King’s College London Helen Hudson Distinguished Alumni Award

Diana is a long-standing supporter of the King’s community, and has been President of King’s College London Alumni Association (KCLA) since 2019. In addition, she is the inaugural Chair of King’s Alumni Advisory Group (London) and has mentored a number of King’s students.

In addition to her contributions to life at King’s, Diana is Chair of Skills East Sussex, and an independent board member, consultant, and company director. She was previously Chief Executive of the Science Council and Chief Executive of the Association of Medical Research Charities.

Sue received the King’s College London Helen Hudson Distinguished Alumni Award in 2021 in recognition of her outstanding support to our King’s alumni community. Sue has mentored several students and alumni in developing start-ups.

Sue runs several online, international businesses grouped under Paragon House International. These cover a wide variety of different areas including European property, e-commerce and restaurants in the Mediterranean. Her latest project is a networking platform for wine producers, buyers and distributors.  She is passionate about startups and entrepreneurial ventures.  Sue was previously a research chemist in the pharmaceutical industry (Glaxo, Eli Lilly) and a computer programmer (Honeywell).

Stephen Challacombe, the Martin Rushton Professor of Oral Medicine at King’s and former Consultant in Diagnostic Microbiology & Immunology for Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, has devoted over 40 years to teaching and mentoring. He has guided more than 5,000 clinical students, numerous PhD candidates, and trainees, while also contributing significantly to various King’s committees. Stephen was awarded the Helen Hudson Award, which honours King’s alumni who have made an outstanding impact on the university or alumni community.

As a globally recognised researcher, Stephen is committed to providing oral healthcare to underserved populations. He co-founded King’s Global Health and has taken his expertise abroad, addressing the oral health needs of schoolchildren in Sierra Leone and investigating COVID-19 health disparities in India.

Known for his dedication to healthcare equity and service to King’s, Stephen has served as a past Chair of the King’s Alumni Association and is one of the founders of King’s Sports Hall of Fame. A passionate sports fan, he also offers inspiring advice to graduates: “You can make the world a better place! Every contribution to reducing social inequalities, however small, will help more people than you imagine.”