Bonnie Chiu

‘Silver Angel Award’ laureate for women empowerment

Founder and CEO, Lensational
Managing Director, The Social Investment Consultancy
London, UK

Hong Kong-born Chiu is the Founder and CEO of award-winning non-profit social enterprise Lensational, which aims to empower marginalised women by equipping them with cameras and photography training. Since launching in 2013, the organisation – which has expanded to a team of a hundred volunteers – has taught photography to seven hundred women across seventeen developing countries. She is also the Managing Director of The Social Investment Consultancy, an international consulting firm headquartered in London that helps organisations maximise their social impact. She holds a MSc International Relations at the London School of Economics (LSE) and she is recognised as a Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur in Europe in 2017. As a two-time TEDx speaker, she has been invited to speak in 11 countries on topics on social entrepreneurship, youth leadership and gender equality - most prominently at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting

Habiba Al Mar’ashi

‘Silver Angel Award’ laureate for Environment Protection and Social Responsibility

Co-founder and Chairperson
Emirates Environmental Group (EEG)
The United Arab Emirates

Mrs. Habiba Al Mara’shi is the co-founder and Chairperson of Emirates Environmental Group (EEG), a pioneering organisation founded in the United Arab Emirates in 1991. A visionary for a Safer Environment and a sustainable future for her country, region and the world in general, she has pioneered and played a key role in the growth of EEG to be a regional multi-sectorial organisation. EEG has had many a first under its banner.

• The first environmental NGO in the world to receive an ISO 14001 certification in 2001. EEG is also the only organization of its kind in the GCC to be accredited with two highly esteemed UN bodies namely the United Nations Convention to Combating Desertification (UNCCD) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Governing Council.
• Under the leadership of Mrs. Al Mara’shi, in the year 2004, Arabia CSR Network (ACSRN) the first Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Network in the Arab Region came into being. ACSRN is the only multi stakeholder platform with local and multinational entities. ACRN initiated and rolled out the first prestigious Corporate Social Responsibility Award for the Arab World in 2008.
• A founding member of the Emirates Green Building Council (Emirates GBC) wherein    Mrs. Al Mara’shi serves as a Treasurer to the Council since 2006 in addition to her role as the Vice Chair of the Council. She also serves as a Membership Committee on the World Green Building Council (WGBC) since 2016.
• EEG is a member of the UN Global Compact (UNGC) and had the privilege to host the Local Network for the Gulf States from 2008-2014.  Mrs. Al Mara’shi was also the first Arab woman to become a board member of the UN Global Compact and was on the board from 2006 to 2012

Besides the above Mrs. Al Mara’shi is actively involved and is a member on the Board of several prestigious Councils. She is involved in many leading initiatives on environment, women and development at the national, regional and international levels and is a recognized representative and spokesperson for West Asian Arab Women at high ranking international summits. 

Steven Blessing Ackah

‘Silver Angel Award’ laureate for Youth Development

Founder & Head of Government Relations
The UAE-Africa Mentoring Development Consortium (UAMDC)
Ghana

Mr. Steven Blessing Ackah is Founder & Head of Government Relations, UAE-Africa Mentoring Development Consortium (UAMDC) - (Accra-Ghana), a Youth Coach and the Founding President of Transform Ghana Peace Project, an award winning initiator- Africa Achievers Merit Award 2016. He has been the youngest to create a national early warning system on youth employment, cyber security, gender balance, political conflict, oil and gas, youth related issues, finance and poverty in West Africa. In the recent 2016 election, he was called as an electoral analyst and on the community of youth and woman. In 2015 he coordinated ACP Street Libraries proect by digitlasing cultural artifact, promoting cultural discussions. creating gender balance and new street libraries in Ghana, Libera and Cameroon. Between 2014 and 2017, the Book Aid Intitative Ghana fonated 5000 copied of his books to female students in 10 community schools.

Sedzani Siaga

‘Silver Angel Award’ laureate for contribution to the growth and development of young global leaders

Senior Lecturer at the University of Pretoria

Sedzani Musundwa is a qualified Chartered Accountant (CA) SA and current senior lecturer at the University of Pretoria. This career has awarded her the opportunity to seed value into the lives of young people she mentors, lectures and interacts with daily. Sedzani’s influence to the youth spans the national boarders through the work she does as an Executive and Scientific member of the G20 Youth forum. She joined the executive in 2013 and has since successfully impacted its development towards the global G200 committee that it is today. 

