Honorary Awards 2014

Carwyn Jones

Former First Minister of Wales

Carwyn Jones is a politician who served as First Minister of Wales and Leader of Welsh Labour from 2009 until 2018. 

Brought up in Swansea, Carwyn trained as a Barrister and was in legal practice for 10 years before moving into politics. He was originally a County Borough Councillor for Bridgend, and went on to Chair the Labour group.

Jones was the Member of the Senedd (MS) for Bridgend from 1999 to 2021. He served in various roles throughout his political career, including as Secretary for Agriculture and Rural Development, Minister of State for the Environment, Minister for Education, Culture and the Welsh Language, and Counsel General for Wales.

Professor Chen Zhigang

Former Chairman, Suzhou University of Science and Technology

Professor Chen Zhigang was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of the University for his contribution to science education.

Datuk Dr Choo Yuen May

Director General, Malaysian Palm Oil Board

Datuk Dr Choo Yuen May was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science from the University for her contribution to research into global sustainability and climate change.

Born in 1955, Datuk obtained her BSc and MSc from the University of Waikato, New Zealand in 1978 and 1979 respectively. After spending two years as a lecturer at Universiti Sains Malaysia, Dr Choo joined the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (which at the time was known as PORIM) in July 1982 as a Research Officer.

In 1987 she obtained her PhD in Chemistry from the University of Malaya and went on to successfully pursue an Executive MBA (Master of Business Administration) from the Asian Institute of Management.

Dick Glover

Chief Technology Officer, McLaren Applied Technologies Ltd

Dick Glover was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of the University for his contribution to technology and business.

Dick joined McLaren Racing in 1995, where he formulated championship winning F1 fuels for the group. He moved to McLaren Automotive in 2007 as Technical Director, leading the engineering development of the 12C supercar through to the start of production.

Gerard Elias QC

Barrister, former Standards Commissioner for Wales

Gerard Elias QC was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University for his contribution to the legal system in England and Wales.

Gerard was called to the Bar in 1968, and later practised in Cardiff, taking silk in 1984 at the age of 39. He then joined Farrar’s in London, where his practice flourished. He was, successively, Treasurer and then a distinguished Leader of the Wales and Chester Circuit. From 1996 to 1998 he was Leading Counsel to the Waterhouse Enquiry into abuse at Childrens’ Homes in North Wales, to soldiers and civil servants in the Bloody Sunday Enquiry from 1999 to 2004 and to the Baha Mousa Enquiry from 2008 to 2010.

Professor John Barrow BSc PhD DSc FRS

Research Professor of Mathematical Sciences, University of Cambridge

Professor John Barrow was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science in recognition of his contribution to Mathematical Science education.

Born in 1952, John obtained his first degree in mathematics and physics from Van Mildert College at the University of Durham in 1974. In 1977, he completed his doctorate in Astrophysics at Magdalen College, Oxford. He was a Junior Research Lecturer at Christ Church, Oxford, from 1977–81, and did two postdoctoral years in Astronomy at the University of California, Berkeley.

In 1981 he joined the University of Sussex and rose to the rank of Professor and Director of the Astronomy Centre. In 1999, he became Professor in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at Cambridge University, and is Director of the Millennium Mathematics Project. In 2008, the Royal Society awarded him the Faraday Prize. He was awarded the Dirac Prize and Gold Medal of the Institute of Physics in 2015 and the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 2016.

John Deer

Deputy Chairman, Renishaw PLC

John Deer was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the University for his contribution to the engineering industry.

He trained as a mechanical engineer and worked for Rolls-Royce plc, Bristol, from 1960 to 1974. He was Managing Director of Renishaw from 1974 to 1989, primarily involved in the commercial direction of the Group, with particular emphasis on marketing and the establishment of the Group's wholly-owned subsidiaries in the USA, Ireland, Japan, Germany, France and Italy.

John and Sir David McMurtry were members of the four-man team of Renishaw engineers honoured with the MacRobert Award in 1987. In 2012 John was awarded the Swan Medal by the Institute of Physics jointly with Sir David McMurtry for their role in founding Renishaw and leading it to become one of the world's principal manufacturers of metrology equipment. In 2014 John and Sir David were jointly honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at Gloucestershire Business Awards.

Dame Julia Unwin DBE

Speaker consultant, and former chief executive of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation

Dame Julia Unwin DBE is an experienced non-executive speaker, consultant, and mentor. Julia was chief executive of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation from 2007 to 2016, and ran a consultancy business for 15 years, where undertook policy analysis, governance support, and project evaluation.

Julia is now Chair of Governors at York St John University.

Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz FRS FRCP FMedSci

Vice-Chancellor, University of Cambridge

Professor Leszek Borysiewicz was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science for his contribution to the field of Medicine.

