President's Message and Mission Statement
HCUK is a charitable organisation run by volunteers with the mission of acting as Harvard’s ambassadors in the UK, creating a community and hub for all those with ties to the University (undergraduates, graduates and special programmes) in order for them to stay connected with Harvard itself, with each other, with current and future students, and with the broader UK society.
As a community for Harvard alumni and friends, HCUK organises a large number of events throughout the year. These include popular annual fixtures, large prestigious events and smaller one-off outings to theatre performances and museums. Our Recent Graduates Committee also sponsors a wide range of events for younger alumni. Please contact recentgrads@hcuk.org for more information. We partner with alumni clubs of the Harvard graduate schools and Shared Interest Groups (SIGs) to offer events that cater to specific areas of interest. To find out more about SIGs, click here.
Photo credit: Jojo and Co Photography.
As Harvard’s ambassadors in the UK, the Club works closely with the Harvard Alumni Association and the Harvard College Admissions Office. HCUK’s Schools & Scholarship Committee coordinates admissions interviews for UK-based applicants to Harvard College. Our Outreach Programme organises school presentations all over the UK. The Harvard Prize Book initiative raises awareness among hundreds of schools for opportunities offered by Harvard. Our Charitable Incorporated Organisation manages funding for such outreach endeavours. If you would like more information on our Outreach Programme or would like to volunteer, click here.
As a charitable organisation that helps the broader UK society, our Public Service arm organises charitable activities that bring together alumni volunteers to provide community services such as feeding the homeless or cleaning up public parks.
We send a quarterly newsletter to everyone registered as a UK-based alumnus/a as well as regular event emails to keep alumni up to date on club activities. Membership in the Club has a number of benefits, including special pricing on events.
If you would like to become more involved or have suggestions, please email us at membership@hcuk.org or president@hcuk.org. We are all committed to making Harvard mean so much more to you than just a memory of your days there.
Volunteer to help our Board and Committee Members
Our Club is run by volunteers who are our greatest asset. Volunteering in the running of the Club is a great way to stay in touch both with Harvard and with fellow alumni in the UK. We value having a diverse range of experience levels, skill sets and backgrounds, and we are flexible in terms of the level of involvement.
These are some specific areas where we value engagement at any level:
Events Committee
Recent Grads Committee
Public Service Committee
Regional Involvement
Outreach
Donate to Our Charitable Arm
In 2016, to celebrate HCUK’s centennial, we raised a Centenary Fund called Friends of the Harvard Club of the United Kingdom (FoHCUK). The objectives of FoHCUK are to promote higher education for UK students who wish to study in the US (e.g. secondary school outreach presentations, Prize Book, Visitas funding, new admits reception) and to support Harvard’s admissions staff in their recruitment efforts in the UK (e.g. school visits and college fairs, monthly “Study in the USA” newsletter, admissions staff visits to the UK, maintenance and update of dedicated website on navigating the US college application process for UK students).
The investment and use of the funds are managed by dedicated Board members with investment experience. We continue to welcome new contributions to the funds as our charitable commitments are expected to continue.
Current Contributors to the Centenary Fund
- Christopher Cabot AB 1989
- Scott C. Collins AB 1987 JD 1990
- Mimi Gilligan Carney and Sean Carney AB 1984
- Libby Pierpont Engstrom AB 1981 and Erik Engstrom MBA 1988
- Martha Abbruzzese Genieser AB 1991 and W. Robert
- Genieser AB 1989 MBA 1995
- Elizabeth Griffith AB 1992 and Reade Griffith AB 1987 JD 1995
- Patrick Healy AB 1989 MBA 1994 and Isabelle Georgeaux
- Ellen Dyvik Henke AB 1987 MPA 1990 and Nicolaus Henke MPA 1990
- Linda Bradshaw Lakhdhir JD 1984 and David Lakhdhir AB 1980 JD 1983
- Abear Elsayed Larsson and Måns Ola Larsson AB 1999 MBA 1906
- Victoria (Vicky) W. Leung AB 1991 and Evan S. Yellin
- Laura Russell Malkin and Scott Malkin AB 1980 MBA 1983 JD 1984
- Scott Mead AB 1977 and Suling Mead LLM 1982
- Borut Miklavcic AB 1997
- Leda Natkin Nelis AB 1984 and Hendrik Willem Nelis MBA 1999
- Brooks Newmark AB 1980 MBA 1984
- Sanjay Patel AB 1983 and Leslie Patel
- Victoria C. Sanders AB 1905 and Gabriel Sanders Vaillard
- Patrick Smulders AB 1988 MBA 1992
- Tiziana Sousou and Ramez Sousou AB 1987 MBA 1992
FAQs
The Harvard Club of the United Kingdom (HCUK) is a private club that operates on behalf of UK-based alumni of Harvard University. HCUK is a charitable organisation run by volunteers with the mission of acting as Harvard’s ambassadors in the UK, creating a community and hub for all those with ties to the University (undergraduates, graduates and special programmes) in order for them to stay connected with Harvard itself, with each other, with current and future students, and with the broader UK society.
