The honours system recognises people who have made achievements in public life and to those who have committed themselves to serving and helping the UK.
Alumna Professor Judith Petts becomes a Dame in recognition of her services to Higher Education and to Sustainability. Dame Judith is the Vice-Chancellor at the University of Plymouth and under her leadership the University has twice been named among the world’s top universities for marine science and engineering. She became Vice-Chancellor there in 2016 joining from the University of Southampton where she had been the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research and Enterprise. Prior to that she was the inaugural Dean of the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences. Dame Judith also spent 12 years at the University of Birmingham as a Head of School and finally as Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Research and Knowledge Transfer.
She completed her PhD in Hazard/Risk Management at Loughborough in the late 1990s, having been a lecturer and senior lecturer in the Centre for Hazard and Risk Management at Loughborough. She became Centre Director in 1997.
Dame Judith is one of the founding signatories of Marine Research Plymouth, a partnership between Plymouth University, Plymouth Marine Laboratory and the Marine Biological Association, designed to cement Plymouth as the go-to location for world-leading marine research. She has held a number of Board member and Trustee positions. She has represented the sector in developing the Department for Education Sustainability Strategy, chaired the Defra/DECC Social Science Expert Panel and was a commissioner on the Climate Commission for UK Higher and Further Education Students and Leaders.
The Professor is upgraded from Commander of the Order of the British Empire, which she received in the Queen’s New Year Honours, 2012, for services to Scientific Research.
Barbara Slater receives a CBE for services to Sports Broadcasting. She spent 15 years as the BBC’s first Director of Sport and retired earlier this year. Barbara worked for the BBC for 40 years after switching from her career as an Olympic gymnast. During her tenure as Director of Sport, Barbara oversaw the coverage of seven Olympic Games – including London 2012 which was the most watched national television event in UK history.
Barbara led the development of women’s sport coverage at the BBC, with the Women's World Cup football final watched by 12m viewers on BBC One last year. She has also been responsible for bringing the FA Cup and cricket back to the BBC and has overseen the production of 14 men's and women's football World Cups and European Championships, plus Wimbledon and the Six Nations.
She gained her PGCE from Loughborough in 1982. She has contributed to several in person and online talks to inspire students interested in sports and media in recent years.
Barbara was previously awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Honours list. In recent months she has also received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Fevo Sport Industry Awards and was given a Special Recognition Award at the Broadcast Sport Awards.
Also in sport, footballer Karen Carney receives an OBE for services to Association Football. She is one of England’s most capped players of all time with 144 caps. In her club career, she played for Birmingham City during two spells, as well as Arsenal, Chicago Red Stars and Chelsea.
Since retiring from her playing career following the 2018-19 season, Karen has become a pundit, co-launched ‘the Second Half’ to support women footballers post-playing career, and in 2002 she was appointed Chair of the Future of Women’s Football Review for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. In this role she has supported Government to look at ways to nurture and expand the women’s game in the UK, with the review published in the summer of 2023. The Government is backing the review and the FA and NewCo are taking forward a number of recommendations.
Karen was awarded an MBE in 2017 and now becomes OBE. She graduated from Loughborough with a BSc Applied Sports Science degree in 2008.
Another OBE goes to Dr Jeanelle de Gruchy for services to Public Health. She is the Lately President of the Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH) – a role she held for four years, and which included the first three waves of the Covid pandemic. Through this role Dr de Gruchy published principles for the local management of SARS 2, producing local outbreak plans. Her priorities as ADPH President were to continue the development of the Association as a well-respected voice for prevention and public health. On leaving that post, she shared her four priorities and reflections from the role, which included “challenging the norm and advocating for equality in all its forms” and “developing a vibrant, member-led organisation”.
She was also the elected Chair of the Greater Manchester Directors of Public Health from 2020-21. She became England’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer in October of 2021. In her current role, she is one of three deputies supporting the Chief Medical Officer in advisory roles to the government on medical matters. She is the co-lead for the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities.
She gained an MA in Women’s Studies from the Department of Social Sciences at Loughborough in 1999.
