Alumni Awards & Gala
2026 Award Recipients
Scott Sink
Distinguished Alumni Award
With over four decades of leadership in energy and insurance, Scott Sink built a legacy of innovation, strategic growth and industry influence. After earning a BBA in risk management and insurance from the University of Georgia in 1984 — where he was named Outstanding Student in his field — he began his career as a risk analyst at Virginia Power.
In 1987, he joined Alexander & Alexander in Baltimore as a vice president, laying the foundation for a career defined by deep expertise in energy risk. His next chapter began in 1994 at McGriff, Seibels & Williams in Birmingham, Alabama, where he served as senior vice president in the energy and marine division. Over the next three decades, he played a pivotal role in building one of the largest power and utility practice groups in the industry.
He was promoted to senior executive vice president and leader of McGriff’s energy practice in 2005 and led the division until 2024. In July 2025, he joined Howden as chairman, U.S. natural resources and head of the Birmingham office, bringing his experience and vision to a new era of growth.
He holds the Associate in Risk Management (ARM) designation from the Insurance Institute of America and was honored as UGA’s Risk Management and Insurance Alumnus of the Year in 2012 in recognition of his enduring impact on the profession and his alma mater.
Laura Brightwell
Distinguished Alumni Award
Laura Brightwell is the former senior vice president for public affairs and communications at Coca-Cola Enterprises.
As a member of CCE’s leadership team, she led the board’s corporate responsibility and sustainability committee and a team of professionals across eight countries. Under her leadership, the company secured its first listing on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, the longest-running global key reference for sustainability investing.
A trusted voice in business and ESG, Laura serves as vice chair of the UGA Terry College of Business Dean’s Advisory Council and holds a leadership role on the board of directors for Builders Insurance Group.
In addition, Laura is a founding donor of the Terry Women’s Initiative, now the Terry Edge Network, launched in 2016 to foster confidence, mentorship and leadership skills in Terry students across all majors. She also helped establish the Sea Island Scholars program connecting high-achieving Terry students with alumni leaders through mentorship, networking and leadership development.
Alex Hill
Outstanding Young Alumni Award
Alex Hill is senior director of investments at Icarus Alternative Investments, where he runs co-GP investment efforts and assists in the firm’s capital markets transactions.
Before joining Icarus in 2023, Alex spent 10 years at Patterson Real Estate Advisory Group, where he was a managing director and partner. At Patterson, he executed over $2.8 billion in transactions, advising on and arranging capital structures for commercial real estate developers of all product types.
Alex, who has a BBA in finance from the UGA Terry College of Business, began his career at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey (now Truist Securities) in the structured real estate group, where he participated in more than $500 million in net lease transactions. A former UGA men’s tennis captain, he is also one of three co-owners of Yonder Yoga, a fast-growing brand of yoga studios across the Southeast.
