SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2024
5:30 P.M.
THE HONOURABLE SOCIETY OF LINCOLN’S INN
It is with immense pleasure and great pride that I serve as the Patron of the inaugural UWI London Black Tie Benefit Dinner, which will be held at The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn. As an UWI Honourary Graduate and recipient of the prestigious Luminary Award at the UWI Toronto Benefit Awards, I am truly delighted to be part of this meaningful fundraising effort for an institution that has come to hold a special place in my heart. As a proud Jamaican by heritage and a passionate advocate for Caribbean and African cultural influences in my work as a composer, artistic director, conductor, and violinist, this event resonates deeply with me.
I am especially honored to welcome you as we unite to raise vital funds for the UWI Scholarship Programme. I am further gratified that the proceeds from this Dinner will support postgraduate students engaged in groundbreaking Climate Change research at The UWI. As you are aware, Climate Change poses an existential threat to our Caribbean region, and The UWI has taken a leading role in producing significant research and championing advocacy in Climate Action. Of note is that The UWI is the first Caribbean university to participate in the Responsible Futures Programme, aiming to embed sustainability as a mainstreamed modus operandi across all five campuses – an objective that we can all emulate in our various professions.
The theme of this event, “Educate to Elevate,” speaks profoundly to the transformative power of education, a principle I have long embraced as an educator and academic. In my role as Professor of Music at the University of Westminster, I have witnessed first-hand how education can liberate minds and uplift communities, a cause that aligns perfectly with UWI’s mission.
This special occasion also allows us to celebrate and honour individuals of Caribbean heritage who have achieved remarkable success in their respective fields. Their contributions have brought recognition and acclaim to the Region. I also acknowledge our donor and sponsor organizations, whose diligent efforts in social responsibility continue to advance the Caribbean.
It will be an absolute joy to be in your distinguished company, and I eagerly look forward to engaging with you during what promises to be an extraordinary evening.
Best Regards,
Shirley J. Thompson
Professor Dr. Shirley J. Thompson OBE
MMus, PhD, Hon DLitt, Hon DMus, Hon DArts, Hon DPhil, PGCert, fHEA, FRSA
Patron, UWI London Benefit Dinner
2024 Honourees
Baroness Floella Benjamin
Baroness Floella Karen Yunies Benjamin, OM, DBE, DL, is a Trinidadian-British actress, singer, presenter, author and politician. She is known as presenter of children’s programmes such as Play School, Play Away, Jamboree and Fast Forward. On 28 June 2010, Lady Benjamin was introduced to the House of Lords as a life peer nominated by the Liberal Democrats. In 2024, she was honoured with the BAFTA Fellowship award for her services to television.
Benjamin was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2001 New Year Honours for services to broadcasting. At that time she was chairperson of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. She has also won a Special Lifetime Achievement award from BAFTA. She was chairperson of the Women of the Year Lunch for five years and a Millennium Commissioner. She is president of the Elizabeth R Commonwealth Broadcasting Fund and a governor of the National Film and Television School.
Dr. Donette Chin-Loy Chang
Dr. Donette Chin-Loy Chang is a distinguished communications leader, accomplished public affairs strategist, prolific philanthropist and chancellor of Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU).
Chin-Loy Chang has created and managed successful strategies for countless corporate, government, not-for-profit and institutional clients. She and her late husband, G. Raymond Chang, have been dedicated to transforming lives through education, health care, social justice and the arts, in Canada and globally.
She is co-patron of the University of the West Indies Toronto Benefit Awards, a board director for the BlackNorth Initiative and the Toronto International Film Festival, and chairs TMU’s Alumni Council. She also sits on the advisory boards of the Onyx Initiative and TMU’s Anti-Asian Racism Taskforce.
Sir Lenny Henry
Sir Lenworth George Henry, CBE, is a British comedian, actor and writer. He gained success as a stand-up comedian and impressionist in the late 1970s and early 1980s, culminating in The Lenny Henry Show in 1984. He was the most prominent black British comedian of the time and much of his material served to celebrate and parody his African-Caribbean roots.
In 1985, he co-founded the charity Comic Relief with the comedy screenwriter Richard Curtis. He has appeared in numerous other TV programmes, including children’s entertainment show Tiswas, sitcom Chef! and The Magicians for BBC One, and in his later years has transitioned toward acting roles on stage and screen.
Dr. Willard Wigan
Dr. Willard Wigan, MBE, is a British sculptor, the son of Jamaican immigrants, who makes micro miniature sculptures. His sculptures are typically placed in the eye of a needle or on the head of a pin.
Told by his school teachers that he would amount to nothing, he was used as a warning to others what academic failure looked like. Unable to read or write and with his social and academic confidence broken, Willard ran away from school. Whilst hiding at home from the world that taunted him, he discovered his hidden talent and began a new journey to greatness.
Wigan has achieved two Guinness World Records and an Honorary Doctorate from Warwick University. He’s been the subject of an award-winning Channel 4 documentary, the guest of international TV, radio and talk shows and his art has been exhibited across the globe, attracting celebrity collectors.
Lord Simon Woolley
Simon Andrew Woolley, Baron Woolley of Woodford, is a British politician and activist. He is the founder and director of Operation Black Vote (OBV) and Trustee of the charity Police Now, and has been Principal of Homerton College, Cambridge, since October 2021.
Woolley has been included in the Powerlist – which features the 100 most influential people of African or African Caribbean heritage in the United Kingdom – every year since 2012.
Woolley was nominated for a life peerage to sit as a Crossbencher in the House of Lords in 2019. He was created Baron Woolley of Woodford, of Woodford in the London Borough of Redbridge, in October 2019. He was chair of the Government of the United Kingdom Race Disparity Unit Advisory Group until July 2020.
Mr. Peter Cohen
The Edmund Cohen Laboratory for Vascular Research (ECOVAR) laboratory was opened on March 31, 2004, by Edmund Cohen, father of Peter Cohen and past chairman of Courts furniture retailer. The laboratory has since established itself as the leading vascular research centre in the Caribbean under the joint leadership of Professor Clive Landis and Dr. Kim Quimby.
Since the passing of Edmund Cohen in July 2013, the laboratory’s operations have been maintained through the generous support of the Peter D. Cohen Charitable Trust.
Professor Landis says of Peter Cohen: “Like his father Edmund, Peter Cohen is much more than a philanthropist. He has taken a personal interest in the activities of the laboratory and its staff. I have greatly benefited from Peter’s extensive business acumen and mentoring approach, as have other staff in the laboratory who have been hosted by Peter when passing through London.”
bp p.l.c.
BP p.l.c. (formerly The British Petroleum Company p.l.c. and BP Amoco p.l.c.) is a British multinational oil and gas company headquartered in London, England. It is one of the oil and gas “supermajors” and one of the world’s largest companies measured by revenues and profits. It is a vertically integrated company operating in all areas of the oil and gas industry, including exploration and extraction, refining, distribution and marketing, power generation, and trading.
THE HOST: Shaun Wallace
Hailed as one of the best brains in Britain, Shaun Wallace has taken the intelligence-based game show circuit by storm. Shaun is also a proud voice for Black History Month in the UK using his own lived experience to speak on issues of racial diversity to inspire a more inclusive society. His interviews on ITV’s Good Morning Britain in which he described his own experience of repeated racial profiling by the police despite his glittering legal and television career have been watched by millions.
Shaun is recognised as one of the iconic ‘Chasers’ on ‘The Chase’ where he uses his academic excellence to outwit contestants of the game show. Also, a practising barrister and lecturer, the recognisable television personality has had a vast and accomplished career.
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