A delegation from the University of Westminster visited Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to host the University’s first alumni event in the country and explore opportunities for academic collaboration and engagement.
Held between 30 June to 3 July, the visit was led by Professor Dibyesh Anand, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Global Engagement and Employability, alongside Dr Mazia Yassim, Associate Head of College of External Relations at Westminster Business School, Professor Luke Mason, Head of Westminster Law School, Simay Sali Sevik, Development Manager, and Alyssa Martin, Senior Alumni Networks Manager.
During the visit, the group held a series of meetings with partners and local stakeholders, including recruitment and engagement activities, to explore and strengthen connections between Westminster and Saudi Arabia.
The event took place at the British Ambassador’s Residence and welcomed 55 attendees, including graduates, local agents and representatives from the British Embassy and British Council. The event provided an opportunity to reconnect with alumni living and working in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and to showcase the University’s global community.
Speeches were delivered by Professor Anand, who linked the ongoing development in Saudi Arabia to the change and evolution happening at Westminster, encouraging collaboration and business opportunities. Alyssa Martin then spoke about building the local alumni community and encouraged graduates to connect with and support each other as well as the University.
A speech was also delivered by 2009 Marketing Communications MA/MSc alumnus Faisal Abbas, who is now Editor-in-Chief at Arab News. Faisal is also a finalist for the Outstanding Achievement category in the 2025 Westminster Alumni Awards. In his talk he highlighted his interest in seeing the local community unite to build a strong alumni network in Saudi Arabia.
About the partnership Alyssa Martin said: “We were proud to welcome such an incredible turnout at our first Westminster alumni event in Saudi Arabia. The energy from the attendees captured the spirit of our vibrant international community, and it was a true pleasure to connect with so many inspiring graduates in person. I look forward to seeing the local network continue to grow.”
Professor Anand added: “As a university, we are strongly committed to maintaining our global community of students, colleagues and alumni. Having our first major alumni event in Riyadh and witnessing the enthusiasm of everyone involved has been inspirational. We invite our Westminster alumni to work more closely with us to provide greater opportunities for our students and recent graduates to flourish in this world.”
Faisal added: “It was great to finally get the incredible Westminster graduates in Saudi Arabia together for what is hopefully the first of many events and activities that will help us create a strong, well-connected and useful network that could be used to help each other, fresh graduates and the community as a whole. It was also meeting with the visiting delegation from the University in London and it is thanks to them, as well as the ambassador and the team at the British Embassy here in Riyadh that this together finally took place - here is to many more to come.”
The visit directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) 17: Partnerships for the Goals. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Find out more about the University’s alumni and supporters.
Related articles
