Previous award recipients

Vee received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University in recognition of the significant impact she has made to the inclusion of underrepresented groups in higher education, and her outstanding contribution to diversity and female empowerment.

Varaidzo (Vee) Kativhu is a Girls’ Education Activist, a Young Leader for the SDGs at the United Nations, and the Founder of Empowered By Vee. Her work predominantly focuses on widening access to education for students from underrepresented, underserved, and underprivileged backgrounds while elevating youth voices in institutions and decision processes that directly impact their lives. 

A graduate of Oxford and Harvard, Vee aims to make higher education more inclusive and diverse through a holistic empowerment model that equips disempowered students with tangible and practical skills to support them during their transitional stages, from applications to graduation. Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Vee has an acute understanding of the cultural, socio-economic, and practical barriers that prevent girls from achieving their academic potential. Her activism work has a strong emphasis on the intersection between SDG 4 'Quality Education' and SDG 5 'Gender Equality'. 

Vee has harnessed the power of social media, as a content creator and YouTuber, to inspire a combined audience of 400,000 followers to tap into their potential. In her role as a Global Partnership for Education Youth Leader, Vee advocates for education policy change in the UK, as well as internationally. In recognition of her work, she is a recipient of the UK Prime Minister’s Point of Lights Award, one of BBC’s 100 Women 2023, and a Diana Legacy Award holder. These accolades are a testament to her commitment to widening access to quality education for every child, everywhere. 

Listen to Vee's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

Karl was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University in recognition of his significant commitment to the University and impact this has made.

Karl Bates has been a Civil Servant for over 40 years and a qualified Internal Auditor for over 30 of those.   As such, he's a firm believer in efficient and effective public services which deliver both impact and value for the taxpayer.  Most of his career has been spent working across a wide range of functions in mainly large Government Departments and their associated agencies and bodies.  

Karl is passionate about Higher Education and firmly believes that everyone who wishes to should have the opportunity to go to university regardless of background or social status.   

Having developed a career around audit, risk and governance, he decided in the mid-2000s that it was time to broaden his horizons and to share his professional knowledge and experience. Karl has worked with the University of Bradford on its University Council, Audit, Committee, Ethics Committee and various other committees/groups for the past 15 years - initially as a lay member and latterly as a Pro Chancellor.  He is also a past Director of the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors (UK & Ireland). 

Karl is a keen advocate for, and supporter of, the City of Bradford having been a resident here for the past 60 plus years.   

Listen to Karl's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

Adeeba was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University in recognition of her commitment to supporting disadvantaged communities and enabling social cohesion.

Adeeba Malik is the current High Sheriff of West Yorkshire (the first ethnic minority female) and a visiting professor at York St John University and a Deputy Lieutenant of West Yorkshire. She has been working at the award-winning Bradford-based national charity QED Foundation since 1992, where she is Deputy Chief Executive, designing and developing innovative solutions to the challenges faced by disadvantaged ethnic minority communities and encouraging politicians, civil servants and leaders of large private, public and third sector organisations to adopt similar approaches and improve social mobility. 

Adeeba is currently a member of the FCDO UK-Pakistan Advisory Council; an advisor for the Home Office’s Strategic Race Advisory Board; and serves on the State Honours Committee. She has held 14 ministerial appointments working with departments across Whitehall for the governments of all seven prime ministers from 1997 to the present yet has still found time to sit on numerous voluntary committees. 

Adeeba was born in Bradford, is a passionate advocate for equality, diversity and inclusion and a high-profile champion of ethnic minorities, women and northern communities. She was awarded the MBE in 2004 and the CBE in 2015.  

Career highlights have included being named by the Yorkshire Post as one of the top 20 inspiring women from the region in the past 70 years, alongside Betty Boothroyd, Helen Sharman and Dame Barbara Hepworth. As a board member for Bradford Culture Company, she helped to secure UK City of Culture status in 2025. 

Listen to Adeeba's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

Nirmal received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University in recognition of his significant commitment to the communities in Bradford, and to the University.

Nirmal Singh arrived in the UK in 1967 as a 15-year-old boy as an “Economic Migrant” and soon secured a job in Bradford, manufacturing duvets where he learnt valuable lessons about listening, learning, and embracing challenges. Following the death of the company's owner, Nirmal jumped at the opportunity to take over the business.  

Along with his wife, Harmesh Kaur, Nirmal worked tirelessly to make the business a success. Their dedication soon paid off, and their duvet products became well-known across the UK within the Asian community. The business exceeded all expectations, not just financially but also in reputation for quality service.  

Nirmal chose to reinvest his profits into rundown properties, renovating them with his wife. This venture grew into a successful property development business, now known as a multi-million-pound enterprise, praised for its reputable developments in West Yorkshire. 

Nirmal’s success is a result of hard work, honesty, and integrity, supported by a dedicated family. Nirmal especially credits his wife who has been the backbone and key to their family's successes. 

Listen to Nirmal's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

Luke received an Outstanding Contribution Award in recognition of his dedication to raising awareness and support for men's mental health, and the significant difference this is making locally and nationally.

Luke Ambler is a former professional rugby player, dad, entrepreneur, award-winning mental health campaigner, charity chairman, and motivational speaker.  

Luke is the driving force behind ANDYSMANCLUB, a charitable organisation that provides a place for men to come together in a safe environment, to talk about issues and problems they have faced or are currently facing. The club was formed by Luke and his mother-in-law Elaine after his brother-in-law Andy, took his own life aged 23, in a bid to prevent others from going through the same tragedy. 

The club, with its slogan "it's okay to talk", started in early 2016 in Halifax with a first meeting of nine men. ANDYSMANCLUB aims to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health and create a judgment-free, confidential space where men can be open about the storms in their lives through peer-to-peer support groups. The group has now expanded across the country to over 200 groups, used weekly by over 4500 men. The groups are led by an army of 1200+ facilitators, with the vast majority of these having first interacted with ANDYSMANCLUB when they came through the door as a service user themselves. 

As part of Luke’s mission to raise awareness and support for mental health, he also delivers talks and workshops for businesses and schools, founded an online community called Luke’s Mindtribe, and has launched The Bee You Journal, a two in one journal which provides tools, techniques and strategies to support mental health.  

Listen to Luke's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

Jo received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University in recognition of demonstrating significant impact on the City and beyond, and contribution to STEM in partnership with the University.

Joanne Quinton-Tulloch’s 27 year career in museums started as an Explainer in the Learning Team at the Science Museum in London. She went on to deliver world class galleries, exhibitions and innovative programmes in the Science Museum. In 2000 she moved to Cornwall to lead the curatorial and exhibitions teams that created and launched the National Maritime Museum Cornwall and establish many of the operational requirements for the new Museum.  

Jo moved to Bradford to revision the National Media Museum, becoming Director in 2013. Her focus there has been to forge new sustainable partnerships across the city and region which reposition the Museum as a centre of excellence in STEM learning and explore new ways to work with local communities. As part of this focus, Jo led a major relaunch of the renamed and rebranded National Science and Media Museum in spring 2017 and opened a new Wonderlab gallery. The next phase will be two new permanent galleries to showcase the museum’s world-class collections, that will launch as part of Bradford City of Culture 2025. 

Jo has an honours degree in Biological Sciences from the University of East Anglia and a Master’s in Science Communication from Imperial College. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts, a Board Member for: The UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres (ASDC); the National Coal Mining Museum for England (ex officio) and an Advisory Board Member for the National Videogame Museum. 

Listen to Jo's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

Maggie received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science in recognition of her significant achievements in the field of space science and her commitment to making education accessible to all.

Dame Maggie Aderin is a space scientist whose passion is presenting science to general audiences and demonstrating that you ‘don’t need a brain the size of a small planet’ to understand, participate in and enjoy science. She studied at Imperial College, London, obtaining a Physics degree and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering. She has worked in both industrial and academic environments, on missions including the James Webb Space Telescope and various satellites designed to monitor climate change.  

Maggie is the CEO of Science Innovation Ltd., which she founded in 2004. Here, she conducts public engagement activities, sharing her love of space and encouraging underrepresented groups to enter STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). To date, she has given talks to over 500,000 people globally.  

She is a Bafta-nominated television presenter and won a Women in Film & Television New Talent Award. She co-hosts the world’s longest-running science program, “The Sky at Night.” 

Maggie is an author, with her recent children’s book “Am I Made of Stardust” winning a Royal Society book prize. She won an Institute of Physics gold medal, a Yale “Out of the Box Thinker” award and was named “Woman of the Year in Innovation” in 2019. She is a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and an ambassador for "Made by Dyslexia" and the "International Rescue Committee.” 

Listen to Maggie's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

Louise received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Health in of the significant impact she has made on research and education in relation to perimenopause and the menopause.

Louise Newson is a physician, menopause specialist and member of the UK Government’s Menopause Taskforce. She is an award-winning doctor, educator, and author, committed to increasing awareness and knowledge of perimenopause and menopause. Described as the “medic who kickstarted the menopause revolution”, she has empowered a generation of women to have a greater understanding, choice and control over their treatment, bodies and mind. 

Dr Louise is a member of the Royal College of Physicians (1998), a Fellow of the Royal College of GPs (2016) and Visiting Fellow at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge University. 

She is the founder of the free award-winning balance menopause support app, which has had more than one million downloads to date, and the balance-menopause website. She hosts the weekly Dr Louise Newson podcast, which has been ranked the No.1 medical podcast in the UK, and is a Sunday Times bestselling author. 

In 2018 Dr Louise founded Newson Health in response to difficulties many women experience in obtaining perimenopause and menopause treatment. A portion of Newson Health’s profits fund much-need research and education, the balance app and numerous free resources available to people globally. She has also developed a menopause education programme for healthcare professionals which has been downloaded by over 33,000 clinicians globally. 

She works with numerous organisations raising awareness of the needs of perimenopausal and menopausal women and regularly appears in the media as an expert in women’s hormone health. 

Listen to Louise's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

Saorsa-Amatheia received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University in recognition of her significant contribution to equality and diversity education, on a local and national scale.

Saorsa-Amatheia Tweedale has spent her adult life working within equality and diversity. As a student she was on the NUS NEC with responsibility for both equality and mature students. After that she joined the civil service where, alongside her duties as an EO in DWP, she has been the chair of the Jobcentre plus Gender staff network as well as that for the DWP as a whole. In that latter capacity she was recognised with the national excellency in diversity award from the DWP for her work around women’s health. More recently she has co-chaired the DWP LGBT+ staff network and is currently the Cross Civil service LGBT+ staff networks co-chair.  

Also an active trade unionist, she is the national Chair of PCS Proud the union LGBT+ section, has been the National Trans representative of PCS Proud for many years, and runs the union Trans training course for union representatives. She has represented PCS for several years on the TUC National LGBT+ committee and was nominated by them to talk at the TUC women’s conference on joint work on women’s and LGBT+ rights. She was also asked by the TUC to speak at an international conference on LGBT+ rights and the rise of far-right ideology. 

She was also a trustee for six years of the local LGBT+ charity, the Equity Partnership where she helped institute West Yorkshires first Trans Day of Remembrance event working with Bradford Council. She then worked with both Huddersfield and Leeds on starting similar events. 

Listen to Saorsa-Amatheia's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

Peter was a 2023 recipient of an Outstanding Contribution Award in recognition of his significant contribution to excellence and inclusion within education and the community.

Peter Steele was Headteacher at Princeville Primary School, Bradford from 1982 to 2006. He worked with and delivered seminars for the following organisations: Becta, BETT, DfES Innovation Unit, Education Bradford, Local Authority, National College for School Leaders (SLICT), and The Specialist Schools & Academies Trust. Peter has also gained national recognition for the implementation of ICT receiving a number of awards.  

As a school leader he has always tried to ensure a child centred approach to learning, which placed the school at the heart of the community. In 1982 the school was described by HMI as “one of the most under resourced ever visited.” By the early 2000’s it was transformed thanks to Peter’s tireless efforts, was instead described by OFSTED as “a school in and urban setting with the feel of a village community.”  

