Alumni Achievement Award winner Dr Prasanna Sooriakumaran


Surgeon Prasanna Sooriakumaran, or PS as he is known, has more than a scalpel at his disposal – his tool of choice is a £1m robot that is revolutionising the care for thousands of men with prostate cancer.


A Consultant Urological Surgeon and Honorary Senior Lecturer, PS is a leader in prostate cancer surgery at University College London Hospital, the largest centre for robotic prostate surgery in the UK. He is among a handful of surgeons performing the novel operation, carrying out more than 150 robotic prostatectomies a year.


PS graduated with a PhD in prostate cancer in 2006 which has led to his vocation: “A lot of surgeons end up working in an academic area not connected to their PhD study but I developed my passion for prostate cancer at Surrey and have since been fortunate to enjoy a great career.


“I enjoy the technical challenge of removing a cancer. Robot-assisted surgery is quicker, safer and carries fewer side-effects. It is very precise and is able to work in a way our hands can’t – for example swivel 360 degrees!


It is so rewarding to know you have saved someone’s life with a one-off procedure.”


Currently, one in six men develops a significant cancer in their lifetime and it is the most common cancer in men in the UK. PS is leading on a new trial, TRoMbone, to investigate whether removing the prostate can slow or even stop the spread of cancer in the bones – a really important trial across the globe which has the potential to benefit a huge number of men.


PS serves on national and international committees in prostate cancer and


robotic surgery, often as the only UK representative, and has published over 150 papers in the field, given more than 250 lectures, and won over 30 prizes for his contributions to prostate cancer care.


He is the only UK urologist to win a Young Investigator Award from the American Prostate Cancer Foundation for his research, and is the current recipient of the Research Scholar Medal from The Urology Foundation for his ground- breaking research into early, lethal prostate cancer.


it was the only University that I knew that offered a course in entrepreneurship.”


It’s an absolute blessing to be in a position where you can change the world.


In just six years Robert has founded three extremely successful companies but nonetheless was amazed to learn that he had made the Forbes 100 list in 2017, and says he hopes his success inspires others:


Young Achiever of the Year Robert Gryn


From an adolescent starting out at Surrey in 2004 to being named the youngest self-made man in the Forbes 100 richest Poles list has been quite a journey for Robert Gryn.


At 31, he is CEO and owner of CodeWise, the second fastest growing company in Europe (FT1000), a highly profitable AdTech company that develops smart traffic and


tracking tools for performance marketers. Together with two others companies he has founded, Zeropark and Voluum, Robert has won many international business awards, including the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 and Big Five rankings in Central Europe in 2016.


He credits his degree in Entrepreneurship in Technology, as the catalyst for his future endeavours. “Surrey was the place where I was inspired to become an entrepreneur. I moved from Poland as


“It was an important occurrence for all the young Polish entrepreneurs, who like me, needed to see that it was possible to build a valuable start-up in Poland. However, seeing myself as a role model is difficult for me as I have something called ‘impostor syndrome’ which makes it impossible for me to internalise. However, I receive many messages from young people saying that I am a role model for them, so I do get reminded of it but it’s a fleeting realisation!”


Never one to rest on his laurels and a true entrepreneur, Robert’s next goal is to build a company with a $1 billion valuation and says, that despite the struggles and challenges, “it’s an absolute blessing to be in a position where you can change the world”.


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Forever Surrey 2018


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