Downing Alumnus/Alumna of the Year & Downing Young Alumnus/Alumna of the Year nominees

Downing Alumnus/Alumna of the Year & Downing Young Alumnus/Alumna of the Year nominees

Congratulations to everyone nominated for our inaugural ‘Downing Alumnus/Alumna of the Year Award 2023'.

The calibre of entries was superb and our judging panel had a very tough task picking the winners.

To recognise the achievement of reaching the final judging stage we’d like to share the profiles of our shortlisted entries.

Alumnus/Alumna of the Year 2023 nominees

Foster Murphy (1962), Theology

Foster has devoted his whole career to voluntary and charity works, his most recent role being with the organisation Charitable Futures which he founded in 2002. 

Prior to that, he held senior management roles in the voluntary sector for more than 30 years. His success as Chief Executive of The Abbeyfield Society in leading the organisation in renewing its vision, in strengthening the managerial capacity of the Society, and highlighting the contribution of volunteers is well recognised in the sector.

While Chief Executive of the Volunteer Centre UK, Foster secured greater understanding amongst policymakers and funders of the contribution of volunteering and oversaw a period of considerable growth in the resources devoted to stimulating and supporting volunteering.

In addition to these two key roles, Foster's career embraces national student and youth organisations, faith-based organisations, and other UK wide umbrella bodies (including NCVO).
Since 2015 he has turned to writing poetry, with six self-published books completed so far.

Lyndsey De Mestre (1995), Law

Lyndsey de Mestre is a barrister specialising in international arbitration, insolvency, company and commercial law mediation. 

Through her professional and voluntary work she has consistently demonstrated her commitment to her field and to transforming society more broadly. In 2018 Lyndsey was one of the first 500 women to be appointed to silk and in 2023 she was appointed Chair of the Bar Inn’s Conduct Committee in recognition of her professional discipline work.  

Lyndsey is the Chancellor of the Diocese of St Albans and in February 2023 she became Chancellor of the Diocese of York, overseeing legal issues across the Diocese on behalf of the Archbishop.

In addition to these roles, Lyndsey has championed the destigmatisation of mental health issues at the Bar. Recently, she has been invited to lead work on the impact of the menopause on career development at the Bar, drafting menopause guidance and policies to be used throughout the profession. Lyndsey’s extensive work in this area has led to her recognition by MPs and an invitation to represent the Bar at the House of Commons All Party Parliamentary Group on menopause in the justice system. 

Elsewhere, Lyndsey has driven change in many ways. As a Church of England judge she drafted guidance on the use of vacant Church buildings as vaccination centres in the pandemic. Having chaired police misconduct reviews involving domestic abuse, workplace misogyny and imbalances of power, she has effected internal reviews and changes in practice in Essex and Bedfordshire police forces. She has also been key in supporting displaced Afghan judges to find university placements, housing and jobs in the UK.

Mandy Aulak (1996), Law

Mandy’s legal career began at Linklaters where she developed her interest in employment law and would go on to consolidate her experience at niche practice Doyle Clayton, Pinsent Masons and Royal Mail. Client secondments to blue chip companies and a stint at the Free Representation Unit where she acted for individuals who could not afford legal representation in their employment tribunal matters are all features of her career.

At age 29, Mandy was diagnosed with a visual impairment which led her to develop a particular interest in disability matters in the workplace. However, it was not until her young son was diagnosed as autistic that disability took on a new level of significance.  Mandy decided to co-found her own law firm, Talem Law in 2017 as well as adding a new practice area of Special Educational Needs (SEN) to her practice. 

Talem Law advises on all aspects of employment law for businesses as well as individuals and on SEND matters. Mandy’s particular expertise though is on advising on disability in both the classroom and the workplace. She is often asked to comment on SEN topics on the radio and has been involved in various roundtable discussions at Parliament to look at changes in legislation impacting families with disabled children. She is the co-author of the "No-nonsense Guide to Disability Law in Education" published by Support SEND Kids in November 2022. It is designed to help parents and carers of children with a disability to start to understand how the law on disability discrimination operates in education so they can request the additional disability-related support that their children are legally entitled to.

She also has ambitions to transform the way disability is managed and understood in the workplace and is in the process of developing the “Talem Toolkit”, all whilst juggling the running of a law firm with caring for her autistic son.

Dr Joel Meyer (1997), Medicine

Joel is a critical care consultant at the Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and in 2020 co-founded Life Lines which provided unique ICU virtual visiting solutions to enable family and friends to connect with loved ones in intensive care during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Life Lines has provided more than 135,000 virtual visits and over 1 million call minutes since the start of the pandemic and more than 1,400 4G enabled Android devices were provided to 180 NHS hospitals across the UK.

It is a remarkable achievement to have innovated, developed and forged partnerships which brought comfort to those in the most desperate situations, all whilst working within the mentally and physically demanding conditions of an intensive care department during the pandemic.
Joel’s achievements were recognised in the New Year Honours List with an MBE for services to the NHS during the pandemic.  

Young Alumnus/Alumna of the Year 2023 nominees

Levi Marelus (2014), Law

In a world rampant with loneliness, particularly among older adults, Levi Marelus and Friendlybuzz emerge as beacons of hope and connection. Co-founded with Michael Marelus, whose unwavering commitment and work is pivotal, Friendlybuzz, a global public benefit corporation, is making transformative impact on thousands of lives in the UK, the US, Belgium, Israel, and beyond. Its innovative approach uses advanced technology and gerontological insights to bridge the gap between isolation and connection, substantially enhancing the well-being of older adults.

In collaboration with institutions like Georgia State University and Virginia Tech, Freindlybuzz’s research highlights the extensive benefits of their solution system. Participants have reported significantly improved quality of life and substantial reductions in depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts, highlighting the platform's critical importance, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Marelus’ commitment ensures older individuals lead healthier, more fulfilled lives by cultivating meaningful relationships and providing unwavering support, essential for mental and physical health. Marelus’ global efforts to reduce social isolation among older adults are transforming countless lives.

Ben Peirce (2006), Medicine

Ben Peirce is a doctor, specialising in anaesthesia, intensive care medicine and pre-hospital emergency medicine. He has worked in the East of England since graduating from Downing, including spending a year with East Anglian Air Ambulance.

Ben has regularly volunteered his time and expertise over the last six years as a doctor for a local charity Suffolk Accident Rescue Service (SARS). Having completed his emergency response driver training, he responds alongside the East of England ambulance service to those most critically injured or unwell. SARS responders, like Ben, have additional skills and carry equipment and drugs not found on frontline ambulances. This allows Ben to perform advanced diagnostics, pain relief and surgical procedures at the scene, which would not normally be possible outside a hospital environment. Since joining SARS Ben has voluntarily offered over 1,000 hours to support those most in medical need.

Bertie Ivory-Peters (2017), Nuclear Engineering

After completing his Nuclear Energy MPhil at Downing, Bertie founded Alectro with the goal of combating climate change and speeding up the transition to a low-carbon economy. He developed Alectro’s software, the Virtual Sustainability Officer®, which uses an innovative algorithm that helps SMEs measure their carbon impact and generate decarbonisation actions for transitioning to a net zero economy.

Through this technology, Bertie and his team have impacted 50 companies and over 4,500 individual employees in the UK, Europe, North America, Asia, and Australasia, enabling them to participate actively in the low-carbon economy transition. Bertie's work with Alectro has directly contributed to over 30 organisations joining United Nations' initiatives.

Bertie has also mentored students interested in environmental, social and governance roles, providing valuable advice and insights into the challenges and opportunities of transitioning to a low-carbon economy.