Gala Dinner 2015 celebrates the best of Imperial

Professor Alice Gast, President of Imperial, celebrates with guests at the Gala Dinner 2015

Nearly 350 guests came together to celebrate the outstanding achievements of staff, students and alumni at the annual Gala Dinner on 3 March.

Among those attending the event, which was the largest of its kind ever hosted by the College, were staff and alumni who had been recognised with prestigious awards and national honours, students who had made exceptional contributions to College life, and people from across Imperial who had been nominated by their colleagues and peers for going above and beyond in their work. 

The celebrations followed Professor Alice P. Gast’s first President’s Address, where she explained her vision for the College, highlighted its strengths and potential, and looked ahead to future threats and opportunities.

Speaking during the Address, Professor Gast said: “Tonight we celebrate the achievements of the Imperial community - our staff, students and alumni.  I am honoured to make my address as a prelude to the wonderful Gala Dinner celebration, as it is the excellence of Imperial’s people that has most inspired me.

“The range of accomplishments is impressive. Tonight is a reminder of how fortunate we are to be part of Imperial - we are surrounded by people who care about their work and excel at it.

"I am proud to be here and proud to be your colleague.”

Welcoming the dinner guests, Eliza Manningham-Buller, Chair of the Imperial College Court and Council, said: “Imperial is delighted to have so many people here this evening. We are here to celebrate the achievements of our community - I would like to thank all of them.

“I’d encourage our guests here to come of the Festival later this year and see more concrete examples of what Imperial is achieving with your help.”

Student Ben Fernando was among those recognised for receiving an Outstanding Service Award from the Imperial College Union - awarded to those who have made outstanding contributions to enhancing the Imperial student experience. For Ben it was his work last year as an Academic Representative in the Department of Physics which had led to the nomination. He explained, "We made a few changes around getting student feedback – simple things like using more online surveys and even Facebook to make it as easy as possible for students to share their views.”

Lucy Stagg, Digital Media and Communications Officer in the Faculty of Natural Sciences, was nominated to attend the Gala Dinner for her work implementing the new College website design for the Faculty and its departments. Reflecting on the event, she said: “It’s been a lovely evening. I’ve been able to reconnect with quite a few old faces. It’s really nice to have your contributions recognised like this.”