Winners
Volunteer of the Year Award

Kirsty has an MBA, a BA & BSc (Hons) in Interactive Multimedia from the University of Huddersfield and Social Psychology plus Philosophy from the Open University. A Chartered Manager of the CMI, Kirsty is currently completing a PhD in Business and Management. With a focus on latent and necessity entrepreneurial skills within individuals in marginalised communities. Kirsty’s aspiration is to present new knowledge and micro-interventions to manoeuvre individuals of all ages from poverty and associated issues into entrepreneurship.

Kirsty has run her own multimedia and digital agency since 2008. She is also the founder and managing director of Qualia Academy an apprenticeship training provider. Delivering Digital Marketing plus Management apprenticeships and training across the UK, since 2014.

Her passion lies in giving back to her community. As well as her core business, she makes time to deliver a community-focused service that supports confidence-building, delivers career advice, and mentors individuals from marginalised groups to set up and run their own businesses.

Kirsty is care experienced and provides support plus mentoring for individuals that have also been care experienced to work towards higher skilled roles.

Throughout this, she focuses on generating local employment opportunities, promoting economic growth, and facilitating social inclusion. She is also a BAME ambassador at the University of Huddersfield.

An accomplished C-Level executive recognised for growing businesses, building high performing teams, and delivering improved results and mega projects for some of the world’s leading Fortune 500 engineering and construction companies. Neil brings a broad-based background in developed and emerging economies and both vertical and horizontal construction. This includes buildings, infrastructure, industrial and defence and security, high technology facilities, water and wastewater treatment, environmental solutions, transportation infrastructure as well as major programs and complex projects.

A Chartered Engineer (CEng), he also holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) Civil Engineering from the University of South Wales, is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (FICE) and is also a Chartered Companion of the Chartered Management Institute (CMgr CCMI) and a Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv).

Neil serves on several Boards as a Non-Executive Chairman, Director and Advisor in the private, public and third sector. He is also a STEM Ambassador and a Freeman of the City of London and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Water Conservators. When not working you will find him cycling that he also uses as a platform to raise money for cancer charities.

Emma has been a member of CMI since 2016 when she gained Chartered Manager status. Educated in Bristol and Manchester Universities she’s currently a Professional Development Expert at Corndel, delivering transformational leadership and management courses to senior business leaders across multiple sectors in the UK.

Previously she worked as the Head of the Exploration & Development in an energy consultancy, where her team of geoscientists helped their clients find energy resources globally. Emma has extensive strategic leadership experience and is passionate about helping people to become the best leader they can be.  She is also working towards completing her Executive Coaching Level 7 diploma.

Emma joined the board in the Communications and Social Mead lead position and is looks to promote to work that CMI does, in addition she has run a number of our events covering workplace wellbeing, employability and leading through change.

Dr. Thesara Jayawardane is the Head of the Department of Industrial Management at the Faculty of Business of the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka.

She obtained her BSc (Engineering) degree in Materials and Process Engineering from the University of Waikato, New Zealand. She obtained the PhD and MPhil in Entrepreneurship from the University of Aldersgate. She is an Attorney at Law of Sri Lanka with a LLB (Honours) from the University of London and, has a Master of Arts in Drama and Theater from the University of Kelaniya. She is a Chartered Manager and Fellow of Chartered Management Institute-UK and a Chartered Marketer and a Fellow of Chartered Institute of Marketing-UK. She is a Member of the Bar Association-SL, SL Institute of Marketing, American Marketing Association, and an Associate member of the Institute of Engineers SL and Engineering Council of Sri Lanka.

Thesara is a Diversity and Inclusion Lead and, Board member of the CMI-Sri Lanka Chapter for the 3rd consecutive year appointed as the Assistant Secretary from 01 May 2022 to 01 May 2023. She actively promotes Equality, Diversity, and Inclusivity along with Entrepreneurship in Sri Lanka and, has published over 30 research Journal articles, presented over 60 Conference papers, and delivered numerous Keynote speeches on the same.

Thesara was a Judge of the final panel of Judges choosing the CMI Management Book of the Year 2022. She is an inspirational Author of three novels and four famous Translations promoting women empowerment and, her latest publication is a Textbook on “Entrepreneurship”.

Thesara is a Distinguished Fellow of the Institute of National Security Studies Sri Lanka and a Founder member of Aramuna organisation where she provides legal and marketing advice, while advocating Entrepreneurship among Sri Lankans.

Thesara is an award-winning actress who has starred in a few chosen movies and TV dramas, and won the Best Actress Award at UNDA OCIC 2008 and State Tele Awards 2007. She serves as the Senior Treasurer of Drama Society of UoM. As a hobby she works as a Television Presenter hosting a morning show telecasting in ART TV promoting budding female Entrepreneurs.