Peter always tried to ensure the school reflected the needs of its community and implemented initiatives such as being one of the first schools in Bradford to close for festivals such as Eid and Diwali. The technology included ICT as well as CCTV which became a major strand in enabling child protection and safeguarding.  

Listen to Peter's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

Shaukat became Doctor of the University in 2023 in recognition of his significant commitment to the community of Bradford and the University.

Shaukat Ahmed MBE is a British politician, engineer, entrepreneur and a prominent voluntary sector organiser and community leader in the Bradford district. Also known as ‘Mr Manningham’, Shaukat has dedicated his career to improving housing conditions, economic prosperity, youth involvement and educational development of some of the most deprived communities of Bradford.  

Shaukat was a founding member of the Bangladeshi Youth Organisation in 1982, a pioneering organisation created to support early South Asian migrants in inner-city Bradford. He was also a founding member of the Manningham Housing Association, and a founding Director and Chair of a community enterprise called Action for Business Ltd, which owns and runs Carlisle Business Centre. The centre provides a warm, friendly, and well-maintained workspace for starter businesses to flourish, of which an estimated 30% of tenants are under 30, contributing to the entrepreneurship of the city.  

Shaukat was a Bradford City Councillor and Chair of School Buildings Committee. He was instrumental in building the first purpose built new upper school in the inner-city (Manningham) in 80 years. He is also a cultural activist promoting understanding and co-operation between people of various cultural heritages and faith groups, through music, songs, and poetry. 

Shaukat was recognised for his work for the communities in Bradford in 2008 when he was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. 

Listen to Shaukat's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

Oshita became Doctor of the University in 2023 in recognition of his significant contribution to international peace studies and his support in developing links with the University of Bradford.

Professor Oshita Osang Oshita is the Executive Director of Ubuntu Centre for Africa Peacebuilding and Development (UCAP), an NGO incorporated in 2018 after his tenure as Director General, Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Abuja. He is a Chevening Scholar with academic qualifications in Philosophy, Environmental Education and Peace and Conflict Studies. He was a Member of the House of Representatives during Nigeria’s Third Republic (1992-1993).  

Oshita coordinated Nigeria’s first Strategic Conflict Assessment (SCA) in 2002, supported by the UNDP, World Bank, USAID and DfID. He holds the Bachelor of Art degree in Philosophy (2nd Upper) of the University of Calabar (Nigeria), MA and Ph.D in Philosophy from the University of Ibadan (Nigeria). He graduated at Bradford with the MA in Peace and Conflict Studies (Merit) in 2004. Oshita was a 2003 distinguished delegate of the Model United Nations in New York, USA. 

Oshita was one of the African Union Commission (AUC) Consultants that designed the Strategy for the Reconstruction, Stabilization and Resilience of the terrorism-ravaged Lake Chad Basin. he founded the first Peacebuilding radio in Nigeria, Ubuntu Peacebuilding Radio, 88.3fm, Ogoja.   

Oshita is a Study Group Coordinator at the National Institute for Security Studies (NISS), Abuja. He is fellow of the Society of Peace Studies and Practice (fspsp), the Institute for Chartered Mediators and Conciliators (ficmc), and Philosophers Association of Nigeria (fpan). He is published and has taught in different Universities, including the University of Bayreuth, Germany.  

Listen to Oshita's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

Clare became Doctor of the University in 2023 in recognition of her outstanding career which she has dedicated to making a difference to underserved and underrepresented communities.

Dame Clare Moriarty DCB is Chief Executive of Citizens Advice and leads the national charity and network of local Citizens Advice charities across England & Wales. With a commitment to social justice, Citizens Advice gives individuals the knowledge and confidence they need to find their way forward and advocates on their behalf to bring about wider change.  

Clare was previously a civil servant for nearly 35 years, latterly as Permanent Secretary of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2015 to 2019, and of the Department for Exiting the EU until its closure in January 2020. She was the first Permanent Secretary Champion for Faith and Belief and was also Civil Service Local champion for Yorkshire, Humber and the North East. She is recognised for her work on diversity and inclusion and has spoken extensively on leadership, in particular the importance of valuing emotion and creating space for difference.  

Before joining Citizens Advice, Clare chaired the Health Foundation’s Covid-19 impact inquiry and worked with organisations including Transport for London and the Bank of England. She is a trustee of the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and the History of Parliament Trust, senior independent member of the Westminster Abbey Strategic Board and chairs the South Downs Partnership. Clare was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 2020 Birthday Honours. 

Listen to Clare's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

Nick received an Outstanding Contribution Award in recognition of his long standing and diverse career within Bradford’s arts and culture sector as a poet, musician, writer, performer and journalist. 

Nick Toczek was born and raised in Shipley and has been a full-time professional writer and performer since graduating from The University of Birmingham in 1971 with a BSc in Industrial Metallurgy. 

During the 1970s, he had eight books and pamphlets published. founded, edited, and published two poetry magazines, co-founded and ran Moseley Community Arts Festival, toured the UK with his Stereo Graffiti Show, co-edited and published Melanthika, Britain's first anthology of pan-Caribbean writing and, after moving back to Bradford, co-founded the punk band Ulterior Motives and the seminal fanzine The Wool City Rocker. 

During the early 1980s, he ran hundreds of weekly punk and indie rock gigs. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he and Bradford rock legend, Wild Willi Beckett, co-ran hundreds of alternative cabaret gigs. 

As a writer-in-school, he's worked with pupils from over 5,000 schools throughout Britain and in dozens of countries worldwide. He's now published more than sixty books and has released twenty albums of songs and/or performance poetry. He currently runs and hosts two monthly performance poetry events, one in Halifax, the other in Greater Manchester.  

For 25 years, he presented his own weekly show on BCB Radio. He's long been a columnist, reviewer, and features writer for the UK music mag, RnR. Oh, and he's also a professional magician and puppeteer. 

Listen to Nick's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

Ruyeka received an Outstanding Contribution Award in 2023 in recognition of her outstanding career as an award-winning Midwife and advocate for equality and inclusion within healthcare and leadership.

Rukeya Miah has almost 30 years’ of experience and learning, and with a lifelong passion for nursing and midwifery, this has led to a varied career. She first qualified as a nurse in 1994, working in surgery and intensive care at Airedale General Hospital. In 2000, her longstanding passion for midwifery led to her beginning an 18-month BSc in Midwifery Studies (2003) to achieve dual-registration as both a nurse and midwife which she completed at the University of Bradford, before completing an MSc in Midwifery with the University in 2011 and an Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy and an MSc in NHS Senior Leadership  in 2017 at the University of Birmingham. 

Rukeya is currently the Head of Midwifery, Family and Women’s Health Group at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. She is also passionate about reducing health inequalities and supporting staff development. This is reflected in her other roles including being the North East & Yorkshire Regional Lead for the Chief Nursing Officer’s BME Strategic Advisory Group (First Midwife to be appointed to this role), the Yorkshire & Humber co-chair of the Oversight Steering Group for Saving Babies Lives, and co-chair of the North Yorkshire & Humber Maternity Equality and Equity Group. 

Listen to Rukeya's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

Mark became a Doctor of Health in 2023 in recognition of demonstrating significant achievement in the field of radiography and commitment to education.

Mark O’Herlihy has over 30 years’ experience in healthcare, initially qualifying as a Radiographer. He completed postgraduate qualifications in Radiology Image Interpretation at both the University of Hatfield and the University of Bradford, aswell as a postgraduate qualification in Health Research from the University of Leeds. He was one of the first reporting radiographers and advanced radiographer practitioners in the UK, focussing on improving digital education amongst healthcare professionals. 

Mark has held clinical, research and leadership roles in multiple NHS Organisations in London & Leeds and has held global leadership roles in the top companies in the world, namely IBM & Lexmark. At these and many other organisations, he has been the driving force behind adoption of new innovative healthcare & life sciences technologies to benefit healthcare delivery for patients all over the world. Mark is defined by his passion to improve patient outcomes via innovation in healthcare, he led IBM Watson Health across Europe, Middle East & Africa, bringing AI, innovation and education to countries and governments in Oncology, Genomics, Imaging, Life Sciences & Population Health. 

Currently, Mark is an executive member of the board at Circle Health Group, the largest UK Independent Sector healthcare provider, where he leads on healthcare innovation and outcomes with a focus on healthcare delivery and patient experience. In his role as Vice Chair on the advisory board of HIMSS, a global not-for-profit organisation dedicated to improving healthcare in quality, safety, cost-effectiveness and access, Mark advises both commercial and non-profit organisations to ensure patient satisfaction and experience remains a key focus in the industry.

Listen to Mark's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

In recognition of his significant impact to the field of international development as a globally renowned academic and politician.

Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León (Mexico, 1951) earned his Bachelor’s degree from the School of Economics of the Natìonal Polytechnic Institute in Mexico and his M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. degrees at Yale University. After finishing his undergraduate studies, he attended the University of Bradford in the summer of 1973 to study project evaluation, an opportunity that decisively encouraged and supported his pursuit of graduate studies. 

After completing his education at Yale, Ernesto returned to Mexico to teach and do economic research. At a relatively young age, he became Deputy Director at the Central Bank of Mexico; Deputy Minister of the Budget; Minister of Economic Programming and the Budget; and Minister of Education. In 1994, he was elected President of Mexico, a position he held until December of 2000. 

Following his government service, Ernesto was invited to return to Yale University in 2002 to direct the newly created Center for the Study of Globalization. 

At Yale, Ernesto currently holds the appointments of Senior Fellow at the Jackson School of Global Affairs; Professor in the Field of International Economics and Politics; and Professor Adjunct of Forestry and Environmental Studies. 

He was Chairman (2005-2011) of the Board of the Global Development Network (GDN), an international organization based in New Delhi, India and Cairo, Egypt. He was also the founding Chairman (2013-2019) of the Board of the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI), a non-profit organisation giving policy advice and advocacy support on that subject in many countries. From 2011 to 2020 he served as co-chair of the Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington based think tank pursuing a better understanding of the issues of common interest for the nations of the Americas and was a member of the governing board of the World Economic Forum from 2002 to 2014.  

Ernesto is a member of The Elders, an independent group of global leaders using their collective experience and influence for peace, justice and human rights worldwide. He is also an active member the Group of Thirty, an independent international body to deepen understanding of global economic and financial issues. 

Listen to Ernesto's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

In recognition of his significant impact as a humanitarian-philanthropist and commitment to positive peace and sustainable development.

Steve Killelea A.M. is a distinguished, entrepreneur, philanthropist, film producer and author. Over the last two decades, Steve has applied his business skills to his many global philanthropic activities, establishing the internationally renowned global think tank, the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), and private family charity, The Charitable Foundation, which now has over three million direct beneficiaries. He is also the Founder of the Global Peace Index, the world’s leading measure of global peacefulness.  

Established in 2007, IEP is a highly impactful non-profit, non-partisan research institute known for its innovative analysis on the relationship between business, peace and economic development. Its research is used by many international organisations, including the United Nations and World Bank. In 2013, a coalition of Australian Foundations recognised his funding of IEP as one of the 50 most impactful philanthropic gifts in Australia’s history. In the same year, Action on Armed Violence named him as one of the 100 most influential people in the world on reducing armed violence.  

As an entrepreneur in the high technology industry, Steve founded and built one of Australia’s leading publicly listed IT companies, Integrated Research; and in 2001, he founded Smarter Capital, a venture capital company that specialises in investing in unique technologies with global applicability. Steve currently serves on the President’s Circle for Club de Madrid, the largest forum of former world leaders working to strengthen democracy, and is an Honorary President of Religion for Peace, the world’s largest organisation working on inter-religious challenges.

Listen to Steve's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

In recognition of his dedication to the promotion of equality, diversity and inclusion.

Charles Dacres is an esteemed professional known for his exceptional achievements across various initiatives. Currently serving as the Director of the Bradford Hate Crime Alliance (BHCA), he assumes the crucial responsibility of establishing a robust partnership to address hate crime and hate crime reporting throughout the district.  

Throughout his career, Charles has amassed significant experience working alongside Local Authorities, specialising in educational and learning approaches to equality, diversity, inclusion, and community engagement. His leadership has been instrumental in guiding and advising those responsible for ensuring equitable and fair service delivery. As co-chair of Active Bradford, he collaborates with agencies across the district to promote physical activity and sports. Through his relentless efforts, Charles advocates for and influences physical activity and sports initiatives, fostering a wide range of work by partners and stakeholders. 

