Find information on former Honorary graduates from previous years.
Honorary Award recipients
Since 1966 the University of Bradford has awarded Honorary Degrees and Outstanding Contribution Awards to:
- outstanding individuals in recognition of their academic work and endeavour,
- their contribution to their chosen profession or field of activity,
- their contribution to the University, City or wider region,
- their ability to act as a role model reflecting the University’s values.
Nominations for honorary degrees and fellowships can be submitted at any time and are considered by the University Honorary Awards Committee on three occassions through-out the year.
Read our blog about how we have worked and collaborated with Honorary Award Recipients.
Our most recent Honorary Award recipients
Ian Adams MBE
Ian received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University in recognition of his significant contribution to LGBTQ+ equalities and social inclusion, and as highly successful alumnus and valued supporter of the University.
Ian Adams MBE has combined a career in communications and marketing with a distinguished track record in public life, including serving as Lord Mayor of Westminster in 2017/18.
Ian was awarded an MBA with Distinction from the University’s School of Management in 2002. Today he holds a senior position in the health service, as Director of Corporate Affairs of NHS Resolution, the indemnifier of the NHS in England. Prior to this, he held other senior roles in communications and marketing elsewhere in the NHS, and for national government departments and agencies, as well as the BBC - who sponsored his MBA studies at Bradford.
Alongside his professional career in communications, Ian previously served for 20 years as a local authority councillor at Westminster City Council. Today he sits on several charity boards concerned with human rights and social justice, including Amnesty International UK and YMCA St Paul’s Group (a social housing provider in London where he is Chair-Elect).
Ian was appointed an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours in 2024 for his work as an LGBT+ Leader and Social Inclusion Advocate. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Listen to Ian's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony.
Ifem Onuora
Ifem received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University in recognition of his significant contribution to equality, diversity and inclusion within football, and as a highly successful member of our alumni community.
Ifem Onuora graduated from the University of Bradford in 1988, choosing to stay on an extra year as the elected Athletics Union President for the Students’ Union. He then followed a childhood dream, becoming a professional footballer after a trial with Huddersfield Town, making his debut in August 1989.
Iffy was fortunate to have an extensive 15-year playing career as a striker, making nearly 500 appearances in total, and scoring over 100 goals. In addition to Huddersfield, he also played for Mansfield, Gillingham, Swindon and Sheffield United.
Upon completing his playing career, and having undergone his coaching badges whilst playing, Iffy took on several coaching roles including spells as Manager of Swindon Town and National Coach of Ethiopia. After returning to the UK from Addis Ababa, he spent nine years at the Players Union as a Coach Developer supporting current and ex-players to begin their coaching careers, and also as an Equalities Executive.
In 2021 Iffy took up his current position as Head of Race Equality at the Premier League, leading on the flagship “No Room For Racism”, which focuses on pathways into coaching and executive roles for currently under-represented Black players, as well working on measures to combat online abuse.
Listen to Iffy's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony.
Dame Irene Hays DBE DL
Dame Irene received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University in recognition of her significant contribution to social mobility and as a champion and supporter of young people.
Dame Irene Hays DBE DL is the chair and owner of Hays Travel, the UK’s largest independent travel agency. She built her career in the North East of England, becoming Chief Executive of both Sunderland and South Tyneside local authorities, before moving to Whitehall as Permanent Secretary in the Department of Local Government and Communities.
Under her leadership, Hays Travel has expanded significantly, operating nearly 500 retail outlets nationwide and generating a record turnover of approximately £423.5 million in the fiscal year ending April 2023, with gross sales reaching £2.2 billion.
Dame Irene has been instrumental in driving Hays Travel’s success, notably leading the acquisition of Thomas Cook’s retail operations in 2019, saving over 2,000 jobs. Since then, Hays Travel has acquired seven other businesses – retail and online - and grown its homeworking operation and network of 120 independent travel agencies.
