'Shape your destiny, follow your dreams' new Honorary Doctors urge graduates
The University of Huddersfield has awarded Honorary Doctorates to two leading lights in AI and the gaming industry, who have urged graduating students to shape their own destinies.
Dr Fatmah Baothman, who became the first woman from the Middle East to earn a PhD in AI when she studied at the university, and Simon Iwaniszak, the founder of Red Kite Games, received their awards during Graduation Week on the Huddersfield campus.
"If there is one message I hope you take home with you today, it is this: you can do something meaningful with your own life,” said Saudi Arabia-born Dr Baothman, who holds multiple global leadership positions in AI, and is a former member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on the Future of AI.
“You can shape your future. You can build your own legacy because legacy doesn't happen by accident. It is imagined. It is planned. It is built.
"Dreams don't end; they evolve. Dreams become opportunity. Opportunities become education. Education becomes responsibilities. Responsibilities become and create impact. Impact creates legacy, and legacy inspires new dreams."
After receiving his Honorary Doctorate, Simon Iwaniszak told graduates, “Pursue something that you genuinely enjoy. For me, video games started as a hobby, grew into a passion, and that passion became a career.
“When you find work that you truly love, it feels less like a job and more like an opportunity to do something meaningful every day. Congratulations to you all, and I wish you every success in the years ahead.”
After working on critically acclaimed games including Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption early in his career, Simon founded Red Kite Games in 2012 and set up his first development studio at the 3M Buckley Innovation Centre on the university’s campus.
He subsequently sold Red Kite to Sumo Digital, and retains roles at both with Red Kite now employing over 90 people.
Previously educated in Saudi Arabia and the US, Dr Baothman was awarded her PhD for her thesis, ‘Phonology-Based Automatic Speech Recognition for Arabic’, with distinction by Huddersfield’s School of Computing and Engineering in 2003.
Dr Baothman has led research and development as an Associate Professor of Modern AI at King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia for over 30 years, and has published more than 70 papers. She founded the Artificial Intelligence Society, the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia. As a CEO, she led several companies and established AI start-ups.