As the chair of the Bradford Safe Task Force, Charles assumes a crucial position overseeing effective resource management for evidence-based interventions targeting the educational risk factors that can draw young people, particularly those aged between 13 and 15, into organised crime.  

Charles also serves as a Director and trustee of the Morrisons Foundation Trust. As one of seven trustees, he plays a pivotal role in setting the Foundation's direction and ensuring its charitable objectives are met. The Morrisons Foundation is dedicated to supporting local charities that have a positive impact on communities. 

Recognised for his exceptional leadership, Charles spearheaded the Windrush commemoration events in Bradford. Through his diligent efforts, the Windrush flag was raised in over 30 prominent cities nationwide, including notable landmarks such as the Home Office building and the Houses of Parliament. These events were designed to highlight and honour the significant contributions of the African Caribbean community in rebuilding Great Britain after World War II. 

With an impressive track record spanning numerous initiatives, Charles is widely respected for his leadership and unwavering commitment to improving the lives of individuals within the Bradford district.  

Listen to Charles' oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

In recognition of his significant commitment and passion for the performing arts and culture in the community.

Richard Shaw is an arts and media professional with a strong track record in public engagement, management, and leadership roles at some of the UK’s leading cultural and media organisations.   

His experience spans the performing arts, film and broadcasting and leadership roles, managing complex stakeholder environments in the public and commercial sectors and in not-for-profit organisations including Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, British Film Institute, Lion Television, Royal Opera House, National Theatre and English National Ballet. 

His background includes strategic, campaign and digital marketing, brand development, public engagement venue operations, stakeholder management, local & national media relations, business planning, Government relations, capital projects and sustainable revenue-growth.   

In 2019 (following the completion of a major capital refurbishment programme at BFI Southbank) he moved to West Yorkshire to lead Bradford’s successful bid to become UK City of Culture 2025.  

Listen to Richard's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the awareness of Inclusion and Diversity through their professional life and beyond the remit of their role and as an alumnus who had achieved significant levels of success in his chosen field.

Jabbar Sardar is Global HR director for BBC Studios, the commercial subsidiary of the BBC that combines the strengths of the UK’s most awarded-production company with a world class distributor.  

As Global HR Director, he is responsible for all HR activity for the company’s 6,000 staff and freelancers across 16 countries. He joined the BBC in January 2016 and reports into the BBC Studios CEO and BBC Group HRD. Jabbar is a member of the BBC Studios Executive Team, a member of the pan-BBC HR Leadership Team and the Chair of the BBC Studios Pay Committee.  

Jabbar joined the BBC from Cafcass, where he was Director of HR and OD and led an agenda of total organisational and cultural change, culminating in 2014 when Cafcass was assessed by Ofsted as ‘Good with Outstanding Leadership.’ Before Cafcass, he was a senior HR professional within a number of large public sector organisations.    

Jabbar has been the Chair of the International Advisory Board at the School of Management at the University of Bradford since 2017.  He is currently Deputy Chair of Trustees for Citizens Advice. 

Jabbar also holds an MBA from the University of Bradford. 

Listen to Jabbar's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

In recognition of his significant dedication to charity, fundraising and humanitarian work in Bradford and internationally.

Nazim Ali is a prolific award-winning community activist and humanitarian who has relentlessly for almost 26 years dedicated most of his life thus far to improving the lives of those less fortunate which has been well documented in the media. He has raised just over £750,000 for charitable causes both in the UK and overseas. This has included running Ramadan 10K Runs whilst fasting for the last 10 years and is known in the media as the ‘Ramadan Runner’. He has been on over a dozen self-funded humanitarian aid trips around the world and has built over 250 new 2 room homes for the poor in Malawi, Syria, Pakistan and Uganda.  

For the last 9 ½ years every Thursday evening he has volunteered at the Bradford Curry Circle Food Project providing warm 2 course meals to the homeless and needy which he continued even during the Covid-19 pandemic. Nazim is also the Founder and Co-ordinator of the ‘Creating Smiles Gifts Initiative’ where, he has provided thousands of pounds worth of gifts through his sponsor, Bradford-based Saveco Cash & Carry to poorly children at Bradford Royal Infirmary and Airedale Hospital Childrens Wards.

Nazim hails from the Manningham area of Bradford and was the first in his family to go to University. In 2002 he graduated with a BSc (Hons) in History and Politics from the University of Bradford and in 2006 with a MSc in Management from the University of York.  

Nazim has received several local and national awards including in 2019 receiving the much-coveted British Citizens Awards - Service to Community Medal in Westminster. 

Listen to Nazim's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

In recognition of his transformational leadership and dedication to higher education in Nigeria, and for his contributions to setting up a network of Universities in Nigeria for the University of Bradford to work with.

Professor Akaneren Idem Essien is a Professor of Animal Science at the Akwa Ibom State University, Obio Akpa campus, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. He is a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Animal Science, FNSAP, and two-term Member of Council of the Nigerian Institute of Animal Science.  

In his 39 years in the Nigerian University System, Professor Essien has served creditably in various capacities, rising through the ranks in teaching, research and community service, leading to his appointment as Vice-Chancellor, University of Uyo, Nigeria in 2005. His tenure as Vice-Chancellor witnessed the turning around of the fortunes of the University for the better, in so many ways leaving a legacy of monumental development in academic and research infrastructures, and human resource development. 

Professor Essien, from 2011 to 2017 served thereafter as a Visiting Scholar in the National Universities Commission (NUC), Abuja, the regulatory body that oversee the activities of Nigerian Universities. He was appointed Chairman of the NUC Standing Committee on Private Universities (2012-2017) during which he made outstanding contributions in the modalities that were used for the evaluation and licensing of Private Universities in Nigeria. Twenty-two new Private Universities were established during this period. 

He is currently the Pro-Chancellor of Topfaith University, Mkpatak, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, a fast-developing Private University in Nigeria, that will be exploring academic collaboration with the University of Bradford in Engineering and Nursing Sciences. 

He successfully served as the Chairman of the Planning and Implementation Committee of the recently Nigerian Government established Private University, Amadeus University, Amizi, Abia State, Nigeria (2019-2023). Professor Essien’s role as Chairman of the Federal Government of Nigeria-appointed Visitation Panels to some Tertiary Institutions in the country produced far-reaching positive reorganization in those Institutions. 

In addition to Professor Essien’s public service in the Nigerian University System, his on-going research thrust at the Postgraduate level, as a Professor of Animal Science is the intensification of the biochemical and nutritional evaluation and utilisation of some agricultural wastes as feed energy and protein sources for increased egg and meat production in parts of Southern Nigeria.  

In recognition of his outstanding public service performance to Nigeria, the Federal Government conferred on him, National Honours in the category of the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) in October 2022. 

Listen to Professor Essien's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

In recognition of his significant impact as a world class researcher in the field of Pharmacy, commitment to promotion of Equality Diversity and Inclusion and as an alumnus of the University of Bradford.

Professor Mahendra Gulabbhai Patel is a multi-award-winning pharmacist with professorial roles at UK universities and overseas. He is a Patron of the Commonwealth Pharmacy Association and a Teaching and Faculty Member of UNESCO listed in the HSJ 50 most Influential BAME people in Health in 2022. 

Mahendra gained his PhD at the University of Bradford exploring prescribing variations and health inequalities. His subsequent work with the British Heart Foundation led to developing a national educational toolkit promoting healthy hearts, which won the BMA Patient Information Award.  

Mahendra’s pioneering work with NICE creating Student Champions became a national programme in forty universities. He is one of the first to gain a fellowship at NICE.  

Mahendra is a founding member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, and formerly its treasurer, where he was awarded a fellowship and later its prestigious President’s Charter Award for outstanding services to pharmacy. He is also a founding member and trustee of the Mouth Cancer Foundation supporting early detection of mouth cancer. 

Mahendra, a veteran of the South Health Asian Foundation, helped develop a suite of resources for diabetes and cardiovascular disease supporting South Asian communities and was central to the team which won the BMJ Team Diabetes Awards. 

Mahendra is a national lead at the University of Oxford supporting recruitment to clinical trials to be inclusive and representative and has now established the Centre for Research Equity at Oxford in the first of its kind.  

Internationally, Mahendra has worked extensively in promoting pharmacy education and antibiotic guardianship. In India, he became the first International Fellow of the Indian Pharmaceutical Association, and in Lebanon he was made International Honorary Ambassador by Order of Lebanese Pharmacists.  

Mahendra is highly active in promoting inclusion and diversity within the NHS and received the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin Outstanding Service Award.  

Mahendra was made Officer of the British Empire for services to Pharmacy in 2022. 

Listen to Mahendra's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

In recognition of her significant impact as a world class researcher in the field of Optometry and her commitment to promotion of equality, diversity and inclusion.

Professor Shahina Pardhan graduated with a First Class BSc in Optometry and PhD in optometry from University of Bradford. She was appointed as the first female professor of Optometry in the UK (2001). Professor Pardhan is a recipient of the Asian Women of Achievement Award - Professions category (2001), Asian Jewel Award - Health Care and Education category (2005), Research Excellence Award (The Arthur Bennett Prize for outstanding research undertaken anywhere in the world) by the College of Optometrists (2022). She is also listed in the World Top 2% Scientists List published by Stanford University in 2022. 

Professor Pardhan is the Director of world leading Vision and Eye Research Institute, and Director of Centre for Inclusive Community Eye Health, based within the School of Medicine at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge. She has authored over 200 peer-reviewed research papers including 12 papers in the prestigious journal ‘The Lancet’ and has found innovative ways to translate her research findings into interventions that have reduced heath inequality and improved the outcomes of people who are underserved and are at high risk of blindness. This has included developing culturally and linguistically appropriate diabetic awareness videos and information material for people of Asian origin, which have benefitted over 125,000 people not just in the UK but also in Nepal, Thailand, China, and India. She has extended that work to Bangladesh, Pakistan and Mexico'.  

Professor Pardhan leads the leadership portfolio for Women in Vision UK and was named as a Champion for Change in the Ophthalmologist’s Power list in 2019, one of 10 people in the world named as such.  She is profiled as a role model- constantly featured in the College of Optometrists website every year on International Women’s Day. She has written invited editorials including ‘Breaking the glass ceiling in Academia’ and podcasts to support women in their career progression. 

Professor Pardhan served as sub- panel member for national Research Excellence Framework for Allied Health REF2021 and is also a trustee of two charities, ‘Visionary’ and ‘One World One People’. In 2001, she led a group of optometrists to remote parts of north Pakistan to carry out eye tests and provide spectacles to people, some of whom had been blind for many years. She recalls this as the most rewarding experience of her life.  She is a proud alumna of the University of Bradford.

Listen to Professor Pardhan's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

In recognition of his leadership and innovation within the engineering industry and as an alumnus who has achieved significant levels of success in his chosen field.

Alan Banks is the Lightweight Structures Manager at Ford Motor Company. He started work at Ford in 1983 and leads projects with light-weighting technologies with mass production capability. 

He led the Composite Lightweight Automotive Suspension System (CLASS) project, which won the 2018 JEC World Automotive Application Innovation award and the Composite UK Innovation Award winning Composite Hybrid Automotive Suspension System Innovative Structures (CHASSIS) & Electrified Structural Hybrid Automotive Designs for Optimised Weight (eSHADOW) projects. 

Alan has a First-Class Honours Degree and MSc from the University of Bradford, is a Fellow and Chartered Engineer with the Institute of Engineering Technology and a Fellow of the Institute of Innovation and Knowledge Exchange and a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers. He is Chairman of the Board for the Composites UK Trade Association and Chairman of the Vehicular Composites Group and Chairs the Lightweighting UK Auto Council Strategy Group. 

Listen to Alan's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

Michael David Andrews has demonstrated significant commitment to the field of Dementia research and education, working closely with the University and with Alzheimer’s UK to this end. 

