Honorary Awards 2013

Dr David Docherty OBE

CEO, National Centre for Universities and Business

Dr David Docherty received an Honorary Doctorate of the University in recognition of his outstanding contribution to media and business.

Educated at the University of Strathclyde and the London School of Economics, David has had a lengthy career in the British media, with roles including BBC Deputy Director of Television and Director of New Media, as well as being a member of the BBC's Board of Management and a director of the Royal Television Society.

David is the current CEO of the NCUB which develops, promotes and supports world-class collaboration between universities and business across the UK. He is also currently Chairman of the Digital TV Group.

As an author he has written several works of fiction and non-fiction. As a journalist he has written articles for The Guardian, The Listener and The Times.

David Williams

Renewable energy expert

David Williams was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of the University in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the renewable energy sector.

David is a graduate in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and has been involved in renewable energy for over 28 years (with 22 years as CEO), starting his career with utility company Swalec. David set up Energy Power Resources (EPR) in 1996 and co-founded Eco2 in 2002. Renewable energy projects under David’s management over the 28 years equate to 700mw of capacity and £2.3Bn of funds raised. This saves over 1.75m tonnes of CO2 every year and supplies the equivalent of 1.4m homes with renewable energy.

David has advised the British Government on a number of expert panels including being a member of the UK Government’s Renewables Advisory Board and also Chaired the Welsh Government’s Energy & Environment Sector Panel. David is currently a member of the Board of the Renewable Energy Association (REA) and is Chair of Ventus VCT plc. He has also sat on a number of international Boards which include Weiss A/S, Camborne Capital Group and Cymtec Ltd.

Jeremy Bowen

Journalist and commentator

Jeremy Bowen received an Honorary Fellowship of the University in recognition of his outstanding contribution to journalism.

A seasoned war correspondent, Jeremy has reported from more than 70 countries and has covered conflicts in the Gulf, El Salvador, Lebanon, the West Bank, Gaza, Afghanistan, Croatia, Bosnia, Chechnya, Somalia and Rwanda, Iraq, Algeria, Libya and Syria. 

In 1995 Jeremy Bowen won Best News Correspondent at the New York Television Festival. He repeated this success the following year, when he won RTS Best Breaking News Report for his coverage of President Rabin's assassination. In 2004, he won a Sony Gold award for News Story of the Year on the arrest of Saddam Hussein. Jeremy has also been shortlisted for a number of war reporting awards, including the Bayeux award, and he was part of the BBC teams that won a Bafta for their Kosovo coverage. In 1999 he presented a special programme on BBC One examining the aftermath of the Turkish earthquake.

The Rt Hon Mr Justice John Griffith Williams QC Kt

Barrister

The Rt Hon Mr Justice John Griffith Williams was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws of the University in recognition of his outstanding contribution to law.

Sir John is a retired judge of the High Court of England and Wales. He was formerly a lieutenant in the Royal Welch Fusiliers as a member of Territorial Army, joining in 1964 and becoming part of the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve when it was created in 1967. He left the Reserve in 1971.

He was called to the bar at Gray's Inn in 1968, appointed Queen's Counsel in 1985 and elected a bencher in 1994. From 1984 to 2000, he served as a Recorder and as a deputy High Court judge from 1995. From 1990 to 1992, he was a member of the Bar Council. He was treasurer of the Wales and Chester Circuit from 1993 to 1995 and its leader from 1996 to 1998. Sir John was assistant commissioner to the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for Wales from 1994 to 2000. He was appointed a circuit judge in 2000 and was a senior circuit judge and Recorder of Cardiff from 2001 to 2007. In 2007, he was appointed a Justice of the High Court and assigned to the Queen's Bench Division.

Rt Hon Lord Heseltine of Thenford CH PC

Statesman and parliamentarian

The Rt Hon Lord Heseltine of Thenford received an Honorary Doctorate of the University in recognition of his outstanding contribution to regeneration.

