Hospitality chief executive and Grammy-winning engineers among Surrey's 2026 alumni award winners

Also recognised were Jay Matthews, a frontline medical humanitarian, Richard Costelloe, a Battersea-era archive volunteer, Helen Hardy, founder of women's football retailer FOUDYS, Lucy Barnes, a barrister and charity co-founder, and Chris Sibthorpe, a BBC World Service journalist.

Now in their twelfth year, the awards honour graduates whose work has made an outstanding contribution to their profession, the University and wider society. This year's winners showcased the breadth of Surrey's global alumni community, with impact spanning hospitality investment, humanitarian healthcare, sport and inclusion, social mobility, music production, journalism and University heritage. 

The event, hosted at Lakeside Restaurant on the University's Stag Hill campus, brought together winners and their guests, including nominators, friends, family and the lecturers who helped shape their careers. 

The CEO of Kingdom Hotel Investments and one of the hospitality industry's most prominent figures, Sarmad Zok (BSc Hotel Management, 1990), received the 2026 Alumnus of the Year Award. Over a career spanning more than three decades, Sarmad has led major international hotel investment transactions, including the sale and merger of Fairmont Raffles with AccorHotels and the integration of Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts with AccorHotels. He has also completed significant multi-billion-dollar portfolio deals across the US, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. 

An Operating Department Practitioner and medical humanitarian, Jay Matthews (DipHE Operating Department Practice, 2010) received the Outstanding Contribution to Society Award for delivering frontline care in some of the world's most challenging environments, including Gaza, Ukraine, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Bangladesh. Working with UK-Med, Jay has supported hospitals and emergency medical teams during conflict, disease outbreaks and humanitarian crises, treating patients with severe trauma, burns, amputations and complex injuries under extreme pressure. 

A Battersea alumnus whose exceptional voluntary service has helped preserve Surrey's history and heritage, Richard Costelloe (BSc Mechanical Engineering, 1964) received the Outstanding Contribution to Surrey Award. Since 2014, Richard has volunteered almost weekly with the University's Archives & Special Collections team, supporting vital collections of work including listing, repackaging, renumbering and researching archive material. 

Three Alumni Achievement Awards were presented this year. Founder and CEO of FOUDYS, the world's first women's football retail site and physical shop, Helen Hardy (BA Acting, Guildford School of Acting, 2012) was recognised for transforming access to women's football merchandise and for founding Manchester Laces, the largest inclusive women's and non-binary football club in Manchester. 

A barrister, public speaker and co-founder of charity Lawyers Who Care, Lucy Barnes (LLB Law, 2018) was recognised for her advocacy for care-experienced people and her work to improve access to the legal profession through mentoring, opportunities and community. 

A Grammy Award-winning recording, mixing and mastering engineer, Sam Okell (BMus Music and Sound Recording (Tonmeister), 2002) 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 Music and Sound Recording (Tonmeister), 2014), another Grammy-winning engineer whose credits include Sabrina Carpenter, Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, Sam Fender, The 1975 and Peter Gabriel, received the Young Achiever Award. Now a respected freelance engineer in Los Angeles, Oli has also contributed to cutting-edge Dolby Atmos and immersive audio production, while continuing to support Surrey's Tonmeister students through workshops, mentoring and alumni activities. 

A BBC World Service journalist and dedicated alumni volunteer, Chris Sibthorpe (LLB Law, 2015) received the Volunteer of the Year Award. Chris has worked across BBC News and BBC World Service, contributing to coverage of major events including the EU referendum campaign, the Covid-19 pandemic, the death of Queen Elizabeth II, three general elections and seven Prime Ministers, while continuing to mentor students, support careers events and deliver guest talks for the School of Law.