Since participating in the study and learning of the work of the Centre for Applied Dementia Studies, Michael became a member of the Centre's Experts by Experience group. As a member of the group, Michael has been involved in numerous research projects, including the ANGELA study, Journeying through Dementia, NIDUS, and many others, initially as a study participant, going on to become a co-applicant for many.  

Michael has also worked with Faculty of Health Students sharing his experiences of dementia at University of Bradford Interprofessional Education Day as well as working with physio, pharmacy, Occupational Therapy students and others. In 2021, Michael began working as a co-producer, with 19 other people living with dementia, of a new, first of its kind MSc module for University of Bradford ‘Understanding the Me in Dementia.’  

Michael’s work with University of Bradford has led to involvement in the work of other Universities and Organisations including Alzheimer’s Society, Dementia Research UK, Rare Dementia Society, Join Dementia Research, University College London, Kings College London, Sheffield Hallam University, Leeds Beckett and more. He has co-authored a book on PCA dementia and is currently working on a book chapter on language relating to dementia, with the Centre for Applied Dementia Studies, Bradford. 

As an Expert by Experience of a rare form of young onset dementia, Michael has helped change the practice of numerous staff working in health and social care. Michael believes that through his involvement with the University, he is helping to make positive change to dementia care as ‘Students are the future.’ 

Listen to Michael's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

In recognition of their exceptional contribution to water engineering on a national and international level. 

Roger Falconer is an Emeritus Professor of Water and Environmental Engineering (previously Professor of Water Management, 1997-18), at Cardiff University, Chair Professor at Hohai University (since 2019), and an Independent Water Consultant. He was previously Professor of Water Engineering (1986-97) and Head of the Department of Civil Engineering, at the University of Bradford (1993-97).

He has specialised in research and teaching of a wide range of water science and engineering topics, with his computational water-environmental models being used in over 100 Environmental Impact Assessment studies worldwide. He has published extensively in the field and delivered over 560 talks to a wide range of audiences in 30 countries and regularly participates in TV and press interviews on flooding, water quality, sediment transport, and global water security.

He is a Fellow of the: Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng), (Foreign Member) Chinese Academy of Engineering, European Academy of Sciences, Institution of Civil Engineers, and the Institution of Water and Environmental Management. He was elected President (2011-15) of the International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research (IAHR) and has received many awards for his work, including the RAEng Silver Medal (1997) and the IAHR Ippen Award (1991).

He consults regularly on projects world-wide, particularly on flooding, environmental impact assessment and tidal and river energy, and currently chairs the Wharfe Partnership, including issues relating to the Ilkley Bathing Water designation of the Wharfe. 

Listen to Roger's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

Recommended for their services to business and their impact in the area of social mobility. 

Dame Sharon White became the John Lewis Partnership's sixth Chairman in February 2020. Sharon moved from Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, where she served as Chief Executive for approaching five years. Before joining Ofcom, Sharon was Second Permanent Secretary at the Treasury, responsible for overseeing the public finances.

She also held Board level positions at the Ministry of Justice and the Department for International Development, worked as an adviser at the Prime Minister's Policy Unit and in Washington DC as a senior economist at the World Bank. Sharon is a non-executive Board member of Barratt Developments Plc and a Trustee of Sadler’s Wells Trust Ltd.

She is a trained economist and studied at Cambridge University and University College London. 

Listen to Dame Sharon's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony.

In recognition of their significant commitment and passion for the voluntary and community sector, on both a local and international level.

Sofia Buncy is one of the UK’s leading practitioners and thought leaders on the experiences of Muslim women in the Criminal Justice System. She was the ground-breaking researcher and co-author of the 2014 report titled 'Muslim Women in Prison- Second Chance: Fresh Horizons'. This was the first ever research publication into the experiences of Muslim women in British prisons. The report won Sofia a coveted Butler Trust award from Patron HRH Princess Anne and in 2017 and she was subsequently awarded an Asian Woman of Achievement Award in the social and humanitarian category. Sofia is currently leading her team on their fourth academic research alongside 2 northern Universities into ‘Muslim women prison leavers and desistance’.    

Sofia sits on the external scrutiny board for HMPPS and the MOJ – Female Offender Minority Ethic board. This is about enabling conversations, giving visibility, and influencing policy change with the aim of embedding gender, race and faith equality in the criminal justice system. She is also presently the national Director of the Muslim Women in Prison Rehabilitation Project based at the Khidmat Centres in Bradford. This is a pioneering culturally informed resettlement programme which supports women in rebuilding their lives post-prison release and back into the community.  

Sofia continues to be a forerunner in Bradford on initiatives around youth voice and influence, female empowerment, interfaith and in the community development spheres. She draws on her extensive experience of over 15 years of working with grassroots communities, much of her practice is also underpinned by her professional readings in Behavioural Sciences and Professional Studies: Youth and Community.   

In 2020, Sofia was confirmed as a Deputy Lieutenant for West Yorkshire and in the 2022 New Year Honours she received her MBE for ‘services to prisoners and the community of Bradford’.

Listen to Sofia's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

In recognition of their significant commitment to improving the environment and landscape of Bradford, and the promotion of greener, healthier communities.

Saira Ali is an award-winning Landscape Architect, and Team Leader of Bradford Council’s Landscape Design & Conservation Team, a multidisciplinary team of dedicated professionals driven by the importance of placemaking in shaping our society and environment. 

Saira studied Landscape Architecture at Leeds Metropolitan University, and has worked for leading landscape design practices Barton Willmore, Chris Blandford Associates and David Huskisson Associates. She completed an Erasmus year at Laurenstein, Velp in the Netherlands and moved back to Bradford in 2003, where she is leading the way by creating environments that promote greener, healthier and more prosperous communities and making a unique contribution to improving the environment by supporting social, cultural, environmental, heritage, nature conservation and climate action projects through community collaboration across the district. 

From within local government, Saira recognises the importance of working with communities to help shape strong collaborative relationships with important local stakeholders, delivering fantastic examples of sustainable landscape design. She has worked to share her ambitions with organisations like the University of Bradford, Bradford Institute for Health Research, Sports England, National Lottery and Historic England, and has collaborated in innovative international projects like URBACT Healthy Cities and INTERREG Blue Green Infrastructures through Social Innovation.

Listen to Saira's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony.

In recognition of their significant contribution to engineering and as an alumna of the University of Bradford.

Ailie MacAdam is president of Bechtel’s Mining & Metals global business unit. Based in Brisbane, Australia, she is responsible for all aspects of the business unit’s worldwide portfolio.   

Throughout her more than 35 years with Bechtel (global engineering, procurement and construction company), Ailie has held a succession of senior executive leadership, operational, and general management positions.   

Ailie holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Bradford University in the U.K. and is a fellow of the U.K. Institution of Civil Engineers. She is a STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) ambassador and a champion of diversity and inclusivity.   

In 2008, Ailie received the Institution of Civil Engineers’ “inspirational leader” award recognizing women in the built environment, and in 2016, Ailie was named as one of the Top 50 Influential Women in Engineering by the Daily Telegraph in collaboration with the Women’s Engineering Society. In 2017, she was also recognized with an Outstanding Personal Contribution Award at the Rail Industry Association National Rail Awards.   

Ailie is a senior vice president and was elected to the Bechtel board of directors in 2022.

Listen to Ailie's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony.

In recognition of their significant contribution to research, innovation and public engagement across both engineering and science disciplines, and as an alumnus of the University of Bradford.

Anthony Finkelstein is the President of City, University of London and Professor of Software Systems Engineering. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. He is also a Member of Academia Europaea, a Fellow of City & Guilds of London Institute and a Distinguished Fellow of RUSI (the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies).

He was granted the title of Knight Bachelor in the New Year's Honours 2022 for public service. He was previously appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to computer science and engineering.

Until taking up the role of President he was Chief Scientific Adviser for National Security to HM Government, a senior strategic and operational role that involves leadership of science, research and innovation across the UK's national security community. Whilst undertaking this role he retained a position at University College London (UCL) and as a Fellow of The Alan Turing Institute, the UK national institute for AI and data science, of which he was a founding trustee. Prior to this he was Dean of UCL Faculty of Engineering Sciences and before that Head of UCL Department of Computer Science. He held a Chair in Software Systems Engineering at UCL, having started his career at Imperial College, Department of Computing. He has established three successful ‘spin-out’ companies (including two ‘exits’). 

Listen to Sir Anthony's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

Recommended for their outstanding contribution to the improvement of health outcomes, being a key health communicator to the City and nation.  This includes their dedication to the education of future health professionals demonstrated by their links to the University. 

Dr Amir Khan is an NHS doctor based at The Ridge Medical Practice in Bradford. In addition to working for the NHS he is a lecturer at the University of Leeds School of Medicine and the University of Bradford. In 2018, he was named GP Trainer of the Year by the Royal College of General Practitioners for his efforts in coaching the next generation of GPs.  

Amir often appears on ITV’s hit shows Lorraine, This Morning and Good Morning Britain. He made his TV debuts after publishing his bestselling memoir, The Doctor Will See You Now, and quickly became a regular presence on TV. Dr Amir then went on to be one of a number of doctors who appeared on GP’s Behind Closed Doors on Channel 5.   

Amir is also passionate about nature, and an Ambassador for the National Wildlife Trust and the Butterfly Conservation Society.

Recommended for their outstanding contribution to the development of arts and culture across the UK including Bradford where strong relationships have been with the University and other partners involved in the delivery of the Bradford City of Culture bid.  

Andrew Dixon has advised on bids for Hull 2017, Coventry 2021 UK City of Culture, Leeds 2023 and York’s UNESCO status. In Coventry he co-wrote the cultural strategy and capital plan helping to secure over £40 million capital investment in the city for projects such as Coventry Cathedral, Daimler Powerhouse and Fargo Village. He also led bids for Heritage Lottery Great Places and ACE Cultural destinations funds.   

As Chief Executive of Northern Arts he led the £250 million regional Case for Capital, raising resources and helping implement projects such as The Sage Gateshead, Baltic and the Angel of the North.  He was Chief Executive of Newcastle Gateshead Initiative the public private sector partnership repositioning the city for culture and tourism. He was Programme Director for the World Summit on Arts and Culture attracting 80 countries to Gateshead in 2006 and was the founding Chief Executive of Creative Scotland introducing place-based investment in Scotland.   

He has worked with over 80 local authorities across the UK and was an adviser to the Scottish Government Town Centre Review. He has spoken widely on cultural policy, tourism and the arts including in Ireland, Australia, Sweden, Turkey, USA, Hong Kong, Sierra Leone and South Africa.  

He has an honorary doctorate from The University of Northumbria and is a visiting professor at Coventry University and Warwick Business School. 

Kate specialises in the leadership of major infrastructure projects with large multi-disciplinary teams in all stages of projects from inception to completion. She is passionate about delivering infrastructure within the sustainable development goals and planetary boundaries using innovation and collaboration to drive our journey to net zero carbon this decade.  

Kate's background in civil engineering includes 25 years’ international experience of both major Infrastructure and international projects in Hong Kong, Australia, New York, Ireland and the UK as both a client and consultant. Her extensive experience on both leading the London 2012 Olympics team and working client-side at High Speed Rail (HS2 Ltd) means she is an expert in leading and managing the varied stakeholders involved in any complex project and navigating the way through to successfully deliver desired outcomes.  

Kate is currently the project director for Arup on the HS2 London Tunnels project leading a team of 1200 Arup-Typsa-Strabag engineers based in 22 locations for the Skanska-Costain-Strabag construction joint venture. Kate is a member of the Arup region Board.  

In 2018 she was awarded WISE Award Woman in Industry, in 2011 she was Winner for Lloyds First Women Awards and in 2010 she was awarded “Professional of the Year” by Women in Construction.  

She is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and a Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation.

Mandy Ridyard has demonstrated significant levels of achievement in a traditionally male dominated field and ensuring their organisations commitment to people development. 

She is the co-owner and Financial Director at Produmax Limited. Mandy has completely transformed the culture of this award-winning aerospace engineering business and helped shape its impressive growth through leadership, engagement, and the adoption of new technology. Her innovative thinking had helped crown Produmax as national SME of the Year from MAKE UK.   