Harvard University Alumni, current Harvard students and HAA Associate Members are eligible for membership at HCUK. As defined by Harvard University here. “An alumnus/alumna is defined as an individual who has received a degree from any school at Harvard University or Radcliffe College, including honorary degrees” and “An HAA Associate Member is defined as an individual who has not earned a degree from Harvard University or Radcliffe College but has enrolled in a degree program and completed at least one credit-granting course with a passing grade; or a non-degree individual who has completed a certificate program or programs of at least nine weeks cumulative duration.” In addition, HCUK may, at its discretion, accept others with a close connection to Harvard, such as faculty, fellows, honorary degree holders and parents of current students.
Joining the HCUK is easy and incredible value for money. Not only will you have the pleasure of maintaining ties to Harvard and associating with fellow alumni/ae but you will also enjoy the member benefits listed below.
- Priority access to HCUK events and discounted event rates for members
- Access to premium members-only events
- Discount on membership to the Sloane Club
- Discount on all How To Academy events
HCUK does not have a clubhouse. Club events take place at a variety of venues in London and elsewhere. Club members may use the facilities of certain other clubs in London, as explained here.
Membership runs from the payment date for one year.
Members may pay by direct debit (information available soon) or credit card. Details are here.
Please contact Verity Langley at membership@hcuk.org.
Harvard Alumni and Students: You must have a HarvardKey in order to register for membership. Details on obtaining one can be found here.
Non Harvard Alumni Guests: Please contact membership@hcuk.org.
You must log in prior to registering or buying tickets for any events. Click on the event listing and follow the simple steps to register online. As part of this process, you will be required to log in prior to registering or buying tickets for any events.
Contact membership@hcuk.org Please also ensure that your HAA Directory record is up to date.
Contact membership@hcuk.org and also ensure that you update your HAA Directory records.
Check your emails for confirmation of any bookings. If you still need help, contact events@hcuk.org.
Contact Verity Langley at events@hcuk.org.
Anyone who is resident in the UK for tax purposes can make a donation to Harvard University under the Gift Aid scheme. This is administered by JustGiving and details are at Friends of Harvard.
If something is not working properly, please send an e-mail to webmaster@hcuk.org.
Board of Directors
President: Victoria (Vicky) W. Leung AB 1991 (president@hcuk.org)
Treasurer: Jordan J. Evans AB 2006 (treasurer@hcuk.org)
Secretary: Fiona Lin LLM 2018
Martha Abbruzzese Genieser AB 1991
Caroline Costin-Wright AB 2001
Stuart Gordon MPA 1997
Maria Sofia Kourti HBS GMP 2016
Victoria C. Sanders AB 2005
Daphne Siniscalco AB 1999 MBA 2004
Yuko Thomas AB 1992 (HAA Director)
Dr. Max H. Y. Wong AB 2010
Kate Cooper Extension School ALB 2019
Past Presidents of HCUK and Board Members Emeritus
Victoria C. Sanders AB 2005
Yuko Thomas AB 1992
Martha Abbruzzese Genieser AB 1991
Donald Guiney AB 1978 GSA 1982
Brandon Bradkin AB 1989 JD 1992
Janice Bunstead EdM 1975
Robert Gould AB 1967
Joan MacIver AB 1975
Brooks Newmark AB 1980 MBA 1984
James Baker AB 1968 MBA 1971
Mark Hoffman AB 1959 MBA 1963
Committee Chairs and Other Roles
Club Administrator and UK Interview Chair: Verity Langley (membership@hcuk.org)
Events: Yuko Thomas AB 1992; Maria Sofia Kourti HBS GMP 2016; Dr Stefan Serban HMS 2015 (events@hcuk.org)
Schools and Scholarships / Outreach: Caroline Costin-Wright AB 2001; Stuart Gordon MPA 1997; Brandon Bradkin AB 1989 JD 1992 (schools@hcuk.org)
Recent Grads: Kody Christiansen ALB 2023 GSA 2023; Keya Lamba EDM 2020; Marie Mcdonnell ALB 2023; Mohan Shekar MBA 2020; Dr. Hannah Whitmore HMS Postdoctoral Research Fellowship 2018-2021 (recentgrads@hcuk.org)
Public Service: Monica Mendiratta HKS Fulbright Fellow 2011
CIO: Maria Sofia Kourti HBS GMP 2016 (cio@hcuk.org)
IT & Website: Kate Cooper Extension School ALB 2019; Adrian Grimshaw HBS AMP 2005; Dr. Max Wong AB 2010
HCUK Newsletter Editor: Fiona Lin LLM 2018
Study in the USA Newsletter Editor: Stuart Gordon MPA 1997
Prize Book Programme Coordinator: Daphne Siniscalco AB 1999 MBA 2004 (harvardprizebook@hcuk.org)
Scotland Chapter: Dr. Stefan Serban HMS 2015; Anna Cairns HBS 2022 (scotland@hcuk.org)