41 Notable alumni of
Cranfield University
Updated:
Cranfield University is 1288th in the world, 447th in Europe, and 85th in the United Kingdom by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 41 notable alumni from Cranfield University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
-
Charles Ingram
- Occupations
- engineernovelistmilitary officer
- Biography
-
Charles William Ingram is an English fraudster and a former Major in the British Army who gained fame for his appearance on the ITV television game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? In episodes recorded in September 2001, Ingram correctly answered fifteen questions to win the show's maximum prize of £1 million, becoming the third recorded contestant ever to do so. However, he was denied the winnings due to suspicion of cheating.
-
Crispin Blunt
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Crispin Jeremy Rupert Blunt is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Reigate from 1997 to 2024. Formerly a member of the Conservative Party, he was the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Prisons and Youth Justice within the Ministry of Justice from 2010 to 2012 and Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee from 2015 until 2017.
-
Sarah Willingham
- Occupations
- restaurateurbusinessperson
- Biography
-
Sarah Louise Willingham is a British entrepreneur, serial investor, founder and CEO of Nightcap, with extensive experience in the hospitality industry.
-
James Vowles
- Occupations
- engineerteam manager
- Biography
-
James Patrick Vowles is a British motorsport engineer and Team Principal of Williams Racing. Before joining Williams, he was the motorsport strategy director at Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team. He was also responsible for the Brawn GP race strategy, which was critical to the team's championship-winning 2009 season. He has worked in Formula One for over 20 years, including under the leadership of team principals David Richards, Ross Brawn, and Toto Wolff, and has played a key role in nine Constructors' Championships, eight Drivers' Championships and over 100 Grands Prix wins.
-
Siddhartha Lal
- Years
- 1973-.. (age 52)
- Occupations
- businessperson
- Biography
-
Siddhartha Vikram Lal is an Indian businessman. The son of businessman Vikram Lal, Lal is a former chief executive officer (CEO) and the current managing director (MD) of Eicher Motors, a director of Eicher Goodearth and chairman and MD of VE Commercial Vehicles. Lal is noted for the turnaround and revival of Royal Enfield.
-
Patrick Sanders
- Occupations
- army officer
- Biography
-
General Sir Patrick Nicholas Yardley Monrad Sanders, KCB, CBE, DSO is a retired senior British Army officer who served as Chief of the General Staff from 13 June 2022 until 15 June 2024.
-
Pat Symonds
- Occupations
- engineer
- Biography
-
Patrick Bruce Reith Symonds is a British motor racing engineer, who is currently the executive engineering consultant for the Andretti Cadillac F1 program. He was the Chief Technical Officer at Williams Grand Prix Engineering from 2013 until 2016, having previously worked at the Benetton, Renault and Virgin Formula One teams. Until May 2024 he was the Chief Technical Officer of Formula One. In September 2009, Symonds was forced to resign from the ING Renault F1 team due to his involvement in race fixing at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. After the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) conducted its own investigation, Symonds and Renault's Managing Director Flavio Briatore were banned indefinitely from any events sanctioned by the FIA, although this ban was later overturned by a French Tribunal de Grande Instance.
-
Winnie Byanyima
- Occupations
- engineerpoliticianentrepreneurdiplomataircraft pilot
- Biography
-
Winifred Byanyima, is a Ugandan aeronautical engineer, politician, human rights activist, feminist and diplomat. She is the executive director of UNAIDS, effective November 2019.
-
Andy Palmer
- Occupations
- entrepreneurchief executive officerengineer
- Biography
-
Andrew Charles Palmer CMG FIMechE is an English automotive executive and engineer. He has been described as the 'Godfather of EVs' and the 'éminence grise' of the auto industry due to his work launching the Nissan Leaf in 2010 whilst COO at the Japanese company. Palmer is also known for launching Aston Martin's first SUV, the DBX, and first mid-engined sports car, Valkyrie, during his tenure as CEO from 2014 to 2020. Palmer was previously CEO and Executive Vice-chairman of electric bus and van company, Switch. He resigned from this role in 2022. Palmer was appointed Interim CEO of PodPoint in July 2023.
-
Ahmed Lawan
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan GCON is a Nigerian politician and former lecturer who served as the 14th president of the Nigerian Senate from 2019 to 2023. He represents the Yobe North Senatorial District in the Senate as a member of the All Progressives Congress.
-
Nigel Doughty
- Occupations
- businesspersonassociation football player
- Biography
-
Nigel Edward Doughty was a British investor and football club owner, who was co-chairman and co-founder of Doughty Hanson & Co, a European private equity firm based in London.
-
Antony Jenkins
- Occupations
- entrepreneurbanker
- Biography
-
Antony Peter Jenkins CBE is a British business executive. Since 2016 he has been the chief executive officer of 10x Future Technologies, which he founded. He was the group chief executive of Barclays from 30 August 2012 until his dismissal on 8 July 2015.