Mandy is the Chair of Space Hub Yorkshire and Co-Chair of the Local Digital Skills Partnership. Mandy also holds positions on the LEP, Bradford Economic Recovery Board and Bradford Sustainable Development Partnership where she contributes to key initiatives and concerns on a regional basis.

Nitham M. Hindi is the Provost and acting President at Lusail University. Additionally, he is a professor of Accounting at the College of Business and Economics of Qatar University. Nitham served as the Associate Vice President for Academic Planning and Development at Qatar University for 4 years and Dean of the College of Business and Economics for 6 year.  

As a certified management accountant, Nitham is an active member of the Institute of Management Accountant and serves on the editorial advisory board of Strategic Finance and Management Accounting Quarterly. Additionally, he serves on the editorial advisory of many journals, including New Accountant, The Arab Journal of Accounting, and the International Journal of Accounting and Finance.  

Nitham’s published research can be found in many journals including Journal of Business Research, Strategic Finance, Management Accounting Quarterly, Information Systems Frontiers, Journal of Accounting and Finance Research, Journal of Computer Information Systems, Journal of Education for Business, and Global Business and Finance Review. He is a member of the American Accounting Association and the Institute of Management Accountants.

Recommended for their significant impact on the delivery of healthcare across West Yorkshire and beyond including the development of strong relationships with the University and other partners involved in the delivery of health and social care. 

Rob is Chief Executive-Designate for the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership, an integrated care system that he has led since 2016. This sees him bringing together West Yorkshire health and care leaders, organisations, and communities to deliver ambitious plans for improved health, care, and finances for 2.4 million people. In 2021, the HSJ awarded the Partnership the award for ICS of the year. Rob was also Chief Executive of South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust between 2016 and 2021.  

Rob has worked in healthcare since 1990, taking on national leadership roles in the Department of Health on policy, transformation, and delivery. He has been a director for both the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit in the Cabinet Office and a national public/private partnership. He was Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation between 2014 and 2016, having proven to be a successful Chief Executive in the NHS since 2007, running a number of commissioning organisations and providers of NHS services. Rob is an active member of the NHS Assembly and contributes to several national programmes and networks. 

Rob is defined by a values-based approach to leadership. He has a history of effective partnership working and a strong commitment to system leadership. He is a visiting Professor at Leeds Beckett University and was proud to be made a Fellow of the Queen’s Nursing Institute in 2014. In May 2016 Rob became an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners. In 2020 he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) and was awarded the HSJ Chief Executive of the Year Award in 2021. He is a proud Honorary Graduand of the University of Bradford which bestowed an honorary doctorate in health for services during the pandemic. 

Recommended for their outstanding contribution to the field of Corporate Branding and communications, and in recognition of their longstanding support of the University Business School. 

Stephen A Greyser is Richard P Chapman Professor (Marketing/Communications) Emeritus, of the Harvard Business School, where he specialises in brand marketing, advertising, corporate communications, the business of sports, and non-profit management.  

A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School, he has been active in research and teaching at HBS since 1958. He was also an editor at the Harvard Business Review and later its Editorial Board Secretary and Board Chairman. He is responsible for 16 books, numerous journal articles, several special editions of journals, and over 300 published HBS case studies.   

At HBS, he developed the Corporate Communications elective, creating over 40 cases and articles on issues management, corporate sponsorship, relations among business-media-publics, etc. His current research (co-authored) and most recent published articles are on the branding and identity of the Nobel Prize, including “The Identity of a Heritage Brand” (2015) and integrating the Nobel Prize’s identity and reputation (2016).  

He created and teaches Harvard’s Business of Sports course, is a member of the University’s Faculty Standing Committee on Athletics, has served on the Selection Committee for the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame, is on the board of The Sports Museum, and has authored numerous Business of Sports cases and articles. 

Recommended for their Outstanding contribution to the awareness of Inclusion and Diversity on a national or international level.

Zaheer is a multi-award-winning Diversity and Inclusion thought leader. Currently, he is the Global Head of Inclusion and Diversity for Consumer Healthcare at GSK. Before this, he was Head of Strategic Delivery for the central D&I dept at EY.  

Zaheer is a highly decorated former police officer, he served in various departments including Uniform Policing, Force Intelligence Bureau, and Murder Investigation. He is a former member of five National Police boards including the Ministerial Progression Board and National Equality Diversity and Human Rights Board. He also worked closely with the Ministry of Justice as a Member of the Race Advisory Board. He is a former Race advisor to the Arsenal football club.   

In 2022, he founded EqualityX which will be publishing annual list of Top100 Influential Muslims and Top100 Influential Diversity Allies. He is a Magistrate in adult criminal court and Race and Social Justice School Governor.  

He is the recipient of numerous national and international awards. He was appointed Member of the Most Excellent Order of British Empire (MBE) by Her Majesty the Queen in 2010 in recognition of his services to the police service. He is a winner of the Global Equality and Diversity, European Diversity “Hero of the Year”, and “Head of Diversity of the Year” awards. He was named top 20 industry professionals in the Global Diversity List. 

Professor Sue Proctor has over 35 years’ experience in health care, qualifying as a nurse in 1987, and a midwife in 1990. Later, she completed a MSc in Nursing and a PhD in Health Services Research, both at the University of Bradford. She is a Visiting Professor at Leeds Beckett University. 

Sue has held clinical, research and leadership roles in NHS organisations in Manchester, London, Bradford and Leeds. She has also worked with a number of charitable organisations in connection with children’s services, faith organisations and health care. In 2013, Sue set up a consultancy business and focused mainly on leading investigations into safeguarding matters. She has been honoured to work extensively with adult survivors of abuse, to learn from them and to hold organisations to account to make improvements to the safety of those they serve. 

Currently, Sue Chairs the Board at Leeds & York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, the North Yorkshire Safeguarding Adults Board, and a new charity, Day One Trauma Support.

Dame Angela Strank is a Non-Executive Board Director of Rolls Royce Holdings plc, SSE plc, Mondi plc and Severn Trent Water plc. 

Angela has had a long and distinguished 38 year career in the energy industry, working in many countries around the world. Having joined BP in 1982 as a geologist in Exploration she has held a wide range of technical and commercial leadership roles across upstream and downstream including Chief Financial Officer Castrol (Americas), BP/Statoil Alliance Manager Nigeria, Business Development Manager Angola, Technology Vice President, and Head of the bp Group Chief Executive’s Office. In 2018 she became a member of bp’s Executive Management Team, holding the posts of bp’s Chief Scientist and Head of Downstream Technology. 

In 2010 Angela won the UK First Women’s Award in Science and Technology, recognising pioneering women in business and technology. In 2017 Angela was awarded a DBE in Her Majesty the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to the oil industry and for encouraging women into STEM careers. In 2018 she was the first woman to receive the UK Energy Institute’s prestigious Cadman Award for outstanding services to the energy industry. 

Angela is a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS), a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineers (FREng), a Fellow of the Institute of Chemical Engineers (FIChemE) and an Honorary Fellow of the UK Energy Institute (FEI). In 2018 she became an Honorary Professor at the University of Manchester where between 2012-2018 was also a Board Governor. 

Tasif Khan is a British Born Pakistani Professional Boxer, and the current 3 x super flyweight world champion. 

Tasif was born and raised in Bradford and a true ambassador for the city. He set up and formed “Tasif Khan Community BOXING academy” TKCBA, with the aim to engage young people through sport and physical activity, working on discipline, self-confidence, life skills and ultimately showing them a way to follow their dreams and stay on the right path and away from drugs, gangs and crime. 

Tasif is an ambassador for KORT (Kashmir Orphans Relief Trust), South Asia’s largest home for Orphans children, based in Azad Kashmir. 

He graduated from Liverpool John Moore’s University, with a BA Hons degree in Sports Development and Physical Education. 

Mary Dowson is the Director and one of the founders of Bradford Community Broadcasting (BCB), a community organisation committed to bringing about social change. 

Before BCB, Mary’s background was in youth and community work, community education and teaching at Bradford College. Growing up without a TV, she developed a real passion for radio so the coming together of her two passions — community and radio — was a perfect fusion! 

BCB Radio has been broadcasting for over 25 years and provides the space, support and opportunity for everyone to have voice in the media. It uses radio as a tool to create community both over the airwaves and within their building, bringing together people from diverse communities, neighbourhoods, ages and life experiences. Mary is driven by a belief in people, their right to actively participate in all aspects of life and finding ways of working together in Bradford to make this happen. 

Mary grew up in a big family in South London, moving to Bradford in the late 1970s to study Peace Studies at the University of Bradford. Since then, other than a couple of years living in Italy, she has made Bradford her home.

In recognition of her outstanding career in nursing, her unstinting support of nursing charities, and more recently her involvement in the opening of the University’s partnership with Dewsbury Hospital, the University of Bradford has awarded Professor Jane Cummings CBE RN with an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Health. 

Professor Jane Cummings is the Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Royal College of Nursing Foundation and a Trustee at Macmillan Cancer Support. 

Jane is a registered nurse with nearly 40 years experience, specialising in emergency care. She has held a wide variety of clinical and managerial roles including executive director at NHS England, the professional lead for nurses and midwives in England, and senior advisor in the Department of Health and Social Care, supporting the response to the covid-19 pandemic. 

She is a visiting professor at Kingston University and St. George's University London and a clinical ambassador for the Over the Wall charity where she also volunteers as a nurse. 

Watch Professor Jane Cummings CBE RN answer questions from our students

In recognition of his work with Rotary International and Rotary Peace and his strong support of the Bradford peace centre, the University of Bradford has awarded Allan Jagger OBE with an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University. 

Allan Jagger is a former President of Rotary International Great Britain and Ireland (RIBI). He has been a key supporter of Rotary International’s work on peace, including its scholarship programme that supports students to study peace at one of six designated Rotary Peace Centres around the world, which includes the centre here at the University of Bradford. 

As a local Rotarian, Allan has been particularly involved with the Rotary Peace Centre here at the University. He was one of the earliest Host Area Coordinators for Rotary Peace Fellows arriving at Bradford and played a leading role in the inception and operationalisation of the annual Rotary Peace Seminar.  

In 2014 Allan was awarded an OBE in recognition of his services to the training and education of young people as well as his charitable work in Yorkshire. 

Watch Allan Jagger OBE answer questions from our students

In recognition of her vision and leadership, establishing the Bradford Literature Festival as a truly inclusive festival rooted in our local communities, the University of Bradford have awarded Syima Aslam an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University. 

Syima Aslam is founder and Director of the Bradford Literature Festival (BLF), a key event in the UK cultural calendar and the most diverse literature festival in the country.  

Since its launch in 2014, BLF has grown rapidly in size and popularity. The festival takes place annually over 10-days, with a programme of over 400 events stretching from the heart of the city and across the district. BLF’s signature mix of topic-led events, which include author talks, world-class poetry line-ups, live music, film, theatre and more, attract more than 70,000 people to Bradford each year.  

Syima is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, she was awarded a Hospital Club Award, Professional of the Year at the Yorkshire Asian Business Awards and the Festival was awarded the top tourism event at The White Rose Awards. In addition, Syima’s is a board member for national cultural organisations such as Arts Council England. 

Watch Conversations with...Syima Aslam. 

In recognition of Perry’s unstinting service to journalism and business and his continued support of the University of Bradford, Perry Austin-Clarke has been awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University. 

Perry is one of the most experienced senior newspaper editors in the regional press, Newsquest for almost 29 years and was Editor of the flagship Telegraph & Argus for 25 years.  

During his editorship, The T&A raised millions of pounds for charity, including buying Bradford Royal Infirmary’s first MRI scanner and setting up a chair of cancer research at Bradford University which has already led to major advances in treatment. He helped raise £90,000 for the Pakistan Earthquake Appeal which built a wing for a new hospital in Muzaffarabad. In 2015-16, the T&A helped raise another £1 million for a mass spectrometer to help bring new cancer drugs to the market more quickly through the Institute of Cancer Therapeutics. 

Perry was also responsible for the launch and organisation of both the Bradford Means Business Awards, now in its seventh year, and the annual Bradford & District Schools Awards, which he started four years ago. 

