On Arrival - Ticket and Robe collection

• Their graduand ticket (yellow). Please keep this with you at all times. This has your seat number for the ceremony
• Guest tickets, including any extra tickets you have paid for. These should be passed to guests as graduands and guests will be entering through different doors
• Check that you are wearing the correct hoodLink opens in a new window

Before the Ceremony - What to do

• Read through the following information, and keep an eye on the time - graduands and guests must be seated by 2.30pm
• Store any luggage/coats in the Arts Centre cloakroom (subject to capacity)

• Find out about the benefits and opportunities available to you as a Warwick graduate by visiting our alumni stand in the Arts Centre foyer or Rootes Building

• Have your pre-booked professional photos (Ede and Ravenscroft) taken in Rootes Restaurant
• Visit our graduation shop outside the Mead Gallery, Warwick Arts Centre
• Go to the bathroom! Once you're seated in the Butterworth Hall, you cannot leave until our final seating checks are complete
• Share the link to the live stream with friends and family

From 1.30pm

• Guests with Butterworth Hall tickets should make their way to the ground floor Butterworth Hall doors and guests with Cinema tickets upstairs to Cinema 1
  • The earlier they are seated, the better the seat
  • Guests with pre-booked accessible seating have seats reserved for them in the Hall and do not need to queue
• Graduands should get ready to enter the Butterworth Hall. Graduands enter via Door 1 on the first floor of Warwick Arts Centre from approx. 1.45pm. Graduands with accessibility requirements should enter via the ground floor Butterworth Hall doors. The porters on the door will be able to assist you

Doors to Ceremony close 2.30pm

Doors to Butterworth Hall will close promptly at 2.30pm for graduands and guests.

Graduands not in the Hall and seated in their allocated seat by this time will not be able to graduate in the ceremony.

  Music Centre Performers

Performance times: 1pm and 1.50pm for 30 mins

Warwick Arts Centre Foyer

Your Honorary Graduates and Alumni Speakers

January 2024 PM Ceremonies

Mon 15 Jan - Honorary Graduate: Alex Horne Mon 15 Jan - Alumni Speaker: Seyi AfolabiTue 16 Jan – Honorary Graduate: Katri Raikkonen Tue 16 Jan - Alumni Speaker: Emine SheykhametovaWed 17 Jan - Alumni Speaker: Philomena LaveryThu 18 Jan - Alumni Speaker: Alexander LempkaFri 19 Jan - Alumni Speaker: Justin Farrance

Mon 15 Jan - Honorary Graduate: Alex Horne

Honorary Graduate: Alex Horne

Alex Horne is an award-winning comedian, author and podcaster, long-established as a key figure in the British comedy scene. 

Full Biography

Full Biography

He is the creator and co-host of the BAFTA and National Comedy Award-winning hit TV Show, Taskmaster, which first aired on Dave before graduating to Channel 4 in 2020. With over 100 episodes, an Emmy-nomination and a Royal Television Society and Broadcast Award for Best Entertainment Programme under its belt, Taskmaster is a gem of British programming. The show has also transcended national broadcasting borders, with adaptations airing in a dozen markets around the world, including Australia, New Zealand, Quebec, Portugal, the Nordics, and Croatia. The Taskmaster format is a smash hit in Sweden, where it won the title of Best Entertainment Programme of the year in 2020. Other notable instalments in the Taskmaster Entertainment Universe include a book, a board game and two podcasts. 

Alex is also the creator and frontman of The Horne Section, a six-piece band of multitalented musicians. After a successful pilot, The Horne Section TV Show was commissioned for release by Channel 4, with its first season airing in the Autumn of 2022. This follows the band’s establishment as a staple at the Fringe, appearances on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown (Channel 4) and Never Mind The Buzzcocks (BBC2), and the release of the iTunes-chart-topping The Horne Section Podcast. 

Mon 15 Jan - Alumni Speaker: Seyi Afolabi

Alumni Speaker: Seyi Afolabi

(BA Law and Sociology, 2011, LLM International Development Law and Human Rights, 2014) - Parliamentary & Policy Officer at Sickle Cell Society | Executive Officer at CPA UK | Founder at LALI London | Writer at Aya’s Garden 

Full Biography

Full Biography

In 2018 Seyi Afolabi began her Commonwealth role in Parliament, working to support executive functions of CPA UK and delivering parliamentary programmes. In 2021, Seyi took up her additional parliamentary role with the Sickle Cell Society. She has a strong passion for young people and has pioneered programmes in Parliament to foster youth engagement, as well as volunteered as a mentor in her local community. As a keen writer and poet, Seyi is the founder of Aya’s Garden - a platform dedicated to celebrating the stories and creative arts of marginalised groups. Honoured at Buckingham Palace as an outstanding Commonwealth citizen in 2022, Seyi is also the founder of upcoming fashion brand – LALI London Ltd

Tue 16 Jan – Honorary Graduate: Katri Raikkonen

Honorary Graduate: Katri Raikkonen

Katri RäikkönenLink opens in a new window, PhD is a full professor of psychology at the Department of Psychology, University of Helsinki.

Full Biography

Full Biography

Since 2023 she has also been affiliated at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Helsinki University Hospital.

She obtained Master’s degree in 1988, PhD degree in 1990, and became a docent in 1992 at the University of Helsinki.

Between 1996-00 she was a post-doctoral fellow at the Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine Unit, University of Pittsburgh, and 2001-03 she was a visiting scientist at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

In 2012 Räikkönen was elected as a member of Finnish Academy of Science and Letters, and in 2023 as a member of the Academia Europaea. She served as Academy Professor between 2015-19.

