Curtain-up: celebrating our change-makers of 2024

Curtain-up: celebrating our change-makers of 2024

This year has been a remarkable year for University of Hull alumni. We hope you enjoy celebrating these true change-makers who are driving advances in their individual realms from theatre to politics. As the year comes to a close, we’re so proud to share their achievements, many of which we think are a ‘first’. Though you might think we’ve pushed the boundaries ourselves a little ….

First University of Hull graduate to be profiled in Vogue: Indhu Rabasingham

In 2025 Indhu, whose remarkable theatre career began with a prize in the National Student Drama Festival while she was studying at the University of Hull, will become the first woman and the first person of colour to become Artistic Director at the National Theatre.

Indhu, who studied BA Hons Drama (1992) has been profiled in British Vogue this month. This is the first time a University of Hull graduate has been profiled in the pages of the prestigious magazine.

The article charts her career to date, suggests she is ‘set to become one of the most powerful women in British arts’ and recognises her as a theatre trailblazer in her new role, following a line of white, male predecessors that began with Sir Laurence Olivier (1963–1973).

Read more about Indhu Rabasingham here: In Vogue Theatre's most powerful woman | University of Hull

First Minister for Wales: Eluned Morgan

Eluned Morgan was already an influential, inspiring and history-making Hull alumna when she became First Minister of Wales, in August this year. She is the first woman to hold the role.

After being awarded a BA in European Studies from the University of Hull in 1990, Eluned Morgan has enjoyed a remarkable career in politics. Upon her election in 1994 at the age of 27, she became not only the youngest person to win a seat in the European Parliament, but only the fifth Welsh woman ever to be elected to a full-time political position. She also made history when she became the first Welsh woman to have a baby whilst in office.

Inequality, education and energy have been at the heart of Eluned’s interest in politics.

Professor Dave Petley, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hull, said: “We are immensely proud of Eluned as a graduate of the University of Hull. She has gone on to serve the people of Wales with distinction, representing an inspiration to the next generation of students. She is a shining example of the ways in which a Hull education can prepare students for a lifetime of achievement.”

Read about Eluned Morgan here: University of Hull graduate Eluned becomes First Minister of Wales | University of Hull

First campus visit by Nobel-prize winning graduate: Guido Imbens

We welcomed our first Nobel prize winning graduate Guido Imbens to campus this year. He returned to Hull to be awarded an Honorary Degree in July 2024 and while he was visiting joined us on campus to record an interview and enjoyed dinner with senior members of staff. Guido studied MSc Economics at the University of Hull in1986. His Honorary Degree was awarded in recognition of his remarkable achievements as a Hull graduate.

Guido was awarded a Nobel Prize in Economics in 2021 alongside his colleagues Joshua Angrist and David Card. Their work has helped researchers better understand cause-and-effect relationships in real-world economic situations, where it is not possible to set up controlled experiments.

We asked Guido, when he returned to Hull, how he felt when he heard he had won the Nobel prize: He said: “It’s a very strange, very unreal experience. They make the decision around 11 in the morning in Stockholm, and call you at around 2 in the morning in California. I woke up with the telephone call and you have about half-an-hour to get ready because you are going to get lots of calls. You realise it’s going to be a very big change. My wife and I woke up the kids, and they got very excited. It was a very special morning.”

Read more about Guido Imbens here: Fridge magnets, econometrics and a Nobel Prize | University of Hull

The first ever London West End production for audiences with profound and multiple learning disabilities: Daniel Swift, Belle Streeton, Annabelle Lee.

Earlier this year, three alumni were at the heart of a groundbreaking and essential new show that brought theatre to an audience that has been overlooked for too long. Sensory Cinders, a co-production between Concrete Youth and Barnsley Civic became the first ever production for audiences with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) to be performed in London’s West End, when it showed @sohoplace.

CEO and Co-Creative Director Daniel Swift FRSA (MA Theatre Making, 2019) formed Concrete Youth in 2019 and has brought in fellow graduates, Co-Artistic Director Belle Streeton (BA Drama & Theatre Practice, 2018) and Head of Education and Engagement Annabelle Lee (BA English, 2022) to work with him. This latest show received great reviews from audiences commenting on the humour, the heart-warming tale and the thoughtful and inclusive production.

Mary Pollard, writing for Everything-Theatre.co.uk wrote: “the care this show has for its audience is tangible before even getting to the stage”. And that is really key to the work of these three fantastic graduates: the way their productions are designed and created completely with their audience in mind. This may be the first production for this audience to be performed in the heart of British theatre, but it is built on years of hard-work, dedication and putting a neglected audience first.

More University of Hull graduates appointed to high-profile roles in 2024:

David Byrne, who studied BA Drama, graduating in 2006 from the University of Hull, was appointed as the Artistic Director of the Royal Court Theatre, a London theatre known for supporting new voices in playwriting, in January 2024.

Samir Shah, who studied BSc Geography, graduating in 1973 from the University of Hull and has worked in broadcasting for over 40 years, was appointed at chair of the BBC in March 2024. He is responsible for upholding and protecting the independence of the BBC and for ensuring that the BBC fulfils its mission to inform, educate and entertain and promotes its public purposes.

Of course, this is just a quick glimpse of some of the great work University of Hull graduates are undertaking. For every graduate named here, there are thousands more working in essential jobs supporting the economy, healthcare and business.

We wish all our graduates every success for the future and a very Happy New Year.