Born in Cardiff in 1951, Leszek studied medicine at Cardiff University and received a PhD from Imperial College London in 1986.

He pursued a career in academic medicine at the University of Cambridge, where he was a fellow of Wolfson College, and then a consultant at Hammersmith Hospital. He headed the Department of Medicine at the University of Wales before joining Imperial College London, where he was promoted to Deputy Rector. He also served as chief executive of the Medical Research Council of the UK from 2007-2010.

Leszek's research focuses on viral immunology, infectious disease, and viral-induced cancer. In 2001 he was made a Knight Bachelor (Sir) for services to vaccine research.

Rt Hon the Lord Morris of Aberavon KG PC QC

Chancellor of the University 2001-2013, former Attorney-General, Parliamentarian

The Rt Hon Lord Morris of Aberavon was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University for his contribution to the history of the University and to Welsh politics.

Born in Aberystwyth in 1931, Lord Morris was educated at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. He is a barrister and was called to the Bar by Gray's Inn in 1954. He practised at 2 Bedford Row Chambers, took silk in 1973 and was made a Bencher of Gray's Inn in 1984. Between 1982 and 1997 he was a Recorder of the Crown Court.

During his political career, Lord Morris represented Aberavon as its Labour MP from 1959 and was the longest serving Welsh MP until 2001. He served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Power and the Ministry of Transport, and Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence. He was raised to the peerage for life as Baron Morris of Aberavon and of Ceredigion in 2001, was made Lord Lieutenant of Dyfed a year later and was appointed to the Order of the Garter as a Knight Companion (KG) in 2003.

Rt Hon Margaret Hodge MBE MP

Former Children’s Minister, Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, MP for Barking

Margaret Hodge MBE MP was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of the University for her contribution to politics and representing women in public life.

Born in 1944, Margaret is a Labour Party politician who has served as Member of Parliament for Barking since 1994.

She was appointed Minister for Children in 2003 before becoming Minister of State for Culture and Tourism in 2005. In 2010 she was elected Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, in succession to Sir Edward Leigh MP. She served until 2015.

Born Margaret Eve Oppenheimer, she was known as Margaret Eve Watson from 1968 to 1978. She was styled Lady Hodge after her second husband, Sir Henry Hodge, was knighted in 2004, until her appointment as DBE in 2015 when she became Dame Margaret Hodge. She is the third oldest female MP, after only Ann Clwyd and Margaret Beckett, being a year older than Louise Ellman.

Martin Turner FCCA

Former ACCA President

Martin Turner was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of the University for his contribution to accounting and finance in the UK.

Martin completed the senior management program at Harvard University in 2000 and was a fellow of the NHS Staff College in Wales. As a fellow of the college he led management programmes for executives and senior clinical staff.

Martin has served as chairman of the Institute of Healthcare Management in Wales and, in recognition of this, was awarded the IHM Companionship Award. He was the founder member and president of the Health Service Society of Certified Accountants and was first elected to ACCA’s Council in 2004.

As an ACCA Council member, Martin was active on a number of its standing committees and was ACCA global president 2013–2014.

Michael Lawley

Chairman of Cooke & Arkwright, Governor of the University 2001-2013

Michael Lawley was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of the University for his contribution to urban regeneration in Wales.

As Chairman of Cooke & Arkwright, Michael advises clients in Wales and England on major residentially-led development proposals.

He joined the firm in 1981, becoming a Director in 1988, Managing Director in 1999 and Chairman in 2011. He has an active role in the development and running of the business and also provides leading consultancy advice on development proposals, and strategic land matters for a range of private and public sector clients across Wales and England.

Michael has a comprehensive knowledge of property gained in his long career and has a wealth of experience in dealing with major development schemes. He is currently advising on sites across Cardiff, South Wales and the south of England.

Michael Stevens

Former Head of International Markets, Airbus Defence & Space 

Michael Stevens was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the University for his contribution to the global security industry.

Having been educated at Warwick University and Liverpool University, Michael (known as Mo) is the founder and CEO of management consultancy company Jemstone 5D. He was previously CEO of digital solutions firm Shearwater Group plc, where he achieved a transformational change in strategic direction into the Digital, Cybersecurity and High Technology market sectors.

As Head of Internation Market Development at Airbus, Mo had divisional responsibility for new international business growth and development. He was also CEO of Cassidian, the security and defence division of EADS, which is widely recognised as a worldwide leader in defence and security solutions.

The Rt Hon Lady Justice Nicola Davies DBE

Judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales

Dame Nicola Davies is a judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales. 

Born in Llanelli, she attended Bridgend Girls’ Grammar School and was the first in her family to attend university. 

She was the first Welsh woman to be appointed a QC in 1992, a Deputy High Court judge in 2003 and a High Court Judge (Queen’s Bench Division) in 2010. 

