Volunteer of the Year

Jeanne is an academic mentor and volunteer board member, currently completing an MSc in Business Psychology. Through both her professional and voluntary roles, she works directly with students and professionals to support their development, wellbeing, and leadership capability across higher education and workplace settings.

She is an active participant in the Aurora Women in Higher Education Leadership programme and a qualified Mental Health First Aider, with a strong commitment to lifelong learning and inclusive leadership. Jeanne contributes extensively through mentoring, governance, education, and community volunteering, driven by a passion for empowering others to grow with confidence, dignity, and purpose.

Steven Egan PhD fCMgr is an economic development and leadership professional, with a focus on strengthening leadership capability and inclusive growth. He is a Project Manager at InterTradeIreland, where he designs and delivers cross-border programmes supporting SMEs and social enterprises to build commercial capability and trade sustainably between Northern Ireland and Ireland.

Steven has volunteered with the Chartered Management Institute since 2023 because he believes that good management and ethical leadership are fundamental to economic success, social stability and peace on the island of Ireland. As a member of the CMI Northern Ireland Regional Board, he serves as Communications and Social Media Lead, leading work to widen access to professional standards and strengthen the region’s leadership pipeline.

Alongside his CMI role, Steven is a member of the UK Young Academy, serving on its Governance Steering Group and Membership Development Group and is a trustee of Sólás, a Belfast-based charity supporting children and young people with additional needs. He holds a B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. in History from Queen’s University Belfast and a Postgraduate Certificate in Executive Leadership from Ulster University.

Steven is currently completing his CMI Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management and is progressing towards achieving Chartered Manager (CMgr) status in 2026, reflecting his ongoing commitment to professional standards, lifelong learning and leadership excellence.

Professor Dato’ Seri Dr. Mohamed Mustafa Ishak started his professional career at Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) as a Tutor in 1985. Over the years, through his diligent involvement in the progress of UUM and his determination to excel in whatever he did, he moved up the academic and administrative ladder till he reached the topmost rung and was appointed the Vice-Chancellor (VC) of UUM in June 2010.

He served as the VC of UUM for eight years, till August 2018. In his capacity as the VC of UUM, he was instrumental in redefining the role of UUM and marshalling its efforts towards becoming an Eminent Management University in Malaysia. Dr. Mohamed Mustafa Ishak played a key role in advancing UUM to become a 5-star university based on the SETARA and MYRA ratings. Additionally, he also successfully transformed UUM to be placed among the six best Malaysian public universities in the QS Asia and World Ranking.

Professor Dato’ Seri Dr. Mohamed Mustafa Ishak was the first Malaysian to be appointed as a CMI Companion, the most senior grade of membership, which is awarded by invitation only. This rare honor had accorded him for his prodigious contribution, underscoring his tenacity of purpose, towards transforming UUM into the best management university in Malaysia. This prestigious position was conferred upon him in 2017 by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), an accredited professional institution for management, based in London. He also sits on the Board of the Regional Chapter of CMI Malaysia. He has been a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport since his appointment to the post in December 2011. Professor Dato’ Seri Dr. Mohamed Mustafa Ishak was appointed Chairman of the Malaysian Examinations Council in 2016 by His Majesty the Yang Di Pertuan Agong XIV, The King of Malaysia.

He spent almost one year in the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia as the Director General. Upon retirement he served at City University Malaysia and Perdana University Malaysia as the Vice Chancellor. With 35 years of experience in both public and private universities and having held various management positions, Prof. Dato’ Seri Dr. Mohamed Mustafa Ishak has vast experience in managing issues and challenges pertaining to higher education institutions at both local and international arenas. In July 2024 Prof. Emeritus Dato’ Seri Dr. Mohamed Mustafa Bin Ishak was appointed as the Vice Chancellor/Rector of Innovative University College Malaysia.

Carol Ann is the award winning Co-founder of The Zebra Partnership - a Publishing and Campaigns agency. She’s a Charted Management Institute Regional Chair and CMI Women Deputy Chair.

Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Heritage Operations, Chief of Staff & Chair of the Public Programme Committee for The Portico Library and Newsroom, on the Northern PowerWomen Power List, Advisory Board Member for human, BBC Radio Manchester monthly contributor since 2014, guest lecturer and event host.

In 2019 she was honoured with Global Goodwill Ambassador status from the foundation and in 2021 Carol Ann was named Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Champion in the top 100 Social Media Influencers. Carol Ann was awarded the ‘Inspiring Women Worldwide’ accolade from the Womens International Network in Geneva.

Her dedication to ‘Queen Making’ and being a ‘Disruptor for Good’, Carol Ann is an Ambassador for 50:50 Parliament former Trustee the creator of the ‘Amplifying Muted Voices’ campaign, Baton Award Winner for Political Figure of the Year 2024 and Inspiring Women Award Constance award winner 2025.

During Black History Month 2024, Carol Ann received a Citation of Honour from the GEWE Global Network for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment. In November 2025, she was inaugurated as an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Fellow at the University of East London, Office for Institutional Equity.