International Women’s Day – 5 Inspirational Graduates

by Bethany Lincoln.

It’s International Women’s Day today, a day to “celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women”. As part of the celebration, we thought we’d share and celebrate the achievements of just 5 of the many inspirational women that have graduated from Sheffield Hallam in previous years.

 

Kate Allatt
Image result for kate allatt sheffield hallamBA (Honours) Business Studies, Class of 1993 & PgD in Marketing Practice, Class of 1998. Honorary Doctorate awarded in 2017.

Kate Allatt is an internationally acclaimed speaker, writer and advocate raising awareness of locked-in syndrome. At the age of 40, she suffered a major stroke and became a victim of locked-in syndrome. Against the odds she went on to make a remarkable recovery and now devotes her life to helping those with similar conditions, as a health coach and motivational speaker. She is an active champion for research into locked-in syndrome and is an inspirational figure in raising awareness of the syndrome on an international level. Kate also runs a charity, Fighting Strokes, which raises funds for stroke victims.
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Jacqui Oatley MBE
PgD Broadcast Journalism, Class of 2003.

Jacqui Oatley
Jacqui Oatley is a British freelance sports broadcaster, presenting, commentating and reporting mostly on football for BBC Sport and ITV Sport.  She is best known for being the first female commentator on BBC One’s Match of the Day.  A keen footballer herself, it was a life-changing knee injury that encouraged her to take up a career on the sidelines. Retraining as a journalist, she built up invaluable experience with hospital radio, Radio Leeds and BBC London before eventually joining Five Live. It was the fan base that Jacqui built on the show that helped her to secure her MOTD debut in 2007.
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Image result for Debjani Chatterjee

Debjani Chatterjee MBE
PGCE Education from Sheffield Polytechnic, Class of 1981. Honorary Doctorate awarded in 2002.

Debjani Chatterjee is an award-winning poet, children’s writer and translator, who has been described as ‘Britain’s best-known Asian poet’ (Elisabetta Marino), ‘full of wit and charm’ (Andrew Motion) and ‘a voice of rare originality’ (David Morley). Her more than 60 books include Animal Antics and Monkey King’s Party for children, and I Was That Woman and Namaskar: new and selected poems for adults.
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Jane Tomlinson CBE
PgC Paediatric Medical Imagine Practice, Class of 2002. Honorary Doctorate awarded in 2003.

Gatorade Half-Ironman Triathlon 2003

Jane was just 36 when, in August 2000, she and her family received the devastating news she had incurable breast cancer. A mum of three, Jane was given just six months to live and she and her loved ones were told to prepare for the inevitable. But, thanks to Jane’s remarkable courage, something truly extraordinary was just about to begin.  Over the next seven years, as she defied her diagnosis, Jane went on to achieve what many people might struggle to in a lifetime – surmounting increasingly difficult challenges, capturing the attention of people across the world, and raising over £1.85m for charity. She also founded what was to become her lasting legacy, the Jane Tomlinson Appeal, which would continue to support scores of causes long after her sad and untimely death.
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Kal AtwalKal Atwal
BA International Business, Class of 1995. Honorary Doctorate awarded in 2011.

Kal joined BGL in 2002 and is currently Group Director with Board responsibility for LesFurets.com, Group Corporate Development and Strategic Execution, along with providing assurance and oversight for the Group’s portfolio of Brands and Communications. During her time with BGL Kal has held a number of positions, including Managing Director of comparethemarket.com. Under her leadership comparethemarket.com became the UK’s leading price comparison website.
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We have many inspirational women passing through City Hall at our graduation ceremonies each and every year and we can’t wait to meet every single one of them in November.

The Graduation Team