He was a founder member of Bradford Cares and is a Vice-President of the Bradford-based Centre for Political and Public Participation (CPPP) which aims to encourage young people to play a part in public life. 

Professionally, Perry has won a raft of awards for newspaper design and for the role his newspapers have played, including Community Newspaper of the Year and the Commission for Race Equality’s national Race in the Media Award two years running. 

Watch Conversations with...Perry Austin-Clarke. 

In recognition of his services to media, and his continued support of the University and the City of Bradford, Enzo Cilenti has been awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University. 

Born in Bradford to Italian parents, Enzo Cilenti has worked as an actor, producer and director in TV, film and theatre in both the UK and the US for over 20 years. 

His television credits include Spooks 2, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Wolf Hall, Game Of Thrones, Luther and Les Misérables. His film credits include Wonderland, In The Loop, Guardians Of The Galaxy, The Theory Of Everything, The Martian, Free Fire, The Man With The Iron Heart.  

In addition, Enzo is also an active supporter of Parkinson’s UK and is now their Champion of Cycling. In 2015, he took on the legendary Mont Ventoux – on a tandem, with his father who has Parkinson’s. As the Cycling Champion he wants to encourage more people to get out on their bikes to raise vital funds.  

Watch Conversations with...Enzo Cilenti. 

In recognition of Alan’s outstanding contribution to the arts and longstanding support for the University of Bradford, Alan Dix has been awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University.  

Alan Dix is the Artistic Director of Bradford Based 509 Arts. He has worked as a theatre director and arts consultant for over 40 years. His company, 509 Arts (www.509arts.co.uk), works with arts organisations and artists throughout the UK and abroad. 509 Arts specialises in the production of new work for underserved audiences in unexpected places. 

In the 1980s and 1990s Alan worked with Bradford based Major Road Theatre, touring across the UK, and to Russia and the USA. He has directed work in regional theatres, streets, parks, lakes, woodlands, castles and warehouses and from 1998 – 2002 he was Director of the Greenwich Millennium Festival, followed by 10 years as a cultural consultant for public, private and third sector bodies. 

More recently Alan directed My Last Car – a show about car love and climate change – as part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad, followed by Bike Story for the Tour de France in 2014, the large-scale community opera Calderland at the Piece Hall in Halifax in 2017, the Batley Variations in 2018 and an intriguing 10 year commission with Theatre in the Mill which started in 2019. He is currently developing a music theatre piece - Meal One – in partnership with Mind the Gap theatre and has a 10 year commission – Decade - with Theatre in the Mill, that explores his personal journey from 70-80. 

Alan is Chair of Hull Truck Theatre, a Board member of Leeds Playhouse and Chair of Time and Tide Bell – a charity that works with local coastal communities throughout the UK to place brass bells that chime at high-water and which serve as a warning and call to action. 

Watch Conversations with...Alan Dix. 

For his service to the community during the Covid-19 pandemic, and in recognition of being an outstanding role model to people in the Bradford District and around the UK, the University of Bradford have awarded Captain Sir Tom Moore with an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University.

Born and educated in Keighley, Captain Sir Tom Moore attended Keighley Grammar School before training as a Civil Engineer and enlisting in the Army during World War Two. He led a distinguished military career, where he served in India and Myanmar (Burma), and then went on to teach in the military within his field of expertise, armoured warfare.

Captain Sir Tom Moore captured the hearts and inspired the nation when he decided to raise money for NHS Charities Together during the Covid-19 pandemic. His initial target was to raise £1000 by walking 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday however, after gaining the attention of the media and the public, the total has now surpassed a staggering £32m. This money is now being used in NHS trusts and hospitals providing support for staff and patients during the pandemic.

“I’m delighted to have been awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University of Bradford. Thank you for your kind words referring to me as a great role model for Keighley and for the City of Bradford”

“To all your students who are graduating and right at the beginning of their careers - remember to have hope in your hearts. I understand times have been challenging recently but they have done so well and I am very excited for what lies ahead for them. As I always say ‘Tomorrow will be a good day’ and for them that will certainly be the case I’m sure”

For his valuable and continuous support for the City of Bradford, to the University and for internationally championing a culture of enterprise, the University of Bradford have awarded Amjad Pervez an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University. 

Amjad founded Seafresh/Adams in Bradford over 30 years ago and it is now one of the largest groups of independent specialist catering, food and cash and carry groups in the UK. Alongside building this successful business, he has committed a lot of time to education and enterprise in Bradford and the wider West Yorkshire region and around the world.  

In 1999, he became Chair of Asian Trade Links, since then he has continued to be a driving force and supporter to numerous Boards and initiatives including Bradford Breakthrough, Bradford Teaching Hospitals, Council for Mosques and the National Asian Business Association. He is also Chairman of Jumpstart Pakistan, an entrepreneurial movement whose ultimate vision is to create a national robust sustainable eco system of enterprise. 

Watch Amjad's Class of 2020 message.

For her unstinting support to the University and to education and community services in the City, the University of Bradford have awarded Ruby Bhatti an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University.

Ruby is a highly successful solicitor with over 27 years' experience in the legal field and over 25 years’ experience of various Non-Executive Directorships in the housing, education, youth and health sectors. To name a few Ruby, is Chair of the Wolfson Centre for Applied Research, Deputy Lay chair for Bradford District & Craven Clinical Commissioning Group, a trustee for Bradford Youth Development Board, chair at three primary schools and a secondary school (and a board member of over 25 schools) and she is the National Leader for Governance for Education for Yorkshire and the Humber.

She has supported the University of Bradford since 2007. Ruby sits on the Service User and Carers Advisory Board advising on strategy and policy for the involvement of service users and carers in the Faculty of Health Studies. She is a Patient and Carer Lecturer at the University of Bradford with an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA) status. She has also recently been appointed a Faculty Community Fellow for the Faculty of Management, Law, and Social Sciences.

Ruby is Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce (FRSA). She was awarded an OBE by the Queen in the New Year's Honours list 2019 in housing and young people.

Watch to Ruby's Class of 2020 message.

In recognition of his contribution to equality and diversity, both through his career as a highly respected lawyer and his personal endeavours to actively challenge cultural and community perceptions, the University of Bradford have award Nazir Afzal an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University.

Nazir Afzal OBE, Solicitor and former Chief Prosecutor, was Chief Crown Prosecutor for North West England and formerly Director in London. Most recently, he was Chief Executive of the country’s Police & Crime Commissioners.

During a 24-year career, he has prosecuted some of the most high-profile cases in the country and led nationally on several legal topics including violence against women and girls, child sexual abuse, and honour-based violence. His prosecutions of the so-called Rochdale grooming gang, BBC presenter Stuart Hall, and hundreds of others were ground-breaking and drove the work that has changed the landscape of child protection.

He is the Chair of Hopwood Hall. He was appointed to the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). He is also National Adviser on Gender Based Violence to the Welsh Government. Most recently he joined the advisory board of Google’s Innovation Fund for counter-extremism.

Watch Nazir's Class of 2020 message.

In recognition of her distinguished service and outstanding contribution to the public sector and policing in the UK, the University of Bradford have award Baroness Harris an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University.

Angela Harris was born in Lancashire, the daughter of a clergyman, and moved to North Yorkshire when she married. She became a Town, District and County Councillor and became the first woman to chair the North Yorkshire County Council and subsequently the first woman to chair the North Yorkshire Police Authority. Since then, she has held a number of senior roles in the national Association of Police Authorities, was a Magistrate for 16 years and a Deputy Lieutenant for North Yorkshire until 2019.

Angela Harris was created a Life Peer in 1999, taking the title Baroness Harris of Richmond, and has special interests in policing and Northern Ireland.

Watch Angela's Class of 2020 message.

In recognition of his unstinting support to the University, his services to the community and for his outstanding commitment to the fight against discrimination and health inequalities, the University of Bradford have award Zulfi Karim DL an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University.  

Zulfi is the Programme Director of NHS Well Bradford, a partnership between Public Health England, Bradford Teaching Hospitals, Clinical Commissioning Group and Bradford Council. The programme involves improving health inequality in the district by creating access to green spaces and promoting cleaner air, as well creating opportunities for improved skills and job prospects for the youth in the most deprived areas of the district. 

A proud Yorkshireman, born to Pakistani parents, Zulfi started his career as a business marketing professional, his specialisms include brand development and sponsorship management with 15 years’ experience in delivering major events and festivals. Passionate about promoting the districts Cultural sector, he is a founding Director of UNESCO City of Film Bradford and led the successful UK bid in 2007 to host the Bollywood Film Awards IIFA in Yorkshire. 

Zulfi is listed as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Yorkshire by Insider Magazine. He is winner of The Muslim News Award for Excellence in Community Service as well as receiving the Telegraph and Argus Community Awards for his work to save Bradford’s last remaining Jewish synagogue from closure. He is also the President of Council for Mosques, Bradford and was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of West Yorkshire in 2018.

Watch Zulfi's Class of 2020 message.

Pioneering scientist and Nobel Prize winner, Professor Ada Yonath, who is best known for her discoveries on the structure and function of ribosomes, has been awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science from the University of Bradford.

Ada Yonath was born in Jerusalem, Israel in 1939, following her Father’s death her family moved to Tel Aviv to be nearer her mother’s family, and it was there that Ada completed her high school education. She gained a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1962 and a master’s degree in biochemistry in 1964 from Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She then attended the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and received her Ph.D. in 1968.

In 1970 she established the only protein crystallography lab in Israel and began working on the structure of the ribosome - the cell organelles that make proteins and a major bacterial target for antibiotics.

In 2000-2001, she published the full structure of the ribosome. In recognition of her work, Ada was jointly awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in chemistry, only the fourth woman to receive the prize.

As a result of her work, chemists are able to improve their understanding of the way to treat bacterial infections, develop and design new antibiotics and better understand antibiotic resistance.

"I would like to offer congratulations to the graduates who have achieved their degrees in these most difficult times. My advice is not to look for advice, but to do what you are good at, what you are curious about and what you think you can make a contribution to. Follow your passion and be curious."

In recognition of his outstanding career in sport and his services to the communities of Bradford, including supporting activities that provide opportunities and improve the lives of young people in the City, the University of Bradford have awarded Adil Rashid an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University. 

Adil Usman Rashid was born in Bradford in 1988 and is only the third Yorkshire-born Asian to play first-team cricket for Yorkshire, and the first of Pakistani origin. His major teams include England, ICC World XI, South Australia and Yorkshire. 

Rashid is now considered to be one of the world’s very best spinners and is a firm fixture in England’s one day and T20 teams. He is ranked as the fourth best in the ICC T20 bowling rankings and played a big role in England’s world cup success in 2019. On 21 June 2019, in the match against Sri Lanka, Rashid played in his 150th international match for England.  

Rashid has won many awards for his performance with 2007 standing out as a hugely successful year for him when he won the YCCSA Young Player of the Year Award, the Neil Lloyd Young Cricketer of the Year, PCA Young Player of the Year and Cricket Writers’ Club Young Cricketer of the Year.  

Alongside his career in cricket, Rashid runs the Adil Rashid Cricket Academy, with his brother, to inspire more children to get into sport and is an ambassador for the Overseas Plastic Surgery Appeal (OPSA) charity. The OPSA is a registered charity in the UK that exists to provide free facial surgery for poor children and young adults in Pakistan.

Watch Adil's Class of 2020 message.

For his service to the community during the Covid-19 pandemic and his unstinting support to the University of Bradford, Javed Bashir has been awarded with an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University. 

Javed Bashir is the Founder and CEO of the Professional Muslims Institute, Safeguarding Consultant for the Strengthening Faith Institution (SFI) and has played a pivotal role for promoting better understanding, integration and community cohesion in the City for many years.  

During the Covid-19 lockdown, Javed teamed up with different faith communities to set up the Volunteering Interfaith Partnership in collaboration with Age UK Bradford & District and SFI. Together they responded to the urgent needs of elderly, vulnerable and isolated people by providing hot meals, welfare packs, help with shopping and collecting prescriptions and provided food to the NHS working on the frontline.   

During this time, Javed also started the Sharing Ramadan initiative where he engaged local Muslim communities and places of worship to share iftar meals with their neighbours particularly non-Muslims to forge stronger links. 

