The University of Surrey recognised seven exceptional graduates at the 2026 Vice-Chancellor’s Alumni Awards, held on Thursday 17 September at the Lakeside Restaurant on the Stag Hill campus. Now in their twelfth year, these UK alumni awards honour graduates whose work has made an outstanding contribution to their profession, the University, and wider society. This year’s 2026 award winners demonstrate the remarkable breadth of Surrey’s global alumni community, with impact reaching across hospitality investment, humanitarian healthcare, women’s sport, legal access, music production, international journalism, and University heritage.
For readers following Surrey news and wider UK higher education news, the ceremony offers a clear snapshot of how a university education translates into real-world achievement — and why alumni communities remain central to a university’s story. If you would like to keep up with stories of Surrey University achievements, the University’s news hub publishes regular updates on research, innovation, and community impact.
A Twelfth Year of Celebrating Graduate Excellence at Surrey
The Vice-Chancellor’s Alumni Awards have become one of the most significant dates in the University of Surrey’s calendar. Each year, the awards bring together winners and their guests — including the colleagues who nominated them, friends, family members, and the lecturers who helped shape their careers — for an evening of recognition at the Stag Hill campus.
The purpose of the awards extends beyond celebration. They highlight the tangible outcomes of a Surrey education and reinforce the connection between current students and the graduates who came before them. The 2026 cohort, in particular, illustrates how graduates from different decades and disciplines carry the University’s influence into boardrooms, hospitals, recording studios, courtrooms, and crisis zones around the world.
Alumnus of the Year: Sarmad Zok’s Leadership in Global Hospitality Investment
Sarmad Zok (BSc Hotel Management, 1990), Chief Executive Officer of Kingdom Hotel Investments, received the 2026 Alumnus of the Year Award. Over a career spanning more than three decades, Zok has established himself as one of the hospitality industry’s most prominent figures.
His track record includes leading major international hotel investment transactions, among them the sale and merger of Fairmont Raffles with AccorHotels and the integration of Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts into the Accor group. He has also completed significant multi-billion-dollar portfolio deals across the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
For students considering careers in hospitality or international business, Zok’s trajectory shows how a foundational degree can open doors to the highest levels of global industry. His award also underlines the strength of Surrey’s hotel management programmes, which have long held a strong international reputation.
Outstanding Contribution to Society: Jay Matthews’ Frontline Humanitarian Care
Jay Matthews (DipHE Operating Department Practice, 2010) received the Outstanding Contribution to Society Award for delivering frontline medical care in some of the world’s most challenging environments, including Gaza, Ukraine, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Bangladesh.
Working with the humanitarian organisation UK-Med, Matthews has supported hospitals and emergency medical teams through conflict, disease outbreaks, and humanitarian crises — treating patients with severe trauma, burns, amputations, and complex injuries under extreme pressure.
Matthews’ recognition speaks to a dimension of university achievement that rankings rarely capture: the willingness of graduates to apply their training where it is needed most. Aspiring healthcare professionals can draw practical inspiration from a career built on skill, resilience, and service.
Preserving University Heritage: Richard Costelloe’s Archive Volunteering
Richard Costelloe (BSc Mechanical Engineering, 1964), a Battersea-era alumnus, received the Outstanding Contribution to Surrey Award in recognition of his exceptional voluntary service to the University’s history and heritage.
Since 2014, Costelloe has volunteered almost weekly with the University’s Archives & Special Collections team, supporting vital collections through listing, repackaging, renumbering, and researching archive material. His work ensures that documents tracing the institution’s evolution — from its Battersea roots to its Guildford campus — remain accessible to future researchers, students, and staff.
His award is a reminder that alumni contribution takes many forms. Not every legacy is measured in headlines; some are measured in decades of quiet, consistent dedication.
Alumni Achievement Awards Recognise Professional Excellence Across Four Fields
Alongside the three named awards, the University presented Alumni Achievement Awards to four graduates whose work is advancing their respective fields and widening opportunity for others.
Helen Hardy: Building the World’s First Women’s Football Retailer
Helen Hardy (BA Acting, Guildford School of Acting, 2012) is the founder and CEO of FOUDYS, the world’s first women’s football retail site and physical shop. She was recognised for widening access to women’s football merchandise and for founding Manchester Laces, the largest inclusive women’s and non-binary football club in Manchester.