Räikkönen has a strong track record in research related to prenatal programming of psychological development and mental health. She has published 480 peer-reviewed scientific articles, her H-index (Scopus) is 78, and total citations 27 395. In 2023 she was ranked as #1 in the best psychology scientists in Finland by Research.com.

In 2017 she became a Knight (First Class, of the Order of White Rose of Finland) and has been awarded the Pro Psychology Prize, the Helsinki City Science Prize, and the University of Helsinki Bronze medal for societal impact of her work.

Tue 16 Jan - Alumni Speaker: Emine Sheykhametova

Alumni Speaker: Emine Sheykhametova 

(MA Educational Leadership and Management, 2022) - Doctoral College Officer, Coventry University

Full Biography

Full Biography

With over 15 years of experience in education, teaching, training, mentoring, leadership, and research, Emine has worked in Uzbekistanbased educational institutions as well as international agencies and Higher Educational Institutions in the UK. Emine believes education can be the changing force of life quality and advocates for quality education being equally accessible at every stage of life.

Wed 17 Jan - Alumni Speaker: Philomena Lavery

Alumni Speaker: Philomena Lavery

(MSc Cyber Security and Management, 2020) - Senior Vice President Digital Security at AVEVA  

Full Biography

Full Biography

Philomena, an accomplished Cyber Security and Risk expert, was recently the CISO at National Highways, leading their cyber security risk team. With a background as Director at CES Management Consultancy and key roles at BAE Systems and Nortel Networks, she brings extensive experience. Last year, Philomena spoke at the ICS Security Conference in Munich, focusing on human-centred cyber resilience, and has been a guest lecturer on WMG’s Cyber Security Engineering course since 2020. Philomena recently started a new role as Senior Vice President Digital Security at AVEVA.

Thu 18 Jan - Alumni Speaker: Alexander Lempka

Alumni Speaker: Alexander Lempka

(BSc Management, 2019) - Co-Founder and CEO, Connect Earth   

Full Biography

Full Biography

Alexander Lempka is the CEO and Co-founder at Connect Earth, a London-based ClimateTech company. Alex previously held Business Development and Strategy positions at European fintech companies and startups. He co-founded Connect Earth in 2021 together with his co-founder Nick Carmont, combining his passion for fintech and sustainability. Alex was featured on the Forbes 30 Under 30 List in 2023.

Fri 19 Jan - Alumni Speaker: Justin Farrance

Alumni Speaker: Justin Farrance

(BSc Management, 2018) - Senior Manager & Ambassador for DE&I, Allen & Overy     

Full Biography

Full Biography

Justin qualified as a corporate lawyer at Allen & Overy before stepping into a new global role as the firm’s Ambassador for DE&I. Alongside this, Justin is the Founder and CEO of GROW Mentoring – a charity launched during Covid, which now supports 4500 diverse future lawyers. The charity has gone on to secure partnerships with 50+ global companies and institutions to provide mentoring and other opportunities for graduates. Justin is an advocate and role model for the LGBTQ+ community and has been recognised by the UK Prime Minister for Social Impact. He has gone on to win McKinsey & Company’s global Achievement Award and was named the #1 Future Leader in the UK at the British LGBT Awards.

In the Hall - arrive by 2.30pm

Once in the hall:

• Graduands should find and take the designated seat. Graduand seats will have a card with your name on it
• Guests will be directed to a seat by Warwick Arts Centre stewards. Please take your seats promptly and do not leave any gaps
• From 2.30-3pm, graduands should ensure they are sat in their allocated seats. This is when we will be doing our final seating check. It is very important that you are sat in your allocated seat. If you move seats, your name will be crossed off and you will not be allowed to cross the stage
• Please put your mobile phone on silent, but keep it on to take photos
• Staff will indicate when it is time for graduands to stand to cross the stage. After crossing the stage and collecting your certificate you will return to the same seat

After your ceremony

• Share your celebrations with us @UniOfWarwick or #WarwickGrad
• You will find photo opportunities around the Piazza and Rootes Building to make use of
• Join your academic department reception events - they will have confirmed with you directly where this is taking place
• Purchase your graduation (stage crossing) photo from Ede and Ravenscroft's stand on the first floor of the Rootes Building

• Welcome to the Warwick Alumni Community! We're excited to welcome you to a network of over 285,000 alumni who live and work in over 180 countries and territories globally. Find out more about the benefits and opportunities available to you by visiting our alumni stand in the Arts Centre foyer or Rootes Building

• Have your professional photos taken in the Rootes Building or purchase souvenirs in Warwick Arts Centre/Rootes Grocery Store, if you did not have time before the ceremony

• Keep your certificate safe!
• Please return your robes by 7pm. Robe Return is on the first floor of the Rootes Building - next to where you collected them

After Graduation:

• See our Souvenirs and GiftsLink opens in a new window page, where you will find the full ceremony footageLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window to download and photos from the dayLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, uploaded within 24 hours of your ceremony
• We'd love your feedbackLink opens in a new window on the day!
• Keep in touch! You're now part of a proud, vibrant, global alumni community like no other - with a shared bond and a lifelong connection to Warwick. Find out more about the range of benefits and opportunities that are available to you as a Warwick graduate on our alumni pages
  

  • Email alumni@warwick.ac.uk

  • Facebook: Warwick Alumni

  • YouTube: @UniofWarwickAlumni