Once the Covid-19 restrictions allowed, Javed then worked with dozens of faith institutions in the Bradford district to help them to carry out their risk assessments and prepare them for the safe opening of their places of worship and out-of-school settings.  

In 2007, Javed was awarded an honorary fellowship by International Centre for Peace and Conflict and Conflict Resolution to help promote non-violent means of resolving world conflicts, in 2015 he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by University of Bradford and in 2018, Javed was included in a publication honouring the highest levels of achievement in the Muslim 100 Parliamentary Review.  

More recently, Javed was included in Hall of Fame by the Telegraph and Argus for his commitment to promoting a positive image of Bradford, British Pakistanis and Muslims in the UK at an international level and was awarded the Unsung Hero award by Keighley MP Robbie Moore for his innovative work in helping and supporting elderly, vulnerable and isolated people during difficult times of Covid-19.

Watch Javed's Class of 2020 message.

Professor John Wright is a clinician and epidemiologist with a background in hospital medicine and public health in the UK and in Africa. He established and leads the Bradford Institute for Health Research and Wolfson Centre for Applied Health Research, working to speed up the translation of medical research into practice and policy. 

In 2007 he set up Born in Bradford (BiB), one of the largest research studies in the world tracking the lives of over 30,000 children, to find out what influences their health and wellbeing. Evidence from BiB has had a national and international impact, with information collected being used to find the causes of common childhood illnesses and conditions and to explore the mental and social development of this generation. 

John has also played a leading role in responding to the COVID-19 outbreak in Bradford. As one of the front-line staff at Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI), as a reporter for the BBC raising awareness on how the BRI is coping with Covid-19 and as a key communicator informing communities how to stay safe during the pandemic.   

Watch John Wright's message to the Class of Summer 2020.

Dr. Venkata S. M. (“Murthy”) Renduchintala is Chief Engineering Officer and Group President at Intel Corporation. His group brings together all of Intel’s major technology, engineering and manufacturing functions. These functions encompass Semiconductor Process Technology, Manufacturing & Operations, Systems & Product Architecture, IP Development, Design & System-on-Chip Engineering, Software & Security and Intel Labs. Dr. Renduchintala’s team is responsible for delivering the core technology and products that power the devices and infrastructure comprising our data-centric world – from PCs and the cloud to telecommunications equipment and data centers.

Dr. Renduchintala also serves on the Board of Directors of Accenture, Plc. Additionally, he serves on the Engineering Advisory Councils of the Jacobs School of Engineering at the University of California San Diego and the Fung Institute of Engineering Leadership at the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. Renduchintala has spent a substantial part of his career in the SoC, mobile and IoT areas. Prior to joining Intel, he was executive vice president of Qualcomm Technologies Inc. and co-president of Qualcomm CDMA Technologies, where he led its semiconductor business in the computing and mobile segments. He joined Qualcomm in 2004 from Skyworks Solutions Inc./Conexant Systems Inc., where he was vice president and general manager of the company’s Cellular Systems Division. Prior to Skyworks, he spent a decade with Philips Electronics, where he progressed to become vice president of engineering for its consumer communications business.

Dr. Renduchintala holds a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, a Ph.D. in digital communications and a MBA from the University of Bradford in England.

David Wilson is an expert advisor to the UK Commission to UNESCO on the development of creative cities and has provided mentoring and support to many candidate cities applying to join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network over the past decade. David has a long career history in cultural programmes and in-depth knowledge in the use of culture and creativity as a driver for sustainable development.

David is an international ambassador for the creative cities programme, and a regular speaker at film, business and community events on culture and sustainable development. In addition to writing about film and presenting review shows on TV and radio, he is invited to speak at international conferences, festivals and events on the impact of culture and creativity on sustainable development and is often asked to facilitate high level discussions in this area.

David has a first class honours degree with a focus on culture and regeneration from the University of Bradford. He is a guest professor at the Beijing Film Academy Modern Creative Media College and Fellow in Film at the University of Bradford. He is also a member of the advisory board at the Centre for World Cinema & Digital Cultures – University of Leeds, UK.

Ian Beesley is an award winning and internationally acclaimed artist and photographer. His work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally. His work is held in the collections of the National Media Museum Bradford, The Royal Photographic Society, The V&A London, The Smithsonian Institute, Washington & the Imperial War Museum London amongst many other important collections.

On leaving school he worked as a labourer in a mill, a foundry and then at a sewage works. He was encouraged by his fellow workers to find a profession and he found photography and eventually won a place at Bradford Art College. On graduating from college, he received a Kodak Scholarship for social documentation and began his life’s work of documenting the demise of industrial society and its effects on communities in particular his hometown of Bradford. In 2012 in recognition of this work, he was awarded the Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society.

He is currently the artist in residence for Born in Bradford at the Bradford Institute for Health Research, Yorkshire Water and IDEAL (Improving Dementia Experience and Active Living).

Professor Shafi Ahmed is a multi-award winning cancer surgeon, teacher, futurist, innovator and entrepreneur working at The Royal London Hospital. He has delivered more than 250 keynote lectures in 30 countries, including three TEDx conferences. He was the Associate Dean of Bartholomew’s Medical School and an elected member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England where he led the international and global health programme.

Professor Ahmed is a member of the NHS assembly advising the government on the NHS Long Term Plan and was conferred the Future NHS Award by members of Parliament in 2018. He was recently appointed as an advisor to the Abu Dhabi government for digital transformation of health and innovation. He has also set up surgical education programmes in over 20 countries including conflict zones and has participated in the streaming of live operations using Google Glass and Virtual Reality on national television as part of Operation Live that was shortlisted for a BAFTA award in 2019. He co-founded Medical Realities, a VR education company, sits on its board and advises Fortune 500 companies. He chairs the Webit Health summit in Spain and the GIANT health summit in London. He is one of the top 20 global influencers in digital health and innovation and is a HIMSS Future 50 Clinical Leader 2019.

Sir Nick Weller is a National Leader of Education, the Chief Executive and Accounting Officer of the Dixons Academies Trust. He is a Board member of both the Queen Street Group of national MATs and the New Schools Network.

He spent the first 25 years of his career in London, as an English Teacher, middle and senior leader, and then Head Teacher. In 2006 he moved north to take up the post of Principal at Dixons City Academy on its conversion from
the CTC.

Since then he has led the expansion of the Trust from just over 1,000 students then to well over 8,000 across Bradford and Leeds today, establishing one of the very highest-performing Multi-Academy Trusts in the country, in an area of significant social and educational disadvantage.

He was awarded a knighthood for services to education in 2015. His report to the Treasury and DfE on schools in the Northern Powerhouse region was published in November 2016.

Roland Clark has spent most of this working life as an accountant in Bradford. As a Governor at Belle Vue Girls Academy, he has been involved in the education sector for many years, including a decade as Pro-Chancellor and Treasurer of the University of Bradford.

Roland is Chair of the YMCA in Bradford as well as ‘Inn Churches’ a charity that in winter organises overnight accommodation in local churches for the homeless, as well as running ‘The Storehouse’ café in Bradford that delivers training on healthy cooking and nutrition on a limited budget.

His role within the Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust enables him to make a positive contribution both in the area of education both within a Christian context as well as to the overall welfare of the region. A proud adopted Bradfordian, the welfare of the City of Bradford has always been paramount to Roland - thus as well as advising his clients he was delighted to be involved in the business life of the city – having been President of the Bradford Chamber of Commerce.

Ram Saroop is a solicitor and heads the Dispute Resolution Department of the legal firm RDC Solicitors in Bradford. In 1998 he was appointed as a Conciliation Officer by the Law Society to assist with complaints against solicitors. After ten years as a Conciliation Officer he was appointed as a Consultant advising solicitors regarding complaints and client care procedures.

He also assists a number of charities and other organisations outside his professional work. Currently Ram is an External Trustee on the Board of the University of Bradford Union of Students. He is also authorised to conduct Civil Marriages at the local Bhawan.

Born in India, Ram has lived in Bradford since 1964. Married with four adult children and two grandchildren, he has been associated with the University of Bradford Union of Students since early 1990’s in helping advise both home and international students.

Dr Joséphine Borchert-Ansinger has been involved in European higher education for well over 30 years and is presently Executive Advisor, European Graduate Development for IVA Driebergen (Netherlands).

Previously the Founding Dean of NIMBAS Business School in the Netherlands, Joséphine single-handedly developed a leading European business school that developed strong ties and relationships with a number of global partners including close links with the School of Management, University of Bradford. NIMBAS and the University jointly developed the DBA programme. Following a merger with TIAS business school and subsequent sale to Tilburg University in the mid-2000’s, Joséphine continues to provide advisory and consultancy services to a number of higher education institutions in the Netherlands as well as Ireland on graduate (Master’s) admissions to leading universities in Europe.

Over this period of time, Joséphine has maintained strong links with the School of Management, as an Executive Advisor for graduate recruitment in Europe wherein she serves as the current link with IVA Driebergen.

Tim O’Reilly is the founder, CEO, and Chairman of O’Reilly Media, the company that has been providing the picks and shovels of learning to the Silicon Valley gold rush for the past thirty-five years. The company delivers online learning, publishes books, and runs conferences about cutting-edge technology, and has a history of convening conversations that reshape the computer industry. If you’ve heard the term “open source software”, “web 2.0”, “the Maker movement”, “government as a platform” or “the WTF economy”, he’s had a hand in framing each of those big ideas.

Tim is also a partner at early-stage venture firm O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures (OATV), and on the boards of Code for America, PeerJ, Civis Analytics, and PopVox. He is the author of many technical books published by O’Reilly Media, and most recently WTF? What’s the Future and Why It’s Up to Us (Harper Business, 2017). He is working on a new book about why we need to rethink antitrust in the era of internet-scale platforms.

Listen to Tim's speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

Dame Mary Archer DBE is Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Science Museum Group. She read chemistry at Oxford and has taught the subject at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge and at Imperial College London. Her research interests lay in direct (non-thermal) methods of solar energy conversion to power and fuels, and she was the founder secretary of the UK Solar Energy Society and founder Chair of the UK’s National Energy Foundation. She has had a long association with the NHS, sitting on the board of Cambridge University Hospitals from 1993 and chairing it from 2002 to 2012. She chaired the External Advisory Board of Imperial College Health Partners, 2013–2017. In 2012, she was appointed DBE for services to the NHS.

Among other commitments, Dame Mary is Chair of the External Advisory Board of the Centre for Personalised Medicine, Oxford, a non-executive director of the clean energy group, Hydrodec Group plc, and a board member of the Library of Alexandria.

A keen singer and supporter of choral music, Dame Mary has sung in a number of choirs, including the Oxford Bach Choir, the BBC Choral Society and the Clerkes of Oxenford. She currently chairs Cambridge Early Music and is a non-executive director of the Britten Sinfonia, Patron of Cambridge Summer Music, President of the Guild of Church Musicians and Vice-President of the Friends of Newport Cathedral Choir.

Listen to Mary's speech from the Graduation Ceremony.

Graham Hart is the Chairman of Graham Hart (ProcessTechnology) Ltd, a company he founded over forty-five years ago. He graduated in Chemical Engineering from the University of Bradford in 1969 and his first job after graduating was as a process engineer with BTI Chemicals. It was during his time there that he decided to make the leap of faith into starting his own company, something he had always dreamed of.

As the company grew, his focus moved towards process design and more specifically heat transfer. A passion for problem solving meant that Graham gained a reputation for getting the oddball projects and he has accumulated an extensive catalogue of weird and wonderfully shaped heat exchangers.

The company has now all but outgrown its third property and is embarking on its next phase of expansion. While many of its clients have been with the company for decades, the continually changing landscape of industry has found the company now operating in fields and at levels never imagined in those early years.

Listen to Graham's speech from the Graduation Ceremony.

Wendy Mitchell was diagnosed with youngonset dementia on the 31st July 2014 at the age of 58 years young. She might not have much of a short term memory but that’s one date she’ll never forget.

She retired early from the NHS, having worked as a non-clinical team leader for 20 years. Post diagnosis, shocked by the lack of awareness, both in the community and clinical world, she now spends all her time travelling around the country raising awareness and encouraging others to embrace her passion for research.

