This Volunteers’ Week, we are delighted to celebrate the contribution that our alumni volunteers make to the Westminster community through the Westminster Alumni Volunteering Awards 2024.

The Exceptional Support of Students and Recent Graduates Award recognises alumni who go above and beyond to provide professional development support to students and recent graduates, through either one-to-one or group sessions.

And the winners are…

The winners of the Exceptional Support of Students and Recent Graduates Award 2024 are… Mark Sweeny and Tim Burgess

Mark Sweeny (Business Studies BA, 1998)

Mark is a serial entrepreneur, currently Founder and Chief Executive of the award-winning Welsh technology business de Novo Solutions. A specialist in ERP technology and one of the original pioneers of Oracle Cloud technology in the UK, he is recognised as a leading figure in the UK technology scene and a well-known vocal champion of UK SME’s.

Mark has been supporting the Westminster Enterprise Network (WeNetwork)’s Elevate programme as a Volunteer Mentor for two years. He is passionate about giving back and supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs.

In 2023, Mark mentored a graduate who founded a fashion business and even though they work in very different sectors (IT/tech vs fashion), Mark went above and beyond to support his mentee to develop a new revenue stream for the students’ business and travelled from Wales to have meetings in person.

Speaking about the award, Mark said: “I have been honoured to have been awarded many awards, but the University of Westminster Alumni Volunteer Awards 2024 will hold a special place, as it was the University that gave me an opportunity to learn and develop over 30 years ago, and now I have been recognised in being able to give back what I have learned to the next generation.”  

---

Tim Burgess (Architecture, 2002)

Tim is a business leader, non-executive director and trustee. He currently leads the London Studio of TODD Architects, and is a Non-Executive Director at Board Level at EduEco+, sitting on the Startup Business Advisory Group. He has been an incredibly valuable volunteer by delivering two sessions for Westminster Working Cultures (WWC) UK and offering hands-on work experience to one of our WWC UK students studying Architecture. 

Tim began the University of Westminster relationship by offering a two-week work experience opportunity to one of our WWC UK students studying Architecture. The initial WWC trip to Belfast sparked this opportunity, where Tim provided a student with hands-on working experience, and the opportunity to get exposure to live projects, join site visits and shadow a few architects in the office.  

He continued to support our students as a speaker during the programme. His session left a lasting impression and set the tone for the rest of the week, with overwhelmingly positive feedback from the 30 students who took part.

What sets Tim apart is his commitment to continuous improvement. He actively sought feedback from our September cohort and incorporated their suggestions to enhance his networking workshop for his next WWC UK session.

Speaking about winning the Award, Tim said: “It means a lot to me to receive an award, and to feel that you helped make a difference to something you feel passionately about; empowering young people to make a positive contribution to the world. It’s a great programme, and I’m delighted to have been involved.” 

---

Could you be our next Alumni Volunteer Award winner?

If you are interested in volunteering to support our students and recent graduates, visit our webpage to see how you can get involved.

See the full list of Alumni Volunteer Award winners 2024.