-
Vahit Kirişci
- Occupations
- university teacherpolitician
- Biography
-
Vahit Kirişci is a Turkish politician. He served as the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry from 4 March 2022 to 4 June 2023. He was elected as Member of Parliament from Kahramanmaraş for the Justice and Development Party in the 2023 elections.
-
Aishah Ahmad
- Occupations
- banker
- Biography
-
Aishah Ndanusa Ahmad is a Nigerian accountant and finance professional. She is a former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria having been appointed on 6 October 2017, replacing Sarah Alade, who retired in March 2017. She was confirmed by the Nigerian Senate on 22 March 2018. On 6 December 2022, Ahmad was reappointed deputy governor for a second five-year term and subsequently confirmed by the Senate on 14 December 2022. However, on 15 September 2023, she was removed from office by President Bola Tinubu alongside three other deputy governors for alleged corporate governance failures at the Central Bank of Nigeria.
-
James Morris
- Occupations
- politiciancricketer
- Biography
-
James George Morris OBE is a British politician who served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Primary Care and Patient Safety from July to September 2022. He served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Halesowen and Rowley Regis in the West Midlands between 2010 and 2024. He also served as Vice-Chamberlain of the Household from 2021 to 2022. He is a member of the Conservative Party.
-
Rudolf de Korte
- Occupations
- politicianbanker
- Biography
-
Rudolf Willem de Korte was a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and businessman.
-
Abdel Rahim Mohammed Hussein
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Abdel Rahim Mohammed Hussein is a Sudanese politician and the former Governor of Khartoum State. Hussein served as the longstanding Minister of National Defense of The Republic of Sudan. Hussein also served for a period as the Minister of Interior Affairs. During his term as Minister of Interior Affairs, he opened the Rabat University. Hussein was arrested in early April 2019 following a coup on 11 April which overthrew al-Bashir.
-
Nader al-Dahabi
- Occupations
- military personnelpolitician
- Biography
-
Nader Dahabi is a Jordanian politician who was the 37th Prime Minister of Jordan from 25 November 2007 to 14 December 2009. He took office following the resignation of Marouf al-Bakhit, and days after the parliamentary elections in which Islamists and opposition were defeated by pro-regime candidates. On 9 December 2009, he handed in his resignation to King Abdullah II, along with the rest of his government.
-
Christopher Tickell
- Years
- 1964-.. (age 61)
- Occupations
- military leader
- Biography
-
Lieutenant General Sir Christopher Linley Tickell, KBE is a senior British Army officer who served as the Deputy Chief of the General Staff from August 2019 to August 2022.
-
David Fleming
- Occupations
- writerhistorianeconomistecologist
- Biography
-
David Fleming was an English economist, cultural historian and writer on environmental issues, based in London.
-
Dewan Rabindranath Soni
- Occupations
- military leader
- Biography
-
Lieutenant General Dewan Rabindranath Soni, PVSM, VSM is a former General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command of the Indian Army. He served in office from 1 December 2017 till 30 September 2018. He assumed the post after Lieutenant General P M Hariz retired and was succeeded by Lt General Satinder Kumar Saini.
-
Omobola Johnson
- Years
- 1963-.. (age 62)
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Omobola Olubusola Johnson is a Nigerian technocrat and the Honorary Chairperson of the global Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI). She is also a former and first Minister of Communication Technology in the cabinet of President Goodluck Jonathan.
-
Raghbir Singh Bhola
- Occupations
- field hockey player
- Biography
-
Raghbir Singh Bhola was an Indian Airforce officer and international hockey player who represented India in the 1956 Melbourne and 1960 Rome Olympics, winning a gold and silver medal, respectively. He was also awarded the Arjuna Award for his contributions to Indian hockey in 2000.
-
Tyrone Urch
- Years
- 1965-.. (age 60)
- Occupations
- military leader
- Biography
-
Lieutenant General Sir Tyrone Richard Urch, KBE is a former senior British Army officer who served as General Officer Commanding, Force Troops Command and later Commander, Home Command.
-
Stuart Skeates
- Years
- 1966-.. (age 59)
- Occupations
- military personnel
- Biography
-
Lieutenant General Stuart Richard Skeates, CB, CBE is a retired senior British Army officer. He served as Deputy Commander of JFC Brunssum from December 2018 to December 2021. He also previously served as Standing Joint Force Commander from 2015 to 2018.
-
Simon Gicharu
- Occupations
- businessperson
- Biography
-
Simon Gicharu is an educationalist and founder of Mount Kenya University, which is East and Central Africa’s largest private university. He is also the founder of Mount Kigali University in Rwanda. He was born in 1964 in Gathiruini village, Kiambu County, Kenya. He is the first in a family of seven. Gicharu is also the Chairman of the Water Services Regulatory Board and National Private Universities Owners Association of Kenya. He is the founder of Equip Africa Institute and patron of the Mount Kenya University Graduate Enterprise Academy. He is also a board member at Thika Water and Sewerage Company, and the patron of Inter Universities Rover Moot under the Kenya Scouts Association. In 2015, Gicharu was named the Eastern African Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year, and subsequently inducted into the Ernst and Young Hall of Fame. He is married with three children.