Wendy is the proud author of the Sunday Times bestseller, Somebody I Used to Know. She has two daughters and lives happily in Yorkshire. 

Listen to Wendy's speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

Dr. Anita Patil-Deshmukh brings a wide variety of talents and expertise to PUKAR. A trained Neonatologist by profession, Anita received her Master’s in Public Health from Harvard University and worked as a Faculty Neonatologist at a teaching institution in Chicago for 20 years.

During her tenure, she was the Director of the Ambulatory Pediatric Residency programme and Director of Continuous Medical Education for the Department of Pediatrics. She played a major leadership role within the India Development Service (IDS), a Chicago based pioneering organisation that supported multiple, small-scale Integrated Rural Development Projects (IRDP) across India. During her voluntary tenure at IDS, Anita visited 44 projects across 12 states to evaluate and learn from.

She helped organised many important seminars in Chicago on developmental issues and built links between several philanthropic initiatives and leaders in India and the United States. Anita relocated to India in 2005 to contribute to the developmental sector and joined PUKAR as Executive Director.

Listen to Anita's speech from the Graduation Ceremony.

Manoj is a Ugandan of Indian origin and became a British citizen after arriving in the UK as a refugee during the infamous Idi Amin crisis. As a Pharmacist, he began his career as a Laboratory Technician in a small manufacturing chemist and joined Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI Pharmaceuticals) in 1979. He retired after 27 years as Business Development Manager for AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals.

He led causes to alleviate the inequality and disenfranchisement of black and ethnic minorities in health and social care services, and for the overall cohesion and participation of all community sectors in the public dialogue.

As a founder sponsored governor and currently Chair of Governors of the Bradford Academy school, he is dedicated to improving the life opportunities for all children. He is passionate about the proliferation of equality in opportunity and outcome in education and employment, access to healthcare and support services for the elderly and vulnerable, and to increase overall community participation in the governance and provision of public services.

He is a Rotarian with 51 years “Service Above Self” and elected District Governor for Rotary International for Yorkshire & North Lincolnshire.

Listen to Manoj's speech from the Graduation Ceremony.

Lady Hale is the United Kingdom’s most senior judge. She became the first, and sadly the only, woman ‘Lord of Appeal in Ordinary’ in 2004, after a varied career as an academic lawyer, law reformer and judge. Born in Leeds, she was educated at Richmond High School for Girls and
Girton College, Cambridge. She was called to the Bar by Gray’s Inn in 1969. She taught Law at the University of Manchester for 18 years, specialising in Family and Social Welfare Law. She was the joint founding editor of the Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law and author and co-author of a number of books, including The Family, Law and Society: Cases and Materials and Mental Health Law.

In 1984 she became the first woman to serve on the Law Commission. There she led the work of the Family Law team, resulting (among others) in the Children Act 1989 and the Mental Capacity Act 2005. She was promoted to the Court of Appeal of England and Wales in 1999 and in
2004 to the House of Lords.

In 2009, the ‘Law Lords’ became the Justices of the newly created Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. Lady Hale was the first woman Justice and became its Deputy President in 2013 and its President in 2017.

She was a Trustee of the Nuffield Foundation from 1987 to 2002, Chancellor of the University of Bristol from 2004 to 2016 and Treasurer of Gray’s Inn in 2017. She helped establish the United Kingdom Association of Women Judges in 2004 and from 2010 to 2012 served as President of the International Association of Women Judges.

Listen to Lady Hale's speech from the Graduation Ceremony.

Dr Elworthy is an three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee for her work with the Oxford Research Group to develop effective dialogue between nuclear weapons policy-makers worldwide and their critics. Dr Elworthy founded Peace Direct in 2002 to fund, promote and learn from local
peace-builders in conflict areas: Peace Direct was voted ‘Best New Charity’ in 2005.

Priscilla was awarded the Niwano Peace Prize in 2003 and was adviser to Peter Gabriel, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Sir Richard Branson in setting up ‘The Elders’. She co-founded Rising Women Rising World in 2013, and FemmeQ in 2016 to establish the qualities of feminine intelligence for women and men as essential skills in building a safer world.

Her latest book The Business Plan for Peace: Building a World Without War (2017) and her book Pioneering the Possible: awakened leadership for a world that works (North Atlantic Books, 2014) both received wide critical acclaim.

Priscilla is an Ambassador for Peace Direct, a Councillor of the World Future Council and patron of Oxford Research Group; adviser to the Syria Campaign and the Institute for Economics and Peace. She advises the leadership of various international corporations, as well as students and young social entrepreneurs.

Listen to Priscilla's speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

Dr Hassib Sahyoun is a member of our Bradford alumni community, having received both his MSc in 1976 and PhD in 1979 from the University.

An entrepreneur, Dr Sahyoun’s vision has always been to transform the one-man-show culture in Laboratory Medical Diagnostic Services in Jordan, to a Group Practice culture to best serve physicians and their patients, as well as ensuring long term sustainability. In 1993 Dr Sahyoun along with four doctor colleagues co-founded MedLabs Consultancy Group, forming the first private “Group Practice” in Laboratory Medicine in the Region.

MedLabs is now the fastest growing network of private medical diagnostic laboratories in the Middle East with 50 branches across three countries and a regional Reference Laboratory in Jordan that has achieved the highest international quality accreditations and awards. By introducing Group Practice, Dr Sahyoun made a difference in Laboratory Medicine in Jordan and the Region.

As Chairman and CEO, Dr Sahyoun has overseen the company’s provision of free-of-charge testing to underprivileged communities, as well as launching many national health awareness campaigns.

He is currently head of the Medical Laboratory Specialists Syndicate in Jordan as well as a member of several committees which oversee national standards of quality for the Jordanian Ministry of Health.

Jonathan Phillips, OBE, is a qualified social worker. For many years he worked in social services – including in Bradford – carrying out a number of frontline, training and management roles.

After a stint in the voluntary sector, as a Director with National Deaf Children’s Society, Jonathan worked for the social services inspectorate. He then moved to the Commission for Social Care Inspection as a National Director. His final job before retirement was director of Adult Social Services at Calderdale.

Since retiring 7 years ago he has chaired the Safeguarding Adults Boards for both Bradford Council and North Yorkshire, as well as providing other consultancy services. Jonathan is very interested in disability rights and is a strong believer in people’s rights to choose their own lifestyle and social workers’ responsibility to support them.

Sir Gary Verity DL is a British businessman and former Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire.

He is most well-known for spearheading the successful campaigns for the Grand Départ of the 2014 Tour de France to be held in Yorkshire and the UCI Road World Championships which will come to Yorkshire in 2019 and will see Bradford host the start of the Women’s Elite Road Race.

Sir Gary created the Tour de Yorkshire, now the best attended sporting event in the UK, credited with bringing a £252million boost to Yorkshire’s economy over the last four years.

As well as a Knighthood, Sir Gary was awarded a top honour by the French Government, a chevalier medal in the Ordre National du Mérite for his work with the Tour de France. This year he was also appointed Deputy Lieutenant of West Yorkshire.

Yorkshire woman Sandy Needham is the Chief Executive of the West and North Yorkshire Chamber, the leading business organisation for the Bradford, Leeds, York and North Yorkshire. Previously she was Chief Executive of the Bradford Chamber.

A champion for business Sandy led a regeneration project to provide offices and industrial units on easy terms for start-up and growing businesses.  Another innovation has been the development of the Raising the Bar initiative to encourage companies to support the wider community and measure their social impact.  Sandy has also been heavily involved with the Business Enterprise Fund. The fund lends money to enterprises that cannot obtain bank finance and has helped some great business ideas become a reality.

Sandy has a strong affinity with the local area. This is reflected in her roles as a member of the Bradford Economic Partnership, non-executive director of Bradford City of Film and interim director of the Bradford Business Improvement District (BID). The Bid plans to raise £2.5million, over the next five years, to spend on projects to boost the city centre.

Professor Nicholas Barber is Emeritus Professor of Pharmacy at University College London School of Pharmacy.

A Bradford alumni, having studied Pharmacy between 1972-1975, Nick is a former Vice-President of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society GB and has been awarded the Gold Medal of the Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award. 

As well as spending several years as a hospital pharmacist, Nick has been involved in research around the prescribing and use of medicines. The NHS New Medicines Service – where pharmacists support patients with new medicines to use them safely and to best effect – was derived from Nick’s research.

His work, which is estimated to have saved the NHS £0.5bn, has led to national policy changes in care homes, community pharmacy and in hospitals.

Nadira Mirza is a former University of Bradford Dean and Director. 

Her career has been dedicated to improving the life chances of disadvantaged young people, especially women, which stems from her time as a youth worker in 1970s' London.

As a committed believer in the transformative nature of education, Nadira is a particularly keen proponent of lifelong learning. She has been instrumental in shaping national and international developments in the fields of widening participation and access to higher education. Under her leadership, Bradford became the number one English university for widening participation.

An acknowledged authority in her field, Nadira’s experience and expertise have led her to sit on a number of government boards and advise a range of commissions.

As Honorary Visiting Professor of International Security between 1996 and 2017, Graham Pearson is no stranger to the University of Bradford. Having studied at Woodhouse Grove School in Apperley Bridge, his links to the region stretch even further back than that.

Graham obtained a First Class Degree in Chemistry from St Andrew’s University before starting his career by joining the Scientific Civil Service. In 1984 he was appointed Director General and Chief Executive of Porton Down, the UK’s Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment, a role he held for eleven years.

Whilst Honorary Professor at Bradford, Graham facilitated the involvement of the University of Bradford Peace Studies Department in the Review Conferences of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention in Geneva.

Graham is a renowned and respected author, with his textbook on the search For Iraq's weapons of mass destruction described as the definitive source of information on this topic.

Professor Sir Mark Welland is professor of nanotechnology and head of the Nanoscience Centre at University of Cambridge.

His career has been long and distinguished, encompassing roles at IBM, the Science and Technology Research Centre at the American University in Cairo, Egypt and as Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK’s Ministry of Defence.

2011, the year he was bestowed a Knighthood in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list, proved to be a stellar year for Mark. He received the highest medal awarded by the National Nuclear Security Administration - Gold Medal for Distinguished Service - and was also awarded the US Secretary of Defense’s Award for Exceptional Public Service; the highest award presented by the Department to a representative of another government.

As well as his academic work, a long-term commitment to engaging with schools led to Sir Mark designing a short DVD film which went on to win the 2010 Science Short Film of the Year at Scinema - the largest science film festival in the southern hemisphere.

Richard Noble is a Scottish entrepreneur who was holder of the land speed record between 1983 and 1997.

He was also the project director of ThrustSSC, the first land vehicle to officially break the sound barrier, which holds the current land speed record set in 1997. Richard is planning another land speed record attempt to take place in 2019.

A qualified pilot, Richard’s life has revolved around technology, engineering and speed. He holds the record for the fastest ever triple consecutive Atlantic crossing from London to New York and back to London in Concorde.

Richard was awarded an OBE in 1983.

Dr Gullapalli Rao, academic and ophthalmologist, is renowned for the creation of sustainable and high quality eye care which is transforming vision health across India.

Described as an entrepreneur of solutions for eye health, he founded the L V Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad 25 years ago, and is now a key player in Vision 2020: The Right to Sight, a global initiative aiming to eliminate avoidable blindness by 2020.

Previously the President and CEO of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, Dr Rao’s work as an internationally recognised ambassador for eye health saw him inducted into the Ophthalmology Hall Of Fame in 2017.

With over 300 published academic papers to his name, Dr Rao is a visiting professor in universities across the world and a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Medical Sciences.

Dr Ruth McKernan has been Chief Executive of Innovate UK – the UK’s innovation agency – since 2015.

A graduate of King’s College London, Ruth is a published author and winner of the Science Writers’ Award.

She has over twenty five years of research and experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Her career includes prestigious roles as Head of Neuroscience at Merck and Senior Vice President at Pfizer.

Ruth has been a champion for diversity within innovation, promoting the ‘Women in Innovation’ campaign during her time at Innovate.

She was awarded a CBE in 2013 for services to business, innovation and skills.