Hardy’s move from acting graduate to sport retail innovator highlights the entrepreneurial paths open to creative arts graduates — and the growing commercial and cultural significance of women’s sport in the UK.
Lucy Barnes: Opening the Legal Profession to Care-Experienced People
Lucy Barnes (LLB Law, 2018), a barrister and public speaker, was recognised for her advocacy for care-experienced people and her work to improve access to the legal profession. As co-founder of the charity Lawyers Who Care, she has built mentoring schemes, opportunities, and community support for aspiring lawyers from care backgrounds.
Her achievement demonstrates how recent graduates can drive social mobility within their professions, and offers a model for any student seeking to combine legal practice with meaningful social impact.
Sam Okell and Oli Jacobs: Grammy-Winning Graduates of the Tonmeister Programme
The University’s renowned Music and Sound Recording (Tonmeister) programme celebrated two Grammy Award-winning graduates this year.
Sam Okell (BMus, 2002), a recording, mixing, and mastering engineer, was honoured for his internationally acclaimed work with major artists and landmark film and music projects, including his role in preserving and reimagining The Beatles’ catalogue. Oli Jacobs (BMus, 2014), also a Grammy-winning engineer, counts Sabrina Carpenter, Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, and Sam Fender among his credits.
Their success reinforces the Tonmeister programme’s reputation as a launchpad for the music industry’s most sought-after technical talent. Prospective students interested in sound engineering can explore the University of Surrey’s music and media courses to learn how the programme combines engineering, musicianship, and studio practice.
Chris Sibthorpe: Reporting the World for BBC World Service
Chris Sibthorpe, a journalist with the BBC World Service, also received an Alumni Achievement Award. In an era when accurate international reporting matters more than ever, his recognition reflects the role Surrey graduates play in informing global audiences and upholding standards of public-interest journalism.
What the 2026 Award Winners Reveal About Surrey University Achievements
Taken together, this year’s winners tell a broader story about UK higher education and the value of alumni communities. Several themes stand out:
- Global reach from a single campus. The 2026 award winners operate across continents and industries, from hotel boardrooms in the Middle East to emergency hospitals in conflict zones.
- Long-term impact. Winners graduated between 1964 and 2018, proving that a university’s influence compounds over decades rather than years.
- Breadth of disciplines. Engineering, law, acting, healthcare, music, and journalism are all represented — evidence that achievement is not confined to any single faculty.
- Service alongside success. Several honourees were recognised specifically for their contribution to society or to the University itself, not only for professional advancement.
For anyone tracking UK higher education news, ceremonies like Surrey’s offer a useful counterweight to rankings and league tables. They show the human outcomes behind institutional statistics.
Lessons for Current and Prospective Students
Students and recent graduates can draw practical lessons from this year’s cohort:
- Build on your foundation, not a fixed plan. Hardy moved from acting to sport retail; Zok moved from hotel management to multi-billion-dollar investment. A degree is a starting point, not a limit.
- Use your skills where they matter. Matthews’ career shows how professional training can serve communities in crisis.
- Give back early — or late. Costelloe began volunteering with the archives decades after graduating, while Barnes founded her charity within years of finishing her law degree. There is no wrong time to contribute.
- Maintain your university connections. Every winner’s story involved networks — lecturers, mentors, and peers — that began on campus.
Staying Connected with the Surrey Alumni Community
The 2026 ceremony also serves as an invitation. Current students and graduates can strengthen their own connection to the University in several ways: attending alumni events, mentoring current students, volunteering with University initiatives, or supporting fundraising campaigns such as the Forever Surrey Fund.
If this year’s winners have inspired you, share your own Surrey story or add your congratulations to the 2026 cohort — alumni experiences help show current students what is possible. And if you are weighing up your next step, explore the University’s range of undergraduate, postgraduate, and professional development courses to see where a Surrey education could lead.
Looking Ahead After the 2026 Alumni Awards
As the Vice-Chancellor’s Alumni Awards enter their second decade, the 2026 winners set a high benchmark: a hospitality chief executive, two Grammy-winning engineers, a frontline humanitarian, a legal access pioneer, a women’s football entrepreneur, a BBC World Service journalist, and a devoted archive volunteer.
Their achievements affirm why Surrey news resonates well beyond the campus boundary. Each story demonstrates that universities do not simply award degrees — they build communities whose influence endures for generations. Follow the University of Surrey’s news channels for updates on next year’s nominations, and stay engaged with the alumni network to follow the next chapter of Surrey University achievements.
