Bayes Alumni Award Winners 2024

Caroline Mitterdorfer, 33, is the CEO and Co-Founder of LEVY Health, a medical software company transforming reproductive care through clinical decision support.

Previously, she led sales at a hospitality tech firm, scaling the team to 80 employees and achieving a profitable exit in 2019.

Inspired by her cervical cancer diagnosis, she founded Leila Fertility in 2020, Germany’s first fertility loan provider.

In 2021, she launched LEVY Health, raising $7 million to revolutionize fertility care by enabling early diagnosis.

With expertise in finance, sales, and operations, Caroline has expanded LEVY from Germany to the U.S., forging partnerships and driving its mission forward.

Entrepreneur and Innovation Award

On average it takes 5 years for a couple to find a solution for their fertility issues. LEVY Health addresses the problem at the core, by applying clinical decision support and virtual care pathways to help women and couples to find answers and choose the right path of treatment.

By providing fertility clinics, benefits providers and doctors an automated diagnosis process, LEVY Health has helped thousands of women since launching.

Ultimately, LEVY Health reduces time to diagnosis, closing the reproductive care gap.

James Cartwright is an experienced and dynamic leader with a background in both Life Sciences and Commercial Operations.

James has worked on projects ranging from London based start-ups through to share price sensitive projects with FTSE 100 companies.

James holds an Executive MBA in Strategy and Corporate Finance (Bayes Business School 2014). He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and a Qualified Lean-Sigma Practitioner with over 20 years experience in Lean-Sigma.

Robert Legget Award - Volunteer of the Year

James has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to giving back to the Bayes community by offering his expertise and time to help guide the next generation of business leaders.

His guest lectures are highly regarded for providing valuable, real-world insights, blending academic knowledge with practical, actionable advice.

These sessions have not only expanded students’ understanding of complex business topics but have also inspired them to think more strategically about their own career paths.

As a mentor, James has volunteered to offer one-on-one support to students, guiding them through academic challenges and offering advice on navigating professional development.

His generosity with time and dedication to helping others succeed is deeply appreciated by both students and the Bayes community.

Andrew Mackenzie MSc, FCII (Insurance and Risk Management, 2024) is a Chartered Insurer of the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) and is an Associate of the Association of Average Adjusters.

Having worked in marine insurance claims for over 13 years within the Lloyd's and London insurance market, as the Head of Claims for a Lloyd's and London market Managing General Agent (MGA), he actively handles and has a firm understanding of a wide variety of classes of insurance business, including marine hull, marine war, marine cargo, and associated marine liabilities.

A 2023 Lockton Prize recipient for the best Business Research Project, his pivotal research emphasised the need for marine insurers to collaborate with shipowners/operators, driving sustainability within the maritime sector and aligning the industry with environmental objectives.

Rising Star Award

As Head of Claims at Clearwater UW Limited, Andrew has contributed to advancing the field of marine insurance by spearheading innovations in claim handling and risk assessment.

His leadership has driven a more comprehensive approach to claims management, ensuring that complex global maritime risks are mitigated effectively and with precision.

He has also engaged in academic research to deepen the industry's understanding of emerging risks.

Andrew has helped inspire others in the marine insurance industry through a combination of global training, professional development, and mentorship. As a member of the Insurance Institute of London (IIL) he has actively contributed to shaping educational initiatives that foster continuous learning within the industry.

Additionally, Andrew mentors through both the IIL and the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII), where he guides and supports individuals at various stages of their careers. Through these efforts, he strives to be a role model who fosters growth and development within the marine insurance community.

Salma is the co-founder and CEO of Cashew Coast. Her primary role is to ensure that all decisions made within the business are sustainable for people, planet, and product.

In addition to her leadership at Cashew Coast, Salma is a non-executive director of the Fortuna Mining (TSX/NYSE listed) and GoviEX (TSX-V) with special focus on sustainability.

With a career spanning over 18 years in mining finance, Salma has a rich background, including an Executive MBA from Bayes Business School at City University London.

She began her professional journey at the global law firm, Norton Rose Fulbright in London.

Society Impact Award

Salma is the co-founder and CEO of Cashew Coast, an integrated cashew business located in Cote d'Ivoire, Africa which prides itself to be a large scale, food safe and responsible African business.

After 5 years, the company stands as the market leader in organic cashews from West Africa to Europe with 200+ containers of organic cashews exported annually.

Around 9000 smallholder farmers and 16000 hectares have been certified and mapped into a single digitalised supply chain with a programme allowing them to access clean water, cooperative development, bush warehousing and school loans.

With two processing factories, Cashew Coast employs 700 full time permanent staff of whom 70% are women - in an economy where 80% of jobs are in the informal sector.