Lord Heseltine began his career as a property developer, becoming one of the founders of the publishing house Haymarket. He served as an MP from 1966 to 2001, and was a prominent figure in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major, including serving as Deputy Prime Minister under the latter.

He entered the Cabinet in 1979 as Secretary of State for the Environment, where he promoted the Right to Buy" campaign that allowed two million families to purchase their council houses.

As Secretary of State for Defence from 1983 to 1986, he was instrumental in the political battle against the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

Professor Sir Mansel Aylward CB MD FFPM FFOM FFPH FRCP

Leading academic in the field of public health

Professor Sir Mansel Aylward received an Honorary Doctorate of Science of the University in recognition of his outstanding contribution to healthcare in Wales.

Sir Mansel is Director of the Centre for Psychosocial Research, Occupational and Physician Health at Cardiff University School of Medicine. He was knighted in 2010, and made a Freeman of the Borough of Merthyr Tydfil in 2013. He is Chair of Public Health Wales.

From 1996 to April 2005 Aylward was Chief Medical Adviser, Medical Director and Chief Scientist of the UK Department for Work and Pensions and Chief Medical Adviser and Head of Profession at the Veteran’s Agency, Ministry of Defence. He was on the board of the Benefits Agency Medical Service in the 1990s.

He is Chair of the advisory board of HCB Group, a provider of rehabilitation and case management services to insurance companies and the corporate sector. Sir Mansel is also chair of the Bevan Commission, a group of international experts which advises the Welsh Minister for Health and Social Services.

Mark Colbourne MBA

Welsh Paralympic cyclist

Mark Colbourne MBE was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from the University for his commitment to sport and his inspirational journey to success.

Mark competes for Wales and Great Britain in Paralympic cycling, and won a gold and silver medal at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. Collecting Team Paralympics GB’s first medal of the Games, Mark also broke the world record in the C1 1km time trial event. He reached his first Paralympic Games after breaking his back in a near fatal paragliding accident in May 2009.

Despite being left with lower leg paralysis and drop foot in both feet, he fought for 12 months to learn to walk again and now prides himself as a full time professional Para-cyclist for Great Britain.

In the autumn of 2011 Mark was given the opportunity by the Great Britain Para-cycling team to compete at the World Para-cycling Road Championships in Denmark – just two years after leaving hospital with a broken back. He accepted this challenge and confidently raced in the 10 mile individual road time trial event, winning the silver medal. Mark was awarded an MBE in 2013 for services to cycling.

Professor Melveena McKendrick PhD Litt.D FBA

Scholar

Professor Melveena McKendrick was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Literature by the University in recognition of her outstanding contribution to literature and the arts.

Melveena was Professor of Spanish Golden Age Literature, Culture and Society at the University of Cambridge from 1999 to 2008, and served as its Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education from 2004 to 2008. She has also been a Fellow of Girton College, Cambridge since 1967; she is currently a life fellow having retired from full-time academia in 2008.

In 1999, Melveena was elected a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA), the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and social sciences.

Sir Paul Williams OBE

Health service manager and former Chief Executive of NHS Wales (2009 -2011)

Sir Paul Williams was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of the University in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the health service and public life in Wales.

Sir Paul has been CEO of three NHS Trusts and President of the Institute of Healthcare Management. His final job was Director General for Health and Social Services, Welsh Assembly Government and CEO, NHS Wales. He is a Companion of the Chartered Institute of Management, a Companion of the Institute of Health Care Management and a Visiting Professor at USW. 

He was High Sheriff of South Glamorgan in 2007/8 and appointed a Deputy Lord Lieutenant of South Glamorgan in 2010. Sir Paul was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2000 for services to the NHS in Wales. He was appointed a Knight Bachelor in 2011 and a Knight of the Order of the Hospital of Jerusalem of St John in 2016.

Rt Hon Peter Hain MP

Statesman and campaigner

Rt Hon Peter Hain MP was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of the University in recognition of his outstanding contribution to public life in Wales.