-
Catriona Laing
- Occupations
- civil servantdiplomat
- Biography
-
Catriona Wendy Campbell Laing CB is a British civil servant and diplomat who has been serving as United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres' Special Representative for Somalia and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia since 2023.
-
Chris Liebenberg
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Christo Ferro Liebenberg is a South African banker who was Minister for Finance of South Africa, from 19 September 1994 to 4 April 1996, in the government of national unity chaired by Nelson Mandela.
-
Andrus Öövel
- Occupations
- canoeistmilitary personnelpoliticiansportspersonjurist
- Biography
-
Andrus Öövel is an Estonian rower and politician. From 1995 until 1999, he was Minister of Defence. He was a member of VIII Riigikogu. He was a 24-time champion of rowing in the Estonian SSR between 1974 and 1984.
-
Jack Hathaway
- Occupations
- astronautaircraft pilot
- Biography
-
Jack Hathaway is a commander in the United States Navy and NASA astronaut. He is from South Windsor, Connecticut.
-
Benon Biraaro
- Enrolled in Cranfield University
- Graduated with Master of Arts in strategic studies
- Occupations
- military personnelpolitician
- Biography
-
Benon Biraaro was a Ugandan military officer and a high-ranking commander in the Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF). While still in the active military, he served as the commandant of the Uganda Senior Command and Staff College in Kimaka, Jinja. In 2016, he ran (unsuccessfully) for President of Uganda on behalf of his agrarian Farmers Party of Uganda.
-
Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada
- Occupations
- politicianminister
- Biography
-
Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada is a Mexican politician affiliated with the National Action Party PAN who served as Secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources in the cabinet of Felipe Calderón. He is also a former Municipal President of Uruapan, Michoacán.
-
Edward Kellett-Bowman
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Edward Thomas Kellett-Bowman JP was a British business and management consultant. He had a political career as a local councillor and as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Conservative Party. His work in the European Parliament was effective in shaping policy and he only narrowly missed being chosen to lead the Conservative group.
-
Peter Hansford
- Born in
-
United Kingdom - Occupations
- civil engineer
- Biography
-
Peter George Hansford CBE FREng is an English civil engineer. He served as the 146th President of the Institution of Civil Engineers and succeeded Paul Morrell as the UK government's chief construction adviser in November 2012.
-
Miles Flint
- Years
- 1953-.. (age 72)
- Occupations
- businessperson
- Biography
-
Miles Flint is the former President of Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB since June 2004. Before this role, he was the President of European Marketing at Sony Europe. He was responsible for the marketing activities of Sony's electronics business in Europe. Miles was also the Managing Director of Sony United Kingdom Limited. It was the holding company that includes all of Sony’s electronics operations in the British Isles.
-
Sigurjón Þórðarson
- Occupations
- biologistpolitician
- Biography
-
Sigurjón Þórðarson is an Icelandic politician. He was a member of the Althing for the Liberal Party from 2003 to 2007, and returned to the Althing in the 2024 election for the People's Party.
-
Brian David Smith
- Occupations
- writer
- Biography
-
Brian David Smith is a strategic management consultant, academic and author. His particular interests include the evolution of business models and competitive strategies in the life science sector, particularly pharmaceuticals and medical technology. His academic research on these topics informs both his consultancy and writing.
-
Nick Lipscombe
- Occupations
- military historianmilitary officer
- Biography
-
Colonel Nicolas John Lipscombe FRHistS is a British historian, author, tour guide, lecturer and university tutor.
-
Vinita Marwaha Madill
- Occupations
- astronomermilitary flight engineer
- Biography
-
Vinita Marwaha Madill is a British Space Operations engineer and science communicator. She is based at the European Space Agency through TERMA B.V. in the Netherlands, where she is responsible for the development of the European Robotic Arm. She founded the platform Rocket Women, which uses stories and interviews to encourage women to study STEM.
-
Mike Stone
- Occupations
- chief operating officer
- Biography
-
Brigadier Michael John Stone is a retired British Army officer, former Director of Information of the British Army and former chief information officer of the Ministry of Defence. Upon retirement from the army, Stone had a successful career in business, including roles as the Global Chair of National Security and Defence at KPMG and Global Managing Director of the Public Sector at IBM. In 2015, Stone made the UKtech50, where he was ranked the 12th most influential person in the UK IT Sector.
-
Michael Bear
- Occupations
- politiciancivil engineer
- Biography
-
Sir Michael David Bear was the 683rd Lord Mayor of London, whose one-year term began on 12 November 2010 and ended on 11 November 2011. Until his resignation in 2017, he was the Alderman of the Ward of Portsoken and previously represented that Ward as Common Councilman and Deputy. In 2007, he was elected as Aldermanic Sheriff of London (for a one-year term).
