Page 51 - Future Leaders 2018-2019

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1 MOHAMED AFIFY, 21 The Top 10

School: University College London
Course: Mechanical Engineering & Business Finance (MEng)
Year: Third (of four)
Grade average: First class

Mohamed is the founder and project leader for Impactive – a working on actual prototypes and designs for just under a year
student-led initiative that empowers disabled people by helping and produced its first completed piece of equipment in February.
them tackle challenges they may face in everyday life, by designing “It was very touching,” he says. “This lady had multiple sclerosis,
and providing them with custom-built equipment. so she had lost all the strength on her right-hand side. When she
Mohamed, who was born in Egypt, was inspired to start the sat in her wheelchair she couldn’t sustain her weight and kept
initiative two years ago. While doing his shopping in Sainsbury’s, falling to the side.” Mohamed and his team were able to create
he spotted a woman in her wheelchair who ‘was hanging her heavy a customised board for her that dealt with the issue.
grocery bag around her neck because she needed her hands to Other prototypes they have produced include an umbrella
move her wheelchair around’. holder customised for a specific wheelchair so the user can
“I saw the pain she was in and I was determined to change the move around freely without worrying about the rain, and a
status quo, so I decided to start Impactive,” he says. mechanism fitted to the frame of a house front door to help
But, even though he had the idea and the passion, he still needed an elderly lady move her tri-walker and oxygen cylinder up the
to work out the logistics for the vision to truly come to life. front stairs and into the house.
He went to the university’s Volunteering Services Unit who told Mohamed has secured partnerships with two disability
him that they had a programme that allows students to start up organisations, the Global Disability Innovation Hub and Remap.
a project if they had good idea. However, most of the projects The latter company does exactly what Impactive are doing, but
they ran were to raise awareness rather than create prototypes. while they have a customer base, they don’t have the volunteers,
Despite their reservations, Mohamed’s optimism convinced them so the collaboration allows both parties to cater to more people.
to give the idea the green light. The process of working out the
logistics and paperwork was lengthy, but the team of mostly Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
student engineers, which today numbers about 35, has now been As a partner at McKinsey & Company, making a difference.

10 ANNIVERSARY EDITION FUTURE LEADERS 49
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