Peter was MP for Neath between 1991 and 2015, and served in the Cabinets of both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. He was the Leader of the House of Commons from 2003 to 2005 and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2005 to 2007 under Blair, and as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Secretary of State for Wales from 2007 to 2008 under Brown.

He returned to the Cabinet from 2009 to 2010 as Welsh Secretary, before becoming Shadow Welsh Secretary in Ed Miliband's Shadow Cabinet from 2010 until 2012, when he announced his retirement from frontline politics. Peter came to the UK from South Africa as a teenager, and was a noted anti-apartheid campaigner in the 1970s. He was also Honorary Vice-President of the Campaign for Homosexual Equality. 

Rhys Hutchings

Artist and local politician

Rhys Hutchings was awarded an Honorary Fellowship for his commitment to local politics and his passion for bringing popular culture to Newport and beyond.

Rhys formed comedy rap group Goldie Lookin’ Chain in 2000 and has enjoyed top-ten hits with their tongue-in-cheek take on life in Wales. Also known by several aliases in the band, he writes, produces and creates mixes for all of their tracks.

From 2007 to 2008 he co-presented weekday drive time radio shows on XFM South Wales with fellow Goldie Lookin’ Chain member Eggsy. In 2011 Rhys was one of eight celebrities chosen to participate in an intense week learning Welsh on an eco-friendly Pembrokeshire campsite for the Cariad @ Iaith: Love for Language series shown on S4C. During recent years Rhys has released five albums of various musical genres, including a semi Welsh language album, chill out music, hip hop, dance and vocoder funk. He was elected as a Labour councillor for Newport City Council in 2012, representing the St Julians area of Newport.

Rosemary Butler AM

Former Presiding Officer for the National Assembly for Wales

Rosemary Butler AM was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University for her commitment to the Newport region and her work to help improve the lives of people in local and international communities.

Rosemary joined the Labour party in 1971 and two years later she was elected Labour councillor for Caerleon on Newport Borough Council, a position she held until 1999. While on the council, she chaired the Leisure Services Committee for 12 years, and served as Deputy Leader and Mayor of Newport from 1989 to 1990.

Rosemary was elected as Newport West’s first Assembly Member in May 1999, and has been re-elected in each subsequent Assembly election. In the First Assembly, she was appointed as the Minister for pre-16 Education and Children, and chaired the Culture, Welsh Language and Sport Committee. Rosemary also served as the Deputy Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales before being elected to the position of Presiding Officer by a unanimous vote from Assembly Members in May 2011.

The Rt Revd and Rt Hon The Lord Williams of Oystermouth

Chancellor of the University of South Wales, Archbishop of Canterbury (2002-2012)

The Rt Revd and Rt Hon The Lord Williams of Oystermouth (Rowan Williams) was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of the University in recognition of his outstanding contribution to education, theology and the Church.

Born in 1950, Rowan Williams is a Welsh Anglican bishop, theologian and poet. He was the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury, a position he held from December 2002 to December 2012. Previously the Bishop of Monmouth and Archbishop of Wales, he was the first Archbishop of Canterbury in modern times not to be appointed from within the Church of England.

Having spent much of his earlier career as an academic at the universities of Cambridge and Oxford successively, Rowan speaks three languages and reads at least nine. After standing down as Archbishop, Williams took up the positions of Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge in 2013, and Chancellor of USW in 2014.

Sam Warburton

Wales and British Lions rugby international

Sam Warburton was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the University in recognition of his outstanding contribution to rugby.

Sam played regional rugby for the Cardiff Blues and is a Wales international. In 2011 he was named as Wales captain versus the Barbarians; becoming the second youngest player to captain his country. In August 2011 he was subsequently named as Wales captain for the Rugby World Cup. In April 2013 he was named the British Lions’ captain for the 2013 tour to Australia.

