Dr Nik Kotecha OBE, chairman of Morningside Pharmaceuticals and the Randal Charitable Foundation, has won the Distinguished Alumni Award at Imperial College
London's Alumni Awards 2022.
The annual awards honour outstanding alumni who have demonstrated sustained excellence in their personal and professional achievements and have made a substantial impact on society.
Dr Kotecha, who founded Morningside in 1991, which manufactures and supplies generic and branded medicines to the UK and globally, said: "I'm thrilled to be honoured by the university in this way.
"As a child growing up in Leicester my family had very little, but I was fortunate to be given opportunities to gain a good education. After finishing my degree in Newcastle; Professor Steve Ley FRS at Imperial College took a chance in accepting me into his eminent group and this really was the opportunity I needed to forge a career.
Loughborough-based generic and branded pharmaceutical manufacturer Morningside Pharmaceuticals has donated almost 60,000 packs of essential medicines to communities impacted by the war in Ukraine.
The donation, which includes 1.29 million doses, was made after the company's founder and chairman, Dr Nik Kotecha OBE, spoke with the Ukrainian ambassador to the United Kingdom, Vadym Prystaiko, at a business event in London.
Dr Kotecha, who was also recently appointed a deputy lieutenant of Leicestershire, said: "The heartbreaking situation in Ukraine has touched us all, and like so many people in the United Kingdom, we've been keen to do everything we can to help the victims of this terrible conflict."
The large shipment of medicines has been transported in a secure and temperature controlled environment via Morningside's logistics partner to the embassy's distribution hub in Poland. From there the medicines will be supplied to hospitals, healthcare centres and patients throughout Ukraine including the regions hardest hit by the Russian invasion.