Some of her qualifications include an undergraduate and postgraduate degree in Accounting Sciences, a Master’s degree in commerce with a focus on international accounting, and she is currently pursuing a PhD in which she seeks to explore the quality of accounting education onthe African continent. “I felt the need to contribute in-depth insight into the topic, as only with access to this type of knowledge can we begin to improve the accounting education standards of the continent and yield the type of accountants that will make Africa a global force in the profession” she explains. In addition to this, Sedzani serves in the SAICA – Johannesburg District Association and the SAIPA technical and investigations board committees. 

Francesco Vanderjeugd

‘Silver Angel Award’ laureate for contribution in charitable activity and active social position 

Member of the Flemish Parliament

Mr. Vanderjeugd became a chairperson in a local party ‘Samen’ in 18 and a mayor of Staden in 24. He is Founder of ‘La-Ko-Sta For Charity’ (charity organization) - Year by year his charity organization ‘La-Ko-Sta For Charity’ chooses a few projects to offer them financial support. They collect money organizing annual marathon, participating in other sports event, selling sportswear.

He is Founder of ‘Staden Onderneemt’ (network event for local entrepreneurs)

Dr. Ruut Veenhoven

‘Silver Angel Award’ laureate for impact in scientific research of human happiness

Emeritus Professor, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Dr. Veenhoven is a Dutch sociologist and a pioneer and world authority on the scientific study of happiness, in the sense of subjective enjoyment of life. His work on the social conditions for human happiness at Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands, has contributed to a renewed interest in happiness as an aim for public policy.

Dr. Veenhoven is the founding director of the World Database of Happiness and a founding editor of the Journal of Happiness Studies. He has been described as "the godfather of happiness studies", and "a leading authority on worldwide levels of happiness from country to country", whose work "earned him international acclaim".

In 2014 Erasmus Happiness Economics Research Organisation (EHERO) created the Ruut Veenhoven Prize and from 2015 it is awarded annually in honour of Emeritus Professor Ruut Veenhoven (1942), a prominent researcher and one of the founders of the field of Happiness Studies. The prize carries an award of the equivalent of 2,500 Euro plus a certificate of appreciation. It is intended to award outstanding research in the field of Happiness Studies by a promising researcher; a researcher who has performed exceptional research and is just embarking on a research career (having obtained a doctorate within the last six years). The prize is presented at the Ruut Veenhoven Seminar in Happiness Studies to be held in Rotterdam. One more interesting fact that Erasmus Happiness Economics Research Organisation (EHERO) has granted the first Ruut Veenhoven Award for happiness studies to Dr. Jan-Emmanuel de Neve, Associate Professor in Economics and strategy.

Sofie Joosen

‘Silver Angel Award’ laureate for impact in animal protection

Member of the Flemish Parliament

Professionally, Ms. Joosen worked as a dental assistant for five years and then took a job as an assistant coordinator for a project at the Federation of Flemish Dentists.

In 2012, Sophie made her debut in the municipal elections. Her dedication was rewarded and she became a member of the committee on agriculture, rural development, fisheries and of the committee on internal government, integration and urban policies. In 2014 she went a step further and took part in the Flemish elections and was elected in the district of Antwerp. Sofie became one of the youngest New Flemish Alliance representatives.

Ms. Joosen is also politically active in her local community Duffel. Since the beginning of 2013 she is an alderwoman who is responsible for sports, local economy and small businesses, agriculture, tourism, festivities, registrar’s office and animal welfare.

Daniel Tkaczuk

‘Silver Angel Award’ laureate for participation in volunteer activities

Student, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia

Daniel Tkaczuk is currently in his penultimate year of a Bachelor of Law and International Studies at Deakin University, Australia. He has also completed studies in human resources and frontline management. Throughout his degree Daniel has studied at the University of Aarhus in Denmark and Symbiosis University in India.

In order to gain a practical understanding of international development Daniel has interned in Cambodia with a nongovernment organization called People Centre for Development and Peace, an organization that promotes democracy and enforces human rights. This experience allowed Daniel to attended high level conferences supported by the United Nations and European Union to strengthen laws on government transparency.

He has also contributed to a number of programs that seek to improve the quality of life for people living in underprivileged areas with the Red Cross in Australia. Daniel volunteers with the Ukrainian Youth Association in his hometown of Geelong where he provides Ukrainian youth an opportunity to understand their role in the diaspora. He has recently returned from an international tour performing with Lehenda Ukrainian Dance Company in Canada, the United States and Australia.