Patience Muvea is the Chief Actuary for Liberty Life Insurance Kenya. A scholar and trailblazer, Patience graduated with first-class honors in Actuarial Science from the University of Nairobi in 2011 and earned the prestigious Insurance Regulatory Authority, Kenya, Scholarship, which enabled her to complete an MSc in Actuarial Management at Bayes Business School in 2013.

Patience is deeply committed to nurturing the next generation of actuarial professionals. She serves as the Mentorship Executive Lead for the Actuarial Academy of East Africa.

Patience is married to Mutuku Mulwa and is a proud mother to her two children, Koki and Wendo, who keep her grounded and energized. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, reading and collecting art.

Leadership Award

Patience served as a Council member for The Actuarial Society of Kenya over the period 2018-2021. As one of the early women to sit in the Council, she helped pave the way for increased female leadership within TASK.

She spearheads the transformative mentorship pillar as the Advisory Lead within the Actuarial Academy of East Africa to mentor aspiring actuaries.

She is a recipient of the 2024 Angaza Award for Top 10 African Women to watch in Finance and the 2024 Top 40 Under 40 Women in Kenya.

Through innovative leadership and solution-driven mindset at Liberty Life Insurance, Patience has led the development and enhancement of innovative and future-fit products that are profitable and enhance customer.

As a future-thinking leader, she champions sustainable finance and responsible investment by ensuring that the Asset Liability Management and the investment of funds is done ethically and responsibly.

Committed to diversity and gender equality, she actively advocates for the inclusion of women in leadership roles, ensuring a more inclusive and equitable future for the profession.

Harry Vafias (BSc Management and Systems, 1999) is the founder of four shipping companies including Stealth Maritime Corp and Stealthgas.

In 2008 Vafias became CEO of the Vafias Group, which today is one of Greece’s largest shipping groups with 91 owned vessels.

In 2021 he founded Imperial Petroleum which was listed on the NASDAQ in December 2021, and was the 7th most traded stock on any US stock market and in 2023 he founded and listed C3iS inc.

He has been recognized through many awards including the SEATRADE young person in shipping award and Lloyds list newspaper for being ‘newsmaker of the year’ for 2012 and 2022.

He has also served as Vice President and President of the consular corps in Greece (CCG) and in 2023 he was elected city councillor in the Athens northern suburbs.

As well as being an experienced businessman, he has also recently been seen as a judge on Dragons’ Den Greece.

Dean’s Award

The Dean’s Award is selected by the Dean of the Business School and recognises exemplary achievement and success in our alumni community.

Harry Vafias has been recognised for his leadership and achievements in the world of shipping as well as his commitment to mentoring young entrepreneurial talent.

Sriram is a global leader at Deloitte with significant experience in M&A advisory, Strategy Consulting, and Ideation functions.

He globally leads Deloitte’s M&A Ideation function that is responsible for originating thought-provoking ideas to get in early into deal mandates and elevate Deloitte's influence in the board room.

He is also the global leader for Disruptive M&A, a multi-disciplinary proposition, to help clients invest and acquire innovation assets.

He is also Deloitte’s client relationship leader for the largest ride-hailing platform in Europe.

He has extensive experience in M&A strategy and has advised clients to make high-profile acquisitions in disruptive assets in sustainability, fintech, AR, and launch corporate venture businesses to invest in fintech, digital and climate-tech assets.

Previously he spent a decade as a strategy consultant at Deloitte advising clients on strategic growth and transformation opportunities.

He is recognised for driving pragmatic conversations with the C-suite on growth opportunities. He has given briefings to the UK Prime Minister’s CEO Council and the World Economic Forum, Davos.

He is a regular speaker at global conferences and a market commentator in the FT, Economist, NY Times, CNBC and Bloomberg.

Professional Expertise Award

Sriram is a globally recognised thought leader in M&A markets and has published over forty papers.

His research had a considerable impact on the market, one example is the Cash Paradox research, the findings headlined the front page of the Financial Times, were launched at Davos and he was invited by No. 10 to give briefings to the UK Prime Minister’s business advisory council on how the findings matter to UK companies.

Sriram’s work has been extensively covered in the media such as The Economist and the Financial Times and he regularly commentates on M&A markets on Bloomberg and CNBC.

He established M&A Ideation at Deloitte to elevate Deloitte’s influence in the M&A markets and, during his tenure, Deloitte was ranked as the number one professional service advisory firm for M&A advisory.

He has championed the use of advanced analytics and AI to enhance the quality and boundaries of research.

He is passionate about sharing his knowledge and gives guest lectures at Bayes, INSEAD, and Holt, and leads on M&A at Deloitte University.