He began his rugby career in Rhiwbina, Cardiff, and played for Glamorgan Wanderers before joining Cardiff Blues. He has represented Wales at all levels, including being captain of the under 18s, under 19s and was captain of the U20s team for the 2007-08 season. He led Wales to the under 19s and under 20s world cup semi finals. Sam made his debut for the senior Wales national rugby union team in 2009, and played his first regional match for the Cardiff Blues during the same year. At the age of 24, Sam became the youngest ever Lions captain and led the squad to their first series victory in 16 years.

Simon Gibson OBE

Chief Executive, Wesley Clover Corporation

Simon Gibson OBE was awarded an Honorary Fellowship for his services to business and the region of Gwent, and his commitment to entrepreneurship among the brightest of young business minds.

A Visiting Professor in Entrepreneurship at the University, Simon is Chief Executive of the Wesley Clover Corporation, a Venture Fund specialising in seeding technology companies. Prior to joining Wesley Clover Simon was co-founder, President and CEO of Ubiquity Software Corporation. 

He was awarded an OBE in 1999 for his services to industry and the community in South Wales. He has served on the Board of the Welsh Development Agency and chaired the Knowledge Economy Committee, as well as acting as an advisor to several government bodies including the National Economic Research Advisory Panel.

As well as being Chair of Digital Wales, Simon is the founder and a trustee of the Alacrity Foundation, a graduate entrepreneurship training programme based in Newport.

Stuart Popham QC

Former Chairman of Chatham House

Stuart Popham was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of the University in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the legal profession.

Stuart was Chairman of Chatham House, home of the Royal Institute of International Affairs, as well as TheCityUK, which champions competitiveness in the financial services industry.

He joined Citigroup in 2012 as Vice Chairman of Banking for Europe, The Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Until 2010 he was the Senior Partner, worldwide, of Clifford Chance LLP, one of the world’s leading law firms, where he chaired the firm’s Partnership Council, its supervisory board. While being responsible for a number of client relationships, he had particular responsibility for Clifford Chance’s reputation and values.

Stuart sits on the boards of Legal & General Insurance, The Barbican Centre Trust, the Council of the RNLI, Birkbeck University of London, and the Advisory Forum of the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. He was made Queen’s Counsel (honoris causa) in 2011.

Tony Pulis

Football manager

Tony Pulis was awarded an Honorary Fellowship for his commitment to football and his support of the South East Wales region.

Former Newport County defender Tony became one of the youngest ever professional football players to have obtained a UEFA ‘A’ licence at the age of 21, having gained his FA coaching qualification at just 19. He began his career at Bristol Rovers, where he made 85 league appearances before leaving to join Hong Kong club Happy Valley AA in 1981. He returned to Rovers the following year, before moving to Newport County in 1984.

He took his first steps as a manager in Bournemouth, where he finished his playing career, and became an assistant manager to Harry Redknapp. Not long after, he was appointed head coach of the club. During his 17-year career he also represented Bristol County, Bournemouth and Gillingham, and became manager of Stoke City in 2006. He led the club to the Premier League in 2007/08, and in 2011 his team made their way through to the FA Cup Final. After seven years in charge of the ‘Potters’, he left the club in May 2013.

Trudy Norris-Grey

Business leader

Trudy Norris-Grey was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the University in recognition of her outstanding contribution to business.

Born in Swansea, Trudy gained a degree in Business Studies at the then Polytechnic of Wales. After graduating, she completed the Certified Chartered Accountants examinations and qualified as an accountant. Her career began in Racal Vodafone in 1983 as an audit accountant before moving to Digital Equipment Corporation in 1986, based in Reading.

In 2007 Trudy was appointed Chair of WISE (Women in Science, Engineering & Technology)., a campaign aimed at encouraging more girls and women to pursue STEM career paths. She provided evidence to the UK Government and to many other organisations.

Since 2012 Trudy has been General Manager of Microsoft, responsible for the public sector business of Central and Eastern Europe.