Dr. Robyn Sampson

‘Silver Angel Award’ laureate for support of the rights of immigrants

Research Fellow, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia

Robyn Sampson has worked on refugee issues for over 10 years. She completed a PhD in politics at La Trobe University and a bachelor’s degree at the University of Melbourne in Australia.

Robyn is currently a Senior Advisor and Research Coordinator with the International Detention Coalition and an Adjunct Research Fellow with the Swinburne Institute for Social Research at Swinburne University of Technology. Prior to these roles, Robyn was a Research Fellow with Swinburne University, and a researcher with the La Trobe Refugee Research Centre at La Trobe University.

Dr Sampson’s work on alternatives to immigration detention is a leading piece of research in her field. It has been presented to over 50 governments and used by several governments – including Japan, Mexico, Belgium and Thailand – to introduce less harmful policies. Robyn has been an expert speaker and technical advisor at international roundtables with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the International Organisation for Migration and several governments. Her work continues to provide a foundation for governments around the world to explore more humane treatment of asylum seekers, refugees and migrants.

Dr. Michael Baffoe

‘Silver Angel Award’ laureate for impact in social integration

Associate Professor, Faculty of Social Work, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada

Dr. Baffoe holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree (B.A, Hons, University of Ghana, 1979), Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W, McGill, 1992), Master of Social Work (M.S.W. McGill, 1993), Ph.D (Social Work/Educational Studies, McGill, 2006). Dr. Baffoe’s areas of interest are Education and Youth, and the Social and Educational Inclusion of Youth with Disabilities which straddle two thematic areas of the G20 conference: Social affairs, & Education and youth.

He has many years of experience of research, community organizing, teaching and working with youth, including youth with disabilities in developing countries. His research and teaching have also mainly focused on world migration and refugee movements, settlement and integration especially settlement implications for youth in new societies, and the social and educational inclusion of persons with disabilities in developing countries especially youth with disabilities.

He has worked closely with the Canadian Center on Disability Studies as well as Disability Organizations in Ghana, in the areas of social inclusion of persons with disabilities. Recognizing the fact that disability in most African countries are shrouded in myths and superstitions that contribute to marginalize and oppress persons with disabilities, Dr. Baffoe has over the past five years, been actively engaged in research on the social construction of disabilities in Ghana and the application of the social model of disability to promote and foster the social and educational inclusion of persons with disabilities.

Yanjie Yang

‘Silver Angel Award’ laureate for impact in environment protection

Yanjie Yang is currently studying towards an MSc in Business & Management (MBM) in the department of Strategy and Organisation at the University of Strathclyde, an organisation that aims to redefine the role of the entrepreneur to take more social responsibility. She also plays an active role in college activities. Firstly, she was the chief editor in a Chinese literature association, organizing literature activities and editing magazines. Secondly, as the president of a university tourism association she organized the first Tourism Culture Exhibition on campus as well as organizing fellows to survey historic villages that are currently protected in Zhejiang, China.

Yanjie founded Strathclyde’s Youai Scotland Association as a charitable society. The charity aims to provide an education for disadvantaged Chinese pupils through fund raising activities such as recycling and selling.

Volunteering for Yunnan Parallel provided the opportunity to bring Yanjie into contact with the problem of AIDS and also an understanding of NGO operational models in China.

Yana Alexandrova

‘Silver Angel Award’ laureate for the contribution to the development of youth diplomacy

G-20Y Association Head of the Executive Committee, G200 Association Head of the Strategic Commission

Before taking the position of Head of the Executive Committee in G-20Y Association she held the position of Head of External Communications. Right up to 2014 she headed the Executive Committee of G200 Association.

Yana gained fourteen years of experience regarding intercultural so management skills in different international companies in the sphere of event management and energy construction. During her time at university Yana was involved in social entrepreneurship startups development and dedicated about seven years to it.

Yana graduated St. Petersburg State University Law School. She took various courses on international relations and law, management, sales, marketing and development at Seattle Law School, Helsinki State University and University of Amsterdam.

Timofey Kunitsky

‘Silver Angel Award’ laureate for the contribution to the development of youth diplomacy

Vice-Consul, Russian Consulate-General, Edinburgh, the UK

Mr. Kunitsky graduated the International Relations Department of Sankt-Petersburg state university. Timofey actively participated in international seminars and conferences attended by prominent researchers and scholars, policymakers and renowned public figures both Russian and foreign. The alumnus continued his international career as an Attach at the Edinburgh’s Russian Consulate. Mr. Kunitsky is currently a Vice-Consul of the Russian Consulate-General in Edinburgh.