Former student Jennifer Bott has been awarded an MBE for services to Gymnastics. She helped to pioneer the introduction of rhythmic gymnastics in the UK. Now in her late 80s, Jennifer spent more than 40 years running a rhythmic gymnastics club in Northampton – which merged with Dexterity Gymnastics in 2017. She still coaches now.
Having introduced this specific style of gymnastics to the UK over 50 years ago when asked to do so by British Gymnastics in the early 1970s, the sport has been a lifelong passion for Jennifer. She took the first British rhythmic gymnasts to the Olympics in 1984 having set up the first national squad.
Throughout her career she has been a teacher, coach, judge and lecturer.
Also receiving an MBE in alumnus Professor Clive Buckberry FREng who is honoured for services to Medical Engineering. Professor Buckberry is the Co-Founder and Chief Engineer and Technology Officer at Quanta Dialysis Technologies. The company provides dialysis systems for renal patients. One of their products – the SC+ machine – won the Royal Academy of Engineering’s 2022 MacRobert Award. The machine is aimed at enabling kidney failure patients to treat themselves at home, moving away from large traditional haemodialysis machines, giving patients more flexibility.
Clive’s role provides direct influence on the technological developments and implementations at Quanta. He leads a team of 50 engineers. He previously worked at the BMW group.
Clive graduated with a MTech in Engineering Design in 1984.
Dr Samina Khan is honoured with an MBE for services to Higher Education. She is the Director of Undergraduate Admissions and Outreach at University of Oxford. She completed a PhD in Chemistry at Loughborough in 1992 following an MSc in 1986.
Alongside her admissions role, Samina is a Senior Associate of Pembroke College and a fellow of St Anne’s College (Oxford).
During her Directorship at Oxford, which she took up in 2014, representation of state school students enrolling at Oxford has increased. She has been a pioneer of programmes that target more students from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds, underprivileged backgrounds, and from all around the world.
She also works with policymakers nationally and internationally, having spent some of her career working in the commercial, public and third sectors for education-related organisations. She has also developed national policies on education and training for the Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills within the UK Government.
Pete Fleming receives an MBE
Another MBE is awarded to Pete Fleming, who receives the honour alongside his brother, Steve, for services to Sport for Social Change in Lesotho. The pair co-founded a charity, Kick4Life, that uses football to engage with disadvantaged youth. Through a range of social development initiatives, such as education and health, Kick4Life has helped to bring about social change through sport since it was founded in 2005.
The organisation aligns itself to three priority Sustainable Development Goals: Good Health and Wellbeing, Quality Education, and Gender Equality. Through Kick4Life, with its centre based in Maseru, young people have the opportunity to engage in long-term activities that aim to empower and build skills and confidence.
On being appointed MBEs, the Fleming brothers said:
“To build an organisation that uses football to transform young lives has been a privilege, and to have the chance to pursue so many creative directions, in such a beautiful country as Lesotho, has ensured it could never possibly be a chore.”
Pete graduated from Loughborough with a BSc in Sport and Exercise Science in 2003.
Dr Simon Batchelor, a Visiting Research Fellow and Partner in Modern Energy and Cooking Services (MECS) at the University, has become an OBE for services to Technological Innovation in the Developing World.
Simon, Director of Gamos Ltd, is recognised for his contribution to international development and innovation. Over more than 40 years, Dr Batchelor has led the development of new and transformative ways to tackle challenges faced by people in developing countries through his research, influence on policy, and community action. He has been the driving force behind many leading innovations, including projects to provide low-cost electric cooking, the scale-up of low-cost renewable energy, and the development and use of mobile money to drive economic growth.
Learning about his award, Dr Batchelor said:
“I am grateful that this award honours the small contributions that I have made, alongside various colleagues, to addressing the enduring problem of climate change and poverty injustice. I especially appreciate that it acknowledges the need for forward-thinking and creativity if we are to achieve a just energy transition to net zero.”
Simon is currently working as a Research and Innovation Coordinator for MECS.
Congratulations to all of our King’s Honours recipients.
If you have been named in the Honours list, or if you have other news to share, please get in touch to let us know.