Cambridge Judge Business School alumna Nilüfer Özsoy has been awarded the British Council’s Social Impact Award 2021 at the Study UK Alumni Awards in Turkey.
Nilüfer Özsoy, an alumna of the Master of Finance (MFin 2012) programme at Cambridge Judge Business School, has been awarded the Social Impact Award of the Study UK Awards for her work in assigning environmental ratings to projects financed by the bank she works for in Turkey. The Study UK Awards celebrate the achievements of UK alumni all over the world in three categories: Professional Achievement Award; Social Impact Award and Entrepreneurial Award.
Nilüfer won the Social Impact Award for her work as a corporate loan underwriting professional in corporate banking in Turkey. The award recognises alumni “who have made an exceptional contribution and commitment to creating positive social change and improving the lives of others.”
The nomination said: “Her biggest contribution after her studies in the UK has been taking part in the establishment of the Environment Unit within the Project Finance Division of Isbank. The project comprised of assigning environmental ratings to the projects Isbank finances and they were one of the first banks to incorporate this analysis.”
Among the financed projects given such environmental ratings were mainly companies in energy and construction sectors. When she analyses projects for these ratings, Nilüfer says she assesses environmental risks such as the impact to land, air or humans and other social impacts by answering questions under 45 titles, irrespective of the investment amount: “For example, if the project was too risky environmentally like a thermal power plant or mining project, which would emit large amounts of ash and particles which can destroy the surrounding environment, we would rate that project too risky and chose not to finance it.”
After receiving the award Nilüfer commented: “I am so honoured to receive the prestigious Social Impact Award 2021 by British Council Turkey for my social contributions, which would be impossible to achieve without studying in the UK.”
In a video, Nilüfer said “Earning a masters degree from Cambridge Judge Business School has been a great asset for my social and professional development. It has exposed me to a high level of intellectuality, which had a lifelong impact on my vision.”