Nicola was sworn in as a member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom in 2018. In July 2021, she chaired the first all-female Court of Appeal session in Wales, making legal history. 

Rt Hon Paul Murphy MP

Former Secretary of State for Wales and Northern Ireland, MP for Torfaen

Paul Murphy MP was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of the University for his contribution to British politics and public life in Wales.

Born in 1948, Baron Murphy of Torfaen is a Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Torfaen from 1987 to 2015, and served in the Cabinet from 1999-2005 and again from 2007-2008 in the roles of Northern Irish and Welsh Secretary.

Prior to joining the Cabinet he held the position of Minister of State for Northern Ireland from February 1997 until 1999. He was nominated for a life peerage in the 2015 Dissolution Honours.

Dr Peter Carter OBE

Former Chief Executive, Royal College of Nursing

Dr Peter Carter OBE was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of the University for his contribution to the nursing profession.

Peter is the current Interim Chair of the East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust. Previously he has served as the general secretary and Chief Executive of the Royal College of Nursing.

He trained for six years as a psychiatric nurse at Hill End Hospital in St Albans, then worked at the regional adolescent unit at Hill End Hospital, undertaking further training in family therapy and crisis intervention. 

Peter started his managerial education at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, and got an MBA and PhD from the University of Birmingham. He spent almost 12 years as the Chief Executive of the Central and North West London Mental Health NHS Trust, and in 2007 became general secretary and Chief Executive for the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). In 2006 he was awarded the OBE for services to the NHS.

Peter Thomas CBE

Chairman, Atlantic Property Developments Plc

Peter Thomas CBE was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the University for his contribution to business and entrepreneurship in Wales.

He started his business career by building national company Peter’s Savoury Products with his father, brother and sister, perhaps now better known as Peter’s Pies. After selling the business in 1988, he went on to create Atlantic Property Developments Plc.

His other great passion is rugby and, as Chairman of Cardiff Blues, is passionate about helping to deliver European success to supporters of the region.

He was appointed CBE in 2012 for services to business, sport and charitable work in Wales.

Professor Polina Bayvel BSc (Eng) PhD FREng

Professor of Optical Communications and Networks, University College London (UCL)

Professor Polina Bayvel was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science in recognition of her contribution to scientific research.

Born in St Petersburg in 1966, Polina was educated at University College London where she was awarded a Bachelor of Engineering degree in 1986, followed by a PhD in 1990.

In 1990, she was awarded a Royal Society Postdoctoral Exchange Fellowship in the Fibre Optics Laboratory at the General Physics Institute of the Soviet Academy of Sciences in Moscow.

She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2002 and was awarded the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Photonic Society Engineering Achievement Award in 2013. In 2015 Polina was awarded the Royal Academy of Engineering Colin Campbell Mitchell Award, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2016. She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2017 for services to engineering.

Roger Glover

Musician, bassist with Deep Purple

Roger Glover was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the University for his contribution to the music industry.

Originally from Brecon, Roger made his debut with Deep Purple in the early 1970s, and after releasing solo records he joined the reformed band in 1983 for their comeback album, Perfect Strangers.

He released a new solo album in 2002 and continues to tour and record with the current Deep Purple line-up.

Roger’s musical aspirations started as he grew up listening to rock and roll music in the 1950s, and decided to form a band with some school friends, in which he wrote songs and played bass guitar.

Simon Boyle CStJ JP

Lord Lieutenant for Gwent

Simon Boyle was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the University for his contribution to public life in the region of Gwent.

Born in 1941, Simon was educated at Eton College, and then worked for Stewarts & Lloyds in Australia and the United Kingdom from 1959 to 1965. He joined Avon Rubber Company in 1966, but left to work for British Steel in 1970, remaining with them (largely at Llanwern, Gwent) until his retirement in 2001.

In 1993, he was High Sheriff of Gwent, and he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for Gwent in 1997, before becoming the county's Lord Lieutenant in 2001 (serving until 2016); he was also appointed Justice of the Peace and a Companion of the Order of St John in 2002.

He served as Chairman of Gwent Criminal Justice Board from 2003 to 2005 and as President of the Gwent Association of Voluntary Organisations from 2006 to 2016. In 2015, Simon was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO).

Warren Gatland CBE

Former rugby union player and head coach for Wales

Warren Gatland CBE is a former rugby union player from New Zealand, who served as head coach of the Wales national team from 2007 to 2019, and from 2022 to present.

Gatland led Wales to four Six Nations titles, three Grand Slams, and a World Cup semi-final, and ran two history-making tours as Head Coach of the British and Irish Lions. 

He previously coached Connacht, Ireland, and London Wasps, where he won three Premierships and the Heineken Cup. In his playing career, he was one of Waikato's longest-serving players, playing 140 games for the province – a record at the time.