In recognition of her dedication to public service and business excellence, Dame Irene has received several honours. She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2008 for services to local government and later elevated to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2021 for her contributions to training, education, and young people.
Listen to Dame Irene's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony.
Manisha Koirala
Manisha received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University in recognition of her outstanding commitment to advancing women’s rights, improving access to education and tackling health inequalities.
Manisha Koirala is a celebrated Nepali-Indian actress known for her powerful performances across Indian cinema, particularly in the 1990s and early 2000s. Born on 16 August 1970 in Kathmandu, Nepal, into a prominent political family, Koirala rose to fame with her breakthrough role in Saudagar (1991) and cemented her status as a leading lady with films like 1942: A Love Story, Bombay, Khamoshi: The Musical, and Dil Se.
Renowned for portraying emotionally complex characters, Koirala worked with some of India’s most respected directors, becoming a symbol of substance over stardom. She briefly stepped back from the spotlight but returned with renewed strength after surviving ovarian cancer, a journey she openly shares to inspire others, becoming an advocate for health, wellness, and women's empowerment.
In recent years, Koirala has appeared in critically acclaimed projects such as Dear Maya, Lust Stories, and Sanjay Dutt's biopic Sanju. Her resilience and reinvention have garnered admiration both on and off screen. In 2023, she starred in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, marking her return to grand cinematic storytelling.
Beyond acting, she is also an author and motivational speaker, using her platform to promote awareness around health and mental well-being.
Listen to Manisha's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony.
Daniel Lee
Daniel received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University in recognition of his significant contributions on a global scale within the fashion industry.
Daniel Lee was born and grew up in Bradford, he attended the Dixons City Academy before heading to London to pursue his studies in Fashion & Design.
Daniel was accepted to the renowned Central Saint Martin’s (CSM), where he studied both the BA Fashion course and the Fashion MA course. During his time at CSM, Daniel interned at Maison Martin Margiela, and Balenciaga under the direction of Nicolas Ghesquiere. He then landed a position at Donna Karan in New York after his graduation in 2010.
Daniel moved from New York to work for the Parisian house of Celine in 2012 under Phoebe Philo, where he started as a ready-to-wear (RTW) designer before becoming the Design Director of RTW Design. In 2018, Daniel was appointed Creative Director of Bottega Veneta. It was here that he cemented his reputation in the fashion industry. Daniel established the iconic Bottega green as well as redefining the brands accessories with cult success – The Padded Cassette and Pouch bags to name a few.
In 2019, Daniel collected four awards at the British Fashion Awards in London, including Designer of the Year and Brand of the Year.
Daniel has been Chief Creative Officer at Burberry since 2023.
Listen to Daniel's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony.
Professor Dato’ Seri Ir Dr Noor Azuan Abu Osman
Professor Azuan received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Engineering in recognition of the significant impact he has made internationally in the field of biomechanics.
Professor Dr. Noor Azuan Abu Osman is a world-renowned authority in biomechanics and bioengineering, whose innovations have transformed lives.
An alumnus of the University of Bradford and Strathclyde University, he is a Professional Engineer registered with the Board of Engineers Malaysia, a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (UK), a Fellow of Engineers Australia, and a Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia.
His groundbreaking research on prosthetics, orthotics, and orthopaedic implants—anchored in precise human-movement analysis—won the UK’s British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association (BLESMA) Award and Belgium’s Forchheimer Prize, the most prestigious prize in the world within the biomechanical field. He received top-ranking honours including the National Academic Award and was conferred the title of Dato’ Seri.
As Dean, he propelled the University of Malaya’s Faculty of Engineering into the world’s Top 10, created the £300 million engineering UM Industrial Innovation Centre, and founded BioApps Sdn Bhd, a University of Malaya spin-off company generating £30 million in revenue for the last five years.
