The New Year Honours List is a list of people in the United Kingdom who have been recognised for their achievements and contributions in their respective fields. It is released annually on December 31, and the awards are presented by the British monarch at a ceremony in the new year.
The list also includes awards for people in a variety of fields, such as the arts, sciences, public service, and charitable work. These awards include the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), and the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).
Alison Rose
Alison Rose, the CEO of Commercial and Private Banking at NatWest Group, who is the first woman to run one of Britain’s biggest banks was awarded a Damehood in the New Year Honours list. She joined the bank 30 years ago as a graduate in 1992, Alison’s diverse career at NatWest Group has included a number of senior leadership roles, including Deputy CEO of NatWest Holdings; Chief Executive of Commercial & Private Banking and more.
The Alison Rose Review is a report published in 2019 by Alison Rose, which focused on the representation of women in leadership positions in the UK. The review was commissioned by the UK government and made several recommendations for increasing the number of women in leadership roles, including setting targets for the representation of women on boards and in leadership positions, improving the transparency of recruitment processes, and promoting the role of women in leadership as a positive and attractive career option. The review received widespread media coverage and was widely praised for its comprehensive and evidence-based approach to addressing the issue of gender diversity in leadership.
Professor Robina SHAH MBE JP DL
Professor Robina Shah is considered one of the country’s leading patient care experts based on a track record of achievement including the international recommendations she helped develop for WHO, which were adopted as a set of standards for the UK.
In 2011, the PM appointed her to the NHS Futures Forum which developed the revised NHS Constitution and the “NHS’s role in the public’s health”. She established the first national patients’ safety ambassadors training programme for NHS Trust Boards and her work is cited in the 2015 joint Medical Schools Council and General Medical Council Report “First Do No Harm”. She informed recommendations for the 2014 Care Act and 2015 Children and Families Act. In 2015, she co-authored Tackling Disability Hate Crime and Disability Discrimination. Her recommendations became the basis of the 2016 Government strategic action plan on hate crime, requiring full implementation by local government, the police and NHS. She established the first ever UK medical school’s patient partnership collaboration, a network open to over 40 medical schools, dedicated to patient centred education.
Dame Mary QUANT DBE
Mary Quant opened her first shop Bazaar in the Kings Road in 1955 and is credited with conceiving the mini skirt and hot pants popular culture of ‘The Chelsea Girl’. A retrospective exhibition celebrating her achievements was staged at the V&A in 2019-2020, highlighting the revolution of the whole fashion system making British street style the global influence it remains today. Throughout the 60s she extended her influence internationally into ready-to-wear garments, accessories and cosmetics and, in 1966, she was awarded an OBE for services to the fashion industry. In 1970 she was commissioned to stimulate the home interiors market and successfully revolutionised furnishings for modern living. In 2000, a Japanese company bought Mary Quant Limited, and now there are almost 150 Mary Quant Colour shops in Japan. She is a fellow of the Chartered Society of Designers, and winner of the Minerva Medal, the Society’s highest award.
Professor Dame Hermione LEE DBE FBA FRSL
Hermione Lee is a scholar, teacher, distinguished biographer and literary critic. Her books include biographies of Virginia Woolf, Edith Wharton, Penelope Fitzgerald and Tom Stoppard. She was awarded the Biographers’ Club Prize for Exceptional Contribution to Biography in 2018 and received the BIO Award 2020 from the Biographers International Organisation. She became the first woman Goldsmiths’ Professor of English Literature at Oxford in 1998. In 2008 she became the first woman President of Wolfson College, Oxford. Under her stewardship it became one of Oxford’s largest graduate colleges, with 600 students. She founded the Oxford Centre for Life-Writing at Wolfson College, which has a national and international reputation both as a significant interdisciplinary cultural presence, and as a unique hub of activities related to all kinds of life-writing, reaching out to people and communities beyond the University.
Dawn Elizabeth CHILDS FRENG
She joined the RAF straight from school, becoming the first female Senior Engineering Officer in several roles. She left to become Head of Engineering at Gatwick Airport, responsible for all the infrastructure and technical services at the airport. She joined Merlin Entertainments plc in 2016 covering the governance and safety standards and practices for a global portfolio of over 120 theme parks and attractions. In 2019 she became UK Change Director for National Grid leading the transformation required to meet efficiency expectations whilst still delivering to net zero. In 2013, she was awarded the CBI/Real Business First Women Award in recognition of her pivotal role at Gatwick. In 2014, she was made an Honorary Doctor of Science by Staffordshire University for services to engineering and recognised as one of the Barclays Women of Achievement for 2014. In 2015, she was presented with the Alastair Graham Bryce Award by the Institution of Mechanical Engineering. She was elected President of the Women’s Engineering Society in 2018 and made a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2020.
