Inspirational alumni shine at 2024 30(ish) Awards
14 October 2024
Three standout Cardiff Business School alumni have been announced as winners at the 2024 30(ish) Alumni Awards.
Cardiff University’s 30(ish) Awards celebrate the achievements of alumni who have made a positive contribution to their community, and all before they hit 30. Well, 30(ish).
The awards recognise the change-makers, innovators, and rule-breakers in the Cardiff University alumni network.
This year’s event was held at the University’s sbarc|spark building on 10 October and was hosted by Cardiff University’s President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Wendy Larner.
The three winners from Cardiff Business School were recognised in the entrepreneurship category for demonstrating the power of successful entrepreneurship and the impact of taking an idea from the conceptual stage to fruition.
Meet the inspirational winners from our school
Konstantinos Kousouris (BSc 2021)
Konstantinos is an influential entrepreneur from Greece and the co-founder and CEO of Blink. Financial stress is one of the biggest concerns amongst Gen Z, and fintech start-up Blink helps young adults manage their money and feel back in control.
Blink earned its first investment from Startupbootcamp, one of the largest funds in Europe, and has since been awarded by the National Bank of Greece in the country’s biggest start-up competition.
For his entrepreneurial journey, Konstantinos has been listed in Forbes 30 under 30 2024 Greece and is a Global Finalist for the Study UK Alumni Awards in business and innovation.
Paul Stollery (BSc 2010)
Paul used his Business Management degree as a starting point for a career as a serial entrepreneur. He's the co-founder and creative director of Hard Numbers, a technology PR agency with 20 staff and a turnover of just under £2m. The business was named the best new PR agency by the CIPR, PR Moment, and the UK Agency Awards.
Previously, he founded the award-winning youth marketing agency Hype Collective. He successfully exited this business in 2023 with a six-figure deal. He is also an investor and board member of Magic Digits, a professional services firm with a six-figure turnover.
Paul, an award-winning creative, has received accolades from the Cannes Festival of Creativity and PR bodies including PRCA, CIPR, and AMEC. He has also worked with some of the world's biggest technology companies, including Adobe, Deliveroo, Microsoft, X and PlayStation.
In his spare time, Paul helps the next generation of entrepreneurs develop their business ideas. He's the co-host of Rebel Meetups, a space for founders, freelancers, entrepreneurs, and wantrepreneurs, and has guest-lectured at the London College of Communication.
Yong Zheng Low (MBA 2018)
Yong is a senior "number-person" business advisor who serves as the outsourced CFO for GCFO, a consultancy firm that supports Malaysia-based SMEs to grow and transform. He began the venture with his business partners, and in five years they have established six branches in Kuala Lumpur with a hundred staff. GCFO has secured three annual business awards to date.
Through consultation, the company provides financial and business transformation solutions to SMEs, improving their operational framework and enhancing efficiency.
His team is involved in 61 fundraising projects with a total value of RM 105 million raised in just 36 months. He is also currently actively involved in 23 companies with RM 400 million portfolio size, with two anchor projects pushing through for Initial Public Offerings.
Yong is data-driven with a focus on revenue to achieve breakaway success. He was featured as Chief Judge of JCIKLM Idea Bank Competition 2023 and was a speaker at BFM Caijin September 2023 Edition Season 2.