He chairs METEOR Group company, served as an executive in the World Council of Biomechanics, led the Malaysia Society of Biomechanics, served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Malaysia Terengganu University and Vice Chancellor of National Energy University, and is now Universiti Malaya’s Vice-Chancellor.
Listen to Professor Azuan's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony.
Sajid Azeb
Sajid received an Outstanding Contribution Award in recognition of the significant difference he is making in the city of Bradford and to the communities he serves.
Saj has worked across several NHS organisations and has significant experience of dealing with complex service issues through the various operational and strategic management roles he has held over his 25-year career within the NHS.
Prior to joining Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Chief Executive, he worked at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. His career in the NHS commenced in a clinical capacity back in 2000 before moving into a career in NHS Management in 2003, while at the same time undertaking a Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA).
Saj is an experienced leader and has skills across performance, budgetary, personnel and service development functions. He is a highly regarded individual and has established an excellent reputation for service delivery among clinical and management colleagues both at a local and regional level.
Since joining Bradford Saj has also taken on the voluntary role of Chair of the MBA Industry Advisory Board for the University of Bradford. In addition, he mentors colleagues through their career journey.
Listen to Sajid's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony.
Shahnaz Ali OBE
Shahnaz received an Outstanding Contribution Award in recognition of her unstinting commitment to equality, inclusion and human rights management, and her invaluable contribution to the University as a former Council.
Shahnaz Ali OBE brings over 30 years of strategic leadership experience in the public sector, with a proven track record of challenging inequalities, shaping national policy, and driving transformational change. Her work has consistently focused on building communities of change agents and engaging key stakeholders to create systemic impact.
From 1998 to 2001, Shahnaz served as Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development at Community Health Sheffield, where she collaborated with the late Barbara Burford on the Positively Diverse Programme (PDP) across forty pilot sites. This pioneering work led to a historic achievement: integrating a key workforce objective into the National NHS HR Framework. For the first time, NHS organisations were tasked with developing workforces that reflect the demographics of their local populations at all levels.
Throughout her career, Shahnaz has continued to embed these principles into her work. As Director of Education Commissioning at the South Yorkshire NHS Workforce Confederation, she broke new ground by becoming the first Commissioner in the UK to commission a university to deliver Paramedic Diplomas specifically designed to attract more women and individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds—groups historically underrepresented in the field.
She also led the way in incorporating workforce diversity objectives into contracts for Student Nursing and Allied Health Professional education. The legacy of this work continues to shape national practice and remains visible at institutions such as the University of Bradford.
In recognition of her enduring contributions to equality and diversity, Shahnaz was awarded an OBE in 2012.
Listen to Shahnaz's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony.
Nora Whitham MBE
Nora received an Outstanding Contribution Award in recognition of her significant contribution to health education and nursing in Bradford.
Nora Whitham MBE was born in South Africa to Chinese parents during the Apartheid era and moved to the UK to pursue a nursing career. She trained at St Charles’ Hospital in London, later relocating to Scotland for midwifery training, and spent a brief period in renal research in Vancouver, Canada.
Upon returning to the UK, she became a Relief Sister at her training hospital before holding various leadership roles at St George’s Hospital in Tooting, including Night Sister, and Ward Sister. After completing a Tutor’s course, she spent a year teaching at the St George’s School of Nursing before moving to Yorkshire, during which time she advanced from Nurse Tutor to Head of Professional Development, overseeing education for both nurses and Professions Allied to Medicine.
In her final role before retirement, she led the merger of professional development departments across two Leeds hospitals and developed a training program for internationally qualified nurses. Post-retirement, she has facilitated management courses for ethnic minority NHS managers.
In 2004, she became a Governor at Bradford Royal Infirmary during the launch of Foundation Trusts, serving for nearly nine years, including five as Lead Governor. Her career reflects a 50-year dedication to nursing and the NHS which was recognised in 2005 when she received an MBE for her services to the Bradford community and nursing.
Listen to Nora's oration and speech from the Graduation Ceremony.
