Chair of the Digital Catapult, a key national asset that bridges the gap between universities, start-ups, industry, government and investors to support innovation and unlock commercial opportunities. Ben is the Interim Chair of Vertical Aerospace, which is developing an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft in the UK. Ben is a Venture Partner of New Vista Capital, an investor in defence technology start-ups. Ben is a Board Member of Reach South, a provider of education services in south-west England. Ben is a former Director and Executive Committee Member of Rolls-Royce. Before joining industry, Ben was an investment banker for 26 years, latterly as Head of UK Investment Banking at Citigroup. Ben has also served on numerous boards.

Dr Faris Al-Ramadani is an award-winning GP Partner, digital health leader, keynote speaker, and recently appointed Non-Executive Director at Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust. Recognised for his leadership in transforming primary care, Faris has led initiatives focused on improving patient access, experience, and quality of care through his work at St Wulfstan Surgery and as a former Primary Care Network Clinical Director. Under his leadership, St Wulfstan Surgery achieved some of the highest patient satisfaction ratings nationally and was awarded HSJ Primary Care Provider of the Year in both 2024 and 2025. He was also named runner-up for Best Leader in Clinical Care at the Leaders in Health Awards 2025 in recognition of his contributions to digital healthcare innovation.

Sanzhar is a former Jaguar Land Rover, The Faraday Institution, and Vertical Aerospace battery scientist. At Warwick, he founded both the Warwick Hyperloop and Warwick Boring teams, which became three-time finalists at SpaceX Hyperloop and tunnelling contests. He’s now the Founder of his own company, TaiSan, that explores new sodium battery technology. So far, it’s raised £4m and been named in four individual battery awards. He was also named in Kazakhstan’s Forbes 30 under 30 in 2019.

Sarah Nelson is an award-winning business leader known for driving transformation, growth, and operational excellence across complex organisations. Her career spans strategy, operations, and commercial leadership, underpinned by a commitment to values-led leadership and building high-performing cultures where people can thrive. An MBA graduate of Warwick Business School, Sarah used this experience to transform her career from finance into business operations, ultimately becoming Managing Director for London at Sainsbury's. Her journey reflects a willingness to embrace change, take bold decisions, and lead with impact. As she prepares for her next chapter, Sarah hopes to inspire graduates to back themselves and shape careers with both purpose and ambition.

Rachael Crook is the Founder and CEO of Lifted, a technology platform built to fix the recruitment and retention challenges in social care. As we all live longer, the world needs millions more people to look after us — and a system worthy of them.

Rachael holds a first-class degree in Politics and International Studies from the University of Warwick and an MPhil in International Relations from the University of Oxford. She began her career in the Civil Service Fast Stream working on counter-extremism, before becoming a Senior Advisor in the Prime Minister's Implementation Unit, where she advised Cabinet Ministers on the government's highest-priority commitments and won five awards for exceptional performance. She then joined McKinsey & Company as a consultant.

After her mum was diagnose with early on set dementia, Rachael went on to found a technology-enabled home care provider, grew it into the best home care provider in the country at the LaingBuisson Awards, and sold the business. In 2024, she launched Lifted to tackle the sector's recruitment and retention crisis, raising over £9M and reaching 50,000 care workers across 500 providers.

In 2022, the Obama Foundation named her one of 36 leaders across Europe contributing to social change.

Nima is a writer and actor, whose debut play Bacchae marks the first ever playwright debut on the National Theatre’s Olivier stage. Born and raised in North London to Iranian parents, Nima studied English Literature at Warwick and then an MA in English at UCL.

As an actor, Nima plays Mr Farouk in Netflix’s Heartstopper. He starred alongside Tom Holland as Benvolio in Romeo & Juliet in the West End, where he also served as the production’s Text Editor, and in Cyrano de Bergerac alongside James McAvoy in the West End and New York.

Dr Dave Smith FIET FRAeS is the National Technology Adviser (NTA) having taken up the role in September 2023. A technologist and industrial expert by background, as the NTA, Dave advises the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Cabinet on the best approach to building and enhancing the UK’s technology strengths. His role includes working across government to champion the science and tech industries, in addition to building networks across industry to draw the best minds into policy making.

