THE NEW Year Honours List 2023 recognised those who promoted Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (ED&I) in various sectors of British society.
Around 40 individuals were recognised for their work in the ED&I field.
Dr John Stuart BENGER, Clerk to the House of Commons was awarded the Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath (which is second only to a knighthood in the honours system) for his services to the Parliament. He introduced a direct graduate recruitment scheme with BAME representation rising from two in the previous 15 years, to eight recruited in three years, with candidates of the highest calibre. As Clerk, he ensured that the House agreed to the recommendation that judgements and sanctions in relation to complaints of bullying and harassment should be completely independent of MPs despite significant opposition – a recent survey reports that staff confidence has improved dramatically.
Professor Heather MCGREGOR CBE FRSE, Provost and Vice Principal, Heriot-Watt University Dubai becomes a Dame for her services to Education, to Business and to Heritage in Scotland. She joined Heriot-Watt in 2016 as Executive Dean of Edinburgh Business School where she brought new life to Scotland’s oldest distance learning MBA programme. During her tenure, tens of thousands of students in over 160 countries have been recruited to the reinvigorated programme. Her continued service to charities supporting employment and minority ethnic careers has supported young people including many from across Scotland. Her commitment to creating opportunities for all also led to initiatives such as an MBA programme being delivered in a refugee camp in Lebanon, and the establishment of an early-stage business incubator. She continues to support and mentor women’s careers in and out of academia. She has personally embodied excellence, diversity, and promoted the importance of heritage, higher education, and professional qualifications for the development and caring of others.
Dr Nina Cope, Lately Director General, National Crime Agency was awarded Companions of the Order of the Bath for the services to Law Enforcement and to Diversity (London, Greater London). The Order of the Bath is a category of honours reserved for those in either military or police service.
Dr Ramesh Dulichandbhai Mehta OBE, president of the British Association of Physicians, Bedfordshire, was honoured with Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion. He founded the organisation British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO). He fought for the equality of doctors working in the NHS regardless of their origins – mostly from the subcontinent.
Dr Yvette Alison OADE, Lately Interim Regional Medical Director for North East and Yorkshire, NHS England and NHS Improvement, West Yorkshire was awarded CBE for the services to Women in the NHS.
Others who received CBE for ED&I:
* Simon Phillip TSE – Chief Executive, Crown Commercial Service- For services to the Public Sector and to Race Equality (Swansea, West Glamorgan).
* Rebecca Gay George OBE – Lately Past President, British Computing Society. For services to Diversity in the Technology Profession (Taunton, Somerset)
Usman Ali, Lately Chair, Black Workers’ Committee, Scottish Trades Union Congress was awarded and Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for the services to Equality and Cohesion in Scotland (Thornliebank, Renfrewshire).
Patricia Anne Higson, Patron and lately Chief Executive Officer, Glasgow Media Access Centre (GMAC Film) was awarded an OBE for her services to the Film and Television Industry and to Diversity and Inclusion in Film and Television (Glasgow, City of Glasgow).
Others who received an OBE for ED&I:
* Helen Clare Belcher- Trustee, Trans Media Watch, Director, Trans Actual and Councillor, Wiltshire Council. For services to the Transgender community (Corsham, Wiltshire) – this sounds interesting.
* Susan Fajana-Thomas – Founder, SFT Foundation Trust. For services to Local Government and to Gender Equality (London, Greater London)
* Hadley Gill – Senior Officer, National Crime Agency. For services to Law Enforcement and to Diversity (London, Greater London)
* Maruska Greenwood Dalecki – Lately Chief Executive Officer, LGBT Health and Wellbeing. For services to Equality (Dalkeith, Midlothian)
* Hitan Mehta – Executive Director, British Asian Trust. For services to the British Asian Community (Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire)
* Dr Ann Olivarius – Lawyer. For services to Justice and to Women and Equality (Reading, Berkshire)
* Professor Kate Elizabeth Pickett- Professor of Epidemiology, University of York. For services to Societal Equality (Colton, North Yorkshire)
* Dr Catherine Eve Poole – For services to Education and to Gender Equality (Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh)
Dr Oluwole Olawale Folayan, co-founder of Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers UK, Aberdeen was awarded Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his services to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in Engineering.
Joanna Rachel Tongue, director, Women in Football, London was awarded an MBE for her services to Association Football and to Gender Equality.
Others who received MBE for ED&I:
* Claire Louise Bell – Flood and Coastal Risk Manager, Environment Agency – For services to Gender Equality in the Workplace (Henlow, Bedfordshire).
* Dr Catherine Lee – Professor of Inclusive Education and Leadership and Deputy Dean for Education, Anglia Ruskin University. For services to Equality in Education (Acton, Suffolk)
* Dr Vivienne Polita Connell-Hall – Senior Investigator, Service Complaints Ombudsman for the Armed Forces, Ministry of Defence – For services to Diversity and Inclusion (London, Greater London)
* Saleem Fazal – Co-Chair and Co-Founder, Freehold LGBT+ CIC – For services to Inclusion in the Property Industry (London, Greater London)
* Samantha Davys, manager for Equality and Future Talent, TalkTalk, Greater Manchester – For services to Young People and to Inclusion in Digital Industries.
* Isaac Kofi Harvey – President, Wheels and Wheelchairs – For services to People with Disabilities (London, Greater London)
* Anisah Osman Britton – Founder, 23 Code Street – For services to Diversity in the Technology Sector (Margate, Kent)
* Stephen Slater – Director and Chief Executive Officer, Light Aircraft Association – For services to Diversity in the Aviation Industry (Chesham, Buckinghamshire)
* Dr Verona Gee Walker – Founder and Patron, The Anthony Walker Foundation – For services to Diversity and Racial Injustice (Liverpool, Merseyside)
* Francesca Isabel Warner – Co-Founder, Ada Ventures, Diversity VC – For services to Equality and Diversity in the Venture Capital Sector (London, Greater London)
Individuals who received British Empire Medals (BEMS) – which are given to people working in communities.
* Enyojo Opaluwa-A Pinheiro – Founder and chair of Passenger Services BAME Network, Department for Transport – For services to Diversity and Inclusion.
* Shah Sheikh Shepali Begum – Lately Outreach and Impacts Manager, Commonwealth Games Legacy Team – For services to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (Birmingham, West Midlands).
* Dr Wirinder Kumar Amar Nath Bhatiani – Lately Chair, NHS Bolton Clinical Commissioning Group – For services to Health and to Diversity in Greater Manchester (Birchanger, Essex).
* Ziana Ayesha Butt – For services to Netball and to Diversity (London, Greater London).
* Jane Eleanor Culkin – Customer Compliance Group, HM Revenue and Customs – For services to Autism and Neurodiversity Awareness (Liverpool, Merseyside).
Individuals who are in the New Year’s Honours List 2023, are from all over the UK and are recognised for their outstanding accomplishments, including their work in the fields of prolonged public service, youth engagement, and community service.
The Cabinet Office published the list on last Friday (30).
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