Honorary graduate Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell DBE FRS FRSE has been awarded the Companion of Honour (CH) – an honour only held by 65 people at a time. It recognises outstanding achievements in the arts, literature, music, science, politics, industry or religion. Professor Bell Burnell is recognised for her services to astronomy and physics and to diversity.
She co-discovered the first pulsar which launched a new field of astronomy. She worked in gamma ray astronomy at the University of Southampton, in X-ray astronomy at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory and in infra-red and millimetre wave astronomy at the Royal Observatory Edinburgh.
She has also served terms as President of the Royal Astronomical Society and was also elected the first female President of the Institute of Physics and the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Professor Bell Burnell was one of the founders of the Athena SWAN scheme that seeks to address gender inequality in higher education and research, and she has supported students and graduates from minority and disadvantaged backgrounds.
Alumnus Steve Varley has been awarded a CBE for services to the professional services industry. His career at EY started in 2005 as a Managing Partner, before progressing to Chairman and Managing Partner for UK&I until 2020 when he began his role as Global Vice President for Sustainability. In this role, Steve led their sustainability and climate change strategy as well as launching their carbon ambition plan and in 2021, the company succeeded in being carbon-negative by reducing more carbon than it emits. Furthermore, he was a founding Co-Chair of the S30, a group formed of 30 Chief Sustainability Officers from leading businesses from around the world. Steve graduated from Loughborough in 1990 with a BEng in Engineering. He also served as a lay member of University Council for almost a decade (2014-2023) and is now the University’s ambassador for Climate Change and Net Zero.
Steve Varley
Another CBE has been awarded to Philip Walker for services to higher education. He is currently the Chair of Council for the University of Roehampton, London and has held a number of voluntary roles with non-profit organisations at the highest levels. As well as a successful career in business, he was also a maths teacher and the head of a London support unit for excluded pupils. The centre enabled children to reintegrate into school. Philip is also a founding trustee of the Power List Foundation which publishes The Powerlist, an annual list recognising the most influential people of African or African Caribbean heritage in the United Kingdom. Philip graduated with a Bachelor of Education degree in Physical Education in 1976.
Receiving an OBE is Dr Wayne Campbell, lately Academic Registrar, University of York, for services to higher education. He spent over 20 years in the education sector in senior roles and was awarded an Honorary Degree by the University of York in 2024 to recognise his contributions to the University and its students. According to the University of York, he played a key role in their response to the Covid-19 pandemic and cost of living crisis, setting up a support package for students, as well as setting up a Conduct and Respect Team, a Student Community Cohesion Steering Group, and a housing group. Wayne graduated from Loughborough with an MSc in Information Technology in 1992.
Also recognised for services to education is Umesh Desai, who receives an MBE. He has worked at several universities in estates and facilities and is currently at Birmingham City University. He has spent his career working in the sector and in supporting facilities colleagues at a range of universities to create and maintain grounds and provide excellent experiences for students and staff. Umesh is a qualified chartered building surveyor. He has been the chair of ProCon Leicestershire for several years and a board member for many more, working with the organisation to support the property and construction industry. He earned an MSc in Construction Project Management in 2002.
Alumnus Giles Hartill has been honoured with an MBE for services to engineering. He is currently Chief Technologist at AWE Nuclear Security Technologies. He has spent his career with AWE, starting there as a graduate in 2003. Through his work he has supported the shape of UK nuclear security. He is a past President of IMechE (2023), through which he championed engineering excellence and inspired the next generation of engineers; he is now a Fellow of IMechE. Testament to his contribution to military and defence, Giles features on the Royal Academy of Engineering and Transport for London’s themed Engineering Icons Tube map, at Southwark Station on the Jubilee Line. He graduated from Loughborough with an MSc in Materials for Industry in 2008.
Bryan Henderson, Director of Cricket and NFL at Sky, has been awarded an MBE for services to Cricket. In his role at Sky – the England Cricket Board’s long-term broadcasting partner – Bryan has, according to ECB Chair Richard Thompson, “elevated the way the game is presented and experienced by millions”. Bryan has been heavily involved in The Hundred, delivering the short-format cricket tournament to the nation. Sky announced a dedicated cricket channel in 2017. Bryan studied Economics at Loughborough until 1995.
Rod Thorpe has been awarded an MBE for services to physical education and sports. Rod graduated with a DLC in Physical Education and Biology in 1964, an MSc in Human Sciences Research in 1975, and received an Honorary Degree in 2008. He also received a Distinguished Alumni Award from the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences in 2019. Rod is a former Director of the Sports Development Centre at the University and led a number of high-profile partnerships with non-governing bodies, governments and more. Notably, Rod led the £35 million sports facility development as part of the English Institute of Sport partnership on campus.
In 1982 Rod, with colleague David Bunker, produced a paper on ‘Teaching Games for Understanding’. This article represented a significant change in the teaching approach within Physical Education and has received almost 3000 citations to date. TGfU has since become the focus of International Conferences and Research Groups across the globe.
In 1997, Rod received the International Olympic Committee Services to Sport Award and in 2001 was inducted into the UK Coaching Hall of Fame.
Former university employee, Karen Setchell receives a British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to animal welfare and to sustainability. As former Grounds Manager at the University, Kaz spent almost 40 years at the University, caring for the campus grounds and gardens. In her role, Kaz thought sustainably and always with nature in mind, as shown through projects such as Fruit Routes and the campus apiary. She also represented the University in the local community’s Britain in Bloom entry, sitting on the Bloom Board for Charnwood.
Her work in the community has played a role in her recognition. She got involved in the work of a local hedgehog rescue centre after finding an underweight and poorly hedgehog on campus. Kaz coordinated an appeal for donations to support the hedgehog and continued to support the work of the charity thereafter. The hedgehog was named “Kazzie” after Karen and was nursed back to health. Kaz also supports local dog rescue centres; checking homes of potential adoptive pet owners and collecting lost or stray dogs.
Kaz Setchell received a University Medal in 2021.
Congratulations to our King’s Honours recipients.
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