Dr Alessandra Mongiardino is a risk management expert, thought leader, and keynote speaker, with 30 years’ international experience in financial services. Originally from Italy, she started her career as a specialist economist at the Bank of England and went on to hold senior executive roles in large banks (HSBC, NatWest, Nordea), rating agencies (Moody’s), and asset management firms (Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Invesco). She is currently an independent Non-Executive Director of Triodos Bank UK, a mission-led bank and a pioneer in sustainable finance. She thrives in multi-cultural environments, having studied and worked in five countries across three continents, and is passionate about financial services as a force for good.

Dr Mafuba is the Founder and CEO of Inini Initiative, a community-led organisation working at the intersection of mental health, migration, and health inequalities. Her work focuses on developing culturally responsive, community-based approaches that improve access to support for refugees and underserved populations. Combining research, practice, and lived experience, she collaborates with health systems, local authorities, and community organisations to influence more inclusive models of care. She is currently advancing a programme of research exploring how trust, culture, and faith shape mental health pathways, with a commitment to driving systemic change and amplifying underrepresented voices.

Timothy Armoo is a Sunday Times bestselling author and entrepreneur who built one of the most influential Gen Z focused marketing companies of the decade, redefining how brands engage with culture and reshaping the creator economy along the way. His journey from growing up in a South London council estate to selling a multi-million-pound business before turning 30 is bold, brilliant, and packed with lessons for anyone building something of their own.

Henry Ajder is a globally recognised expert and advisor on AI, deepfakes, and the synthetic media revolution. The first “deepfake cartographer”, Henry’s research since 2018 has transformed society’s understanding of AI, shaping international legislation and the landscape of AI ethics. Henry presented the BBC series, The Future Will be Synthesised, the BBC’s first documentary series exploring the generative paradigm shift. He continues to contribute as a leading AI expert to international news media, including CNN, MIT Technology Review, Bloomberg, and The New York Times. Henry advises organisations including Adobe, Google Deepmind, The UK Government, and The World Economic Forum. He co-leads The University of Cambridge’s Generative AI in Business programme and is a visiting lecturer at Jesus College and the Judge Business School.

I graduated from Warwick with a First in Microbiology and Microbial Technology. I began in academic research in the UK and Australia, tackling challenges from animal nutrition to cancer. I moved into industry with Applied Biosystems, supporting DNA sequencing and real-time PCR during the Human Genome Project. I went on to lead commercial and global roles at Qiagen, eClinicalHealth, and Signant Health, helping build markets and supporting the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines. Today, I serve on boards across life science, AI, healthcare and education, focused on turning science and innovation into impact worldwide.

Omoyemi Akerele is the Founder and Executive Director of Style House Files and Lagos Fashion Week, where she leads strategy, partnerships, and impact-driven programming across Africa’s creative ecosystem. Her work focuses on building sustainable fashion infrastructure, supporting emerging designers, and fostering cross-sector collaboration through initiatives such as Green Access, Woven Threads, Irapada, and circular economy pilots. Through her leadership, she has created platforms that connect designers to global markets, investors, and knowledge networks while championing innovation, education, and responsible production. A recognized leader in sustainability and creative economy, Omoyemi is a Yale Climate Fellow, BOF 500 Honoree, Time100 Climate Honoree, and serves on advisory initiatives including the Mastercard Foundation Nigeria and the Sustainable Markets Initiative. In 2025, Lagos Fashion Week received The Earthshot Prize in the “Build a Waste-Free World” category, recognising its contribution to advancing circular fashion, sustainable innovation, and creative impact across Africa.

Rachael North is the Chief Executive of leading Midlands museum and conservation charity, the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. The Trust owns and manages the five Shakespeare family homes and a collection of over a million objects, books, and archives. Rachael is a senior museum professional with over twenty years’ experience in the museum and heritage sector. She joined the Birthplace Trust in February 2020 as Director of Visitor Experience and Business Development. Prior to this, she served as CEO and Director of Delapré Abbey in Northampton, a major Lottery-funded heritage and cultural destination. Earlier in her career, Rachael held roles with the National Trust in the Midlands, leading visitor experience and house operations, and began her career in museum curation.