Amos Bursary Alumnus and Ambassador, George Imafidon, is awarded an MBE in the King’s Birthday List for services to young people and STEM sectors.
The honour recognises his outstanding achievements and service to the community which has had a long-term, significant impact.
Here To Serve
At age 26, George is CEO and co-founder of Motivez, an award-winning youth-led organisation founded in 2015, which empowers underserved young people aged 14 – 25 to access entry-level STEM jobs and become changemakers. They have inspired millions worldwide through their campaigns and directly supported over 9,000 young people in the UK over the past eight years through their grassroots, employability, and advocacy programmes where they develop local STEM changemakers transforming their communities. Their work has been highly commended and supported by the likes of the Royal Family, Sir Lewis Hamilton MBE, Idris Elba OBE and Beyonce.
Purpose Driven
In addition to his work as a social entrepreneur, George also holds the title of the Young Engineer of the Year 2022/23, awarded by the Royal Academy of Engineering. As an advocate for sustainable motorsport, he works as a Race Engineer with Sir Lewis Hamilton MBE’s X44 Vida Carbon Racing team. The electric off-road race team, competing as part of the Extreme E series, aims to break down the barriers to entry into the motorsport industry and create a more diverse and inclusive environment within the sport. X44 Vida Carbon also uses its platform to draw attention to environmental issues by racing in the world’s most remote locations affected by the climate crisis; and in 2022 won the Extreme E championship to conclude George’s second season with the team.
Better Together
As a diversity champion, George took a gap year from his degree studies and dedicated it to fundraising for the #AB1Million campaign, raising £1 million for the Amos Bursary to ensure other talented young people of African and Caribbean descent have the opportunities that have been afforded to him.
Colleen Amos OBE, CEO of The Amos Bursary said “This is such a well-deserved honour. The work George does with Motivez is an overflow of his passion for improving lives. As an Amos Bursary alumni, he continues to support Amos students. His passion for engineering and work with the Lewis Hamilton Foundation will impact positively on young people for years to come.”
Upon receiving the MBE, George shared “I’m honoured and grateful to receive the MBE for services to engineering, technology and young people. It’s been a privilege to use my voice over the last decade for so many of us who feel unseen, opening up trajectories in STEM for communities traditionally far removed from the industry. I really hope this recognition can open more doors for those that are underserved and goes some way to instilling hope on their journey.”
Achievements
2022: Young Engineer of the Year Award by Royal Academy of Engineering
2022: Extreme E World Champion by Extreme E
2022: Sir George MacFarlane Award by Royal Academy of Engineering
2021: Changing The Narrative Peer Award for Social Equity by The Amos Bursary
2021: Appointed as a Trustee of the Co-op Foundation
2020: The Powerlist Community Award by Powerful Media
2018: Diana Award by The Diana Award
2017: The UK’s Top Black Students by Rare Recruitment
The accolades just keep coming. We can’t wait to see what’s next for the Humanitarian Engineer.
Find out more about George’s journey with The Amos Bursary here https://www.amosbursary.org.uk/george-imafidon-changingthenarrative/
