Alumnus wins Study UK Alumni Award

We’re delighted to announce that Yi Hyun Choi (MA Corporate Communications and Public Relations, 2012) has won a social action award at the British Council Study UK Alumni Awards in Korea.

Yi Hyun Choi, founder and CEO of CONTINEW, is a social entrepreneur who makes fashion products by upcycling non-recyclable automobile waste (eg safety goods, airbags, seat belts, seats, etc) that is generated over 4 million tons annually. By collaborating with several global car makers such as Porsche, Volvo, Renault, Ford, and Hyundai, his company solves both environmental problems and creates social value by providing jobs to seniors, women who have had career breaks, and North Korean defectors. Yi Hyun Choi is creating a lasting social impact by completing the ESG value chain in which environmental and social values ​​are interconnected.

These prestigious Study UK alumni awards celebrate UK higher education and the achievements of UK alumni all over the world and celebrate their outstanding achievements as business professionals, entrepreneurs and community leaders. The award winners for Korea were announced at a ceremony on 24 February 2022. On receiving the award, Yi Hyun Choi said, 

I am extremely grateful to receive the award. It couldn’t have been possible without the support and encouragement of my professors at the University of Leeds. My years at the University of Leeds are the most memorable and life changing years of my life. It was a very motivating environment and it inspired me to be a social entrepreneur. I would love to share this honour with all our alumni. 

Read about the Study UK Alumni Awards 2022 in Korea