Kayisha Payne and Parisa Wright, two alumnae of Bromley High School, have reached the shortlist of just ten nominees across all GDST schools for the Alumna of the Year Award 2020.
The award is a tribute to, and a showcase for, some of the hugely varied achievements of GDST alumnae. It’s a fantastic achievement to reach the shortlist of just ten nominees, from a very large and competitive list of outstanding entrants.
All GDST students, staff and alumnae are eligible to vote, and will be able to register their votes through the GDST website. The winner, who will be announced at the GDST Evening of Thanks on Wednesday 13th May 2020, will receive £500 to donate to a charity of their choice.
Congratulations to our finalists!
Kayisha Payne
Kayisha Payne is Associate Scientist at AstraZeneca PLC, one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies. Kayisha is passionate about diversity and inclusion and is founder of BBSTEM, an organisation campaigning for balance and representation of Black individuals in STEM. She aims to encourage, enable and energise individuals in business, industry and education to widen the participation and contribution of Black individuals in STEM. She was recently invited to the House of Commons to advise on policy changes to make STEM education more accessible to marginalised groups.
In 2018 she was name as one of the top 100 most influential Black, Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) leaders in the UK tech sector. The list was released at the House of Commons and featured in The Financial Times.
She was awarded the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics – Rising Star award in The Black British Business Awards 2019, which celebrates exceptional performance and outstanding achievements of black people in business in Great Britain.
Parisa Wright
Parisa Wright, over and above her day job as Senior Business Affairs Manager at ITV Studios, is the founder of Greener & Cleaner Bromley (& Beyond), a local community group working to improve the environment in the borough.
With almost 5,000 members, Greener & Cleaner Bromley creates digital resources for schools on sustainable living, and organises a range of community events, including litter picks and clothes swaps, along with workshops on combating eco-anxiety and reducing food waste. The group has also set up a cross-borough Climate Action Alliance to hold the local council to account on its pledge to become carbon neutral by 2029, and has helped raise £50,000 with a local primary school for vital air cleaning equipment and a green screening programme.
Last November Parisa was awarded the Bromley Local Hero Award for her work in building community engagement and reducing environmental impact, with Greener & Cleaner Bromley also recognised as one of Bromley’s best social enterprises at the Bromley Business Awards.