Honorary Awards

In recognition of her vision and leadership, establishing the Bradford Literature Festival as a truly inclusive festival rooted in our local communities, the University of Bradford have awarded Syima Aslam an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University. 

Syima Aslam is founder and Director of the Bradford Literature Festival (BLF), a key event in the UK cultural calendar and the most diverse literature festival in the country.  

Since its launch in 2014, BLF has grown rapidly in size and popularity. The festival takes place annually over 10-days, with a programme of over 400 events stretching from the heart of the city and across the district. BLF’s signature mix of topic-led events, which include author talks, world-class poetry line-ups, live music, film, theatre and more, attract more than 70,000 people to Bradford each year.  

Syima is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, she was awarded a Hospital Club Award, Professional of the Year at the Yorkshire Asian Business Awards and the Festival was awarded the top tourism event at The White Rose Awards. In addition, Syima’s is a board member for national cultural organisations such as Arts Council England. 

Watch Conversations with...Syima Aslam. 

In recognition of Perry’s unstinting service to journalism and business and his continued support of the University of Bradford, Perry Austin-Clarke has been awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University. 

Perry is one of the most experienced senior newspaper editors in the regional press, Newsquest for almost 29 years and was Editor of the flagship Telegraph & Argus for 25 years.  

During his editorship, The T&A raised millions of pounds for charity, including buying Bradford Royal Infirmary’s first MRI scanner and setting up a chair of cancer research at Bradford University which has already led to major advances in treatment. He helped raise £90,000 for the Pakistan Earthquake Appeal which built a wing for a new hospital in Muzaffarabad. In 2015-16, the T&A helped raise another £1 million for a mass spectrometer to help bring new cancer drugs to the market more quickly through the Institute of Cancer Therapeutics. 

Perry was also responsible for the launch and organisation of both the Bradford Means Business Awards, now in its seventh year, and the annual Bradford & District Schools Awards, which he started four years ago. 

He was a founder member of Bradford Cares and is a Vice-President of the Bradford-based Centre for Political and Public Participation (CPPP) which aims to encourage young people to play a part in public life. 

Professionally, Perry has won a raft of awards for newspaper design and for the role his newspapers have played, including Community Newspaper of the Year and the Commission for Race Equality’s national Race in the Media Award two years running. 

Watch Conversations with...Perry Austin-Clarke. 

In recognition of his services to media, and his continued support of the University and the City of Bradford, Enzo Cilenti has been awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University. 

Born in Bradford to Italian parents, Enzo Cilenti has worked as an actor, producer and director in TV, film and theatre in both the UK and the US for over 20 years. 

His television credits include Spooks 2, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Wolf Hall, Game Of Thrones, Luther and Les Misérables. His film credits include Wonderland, In The Loop, Guardians Of The Galaxy, The Theory Of Everything, The Martian, Free Fire, The Man With The Iron Heart.  

In addition, Enzo is also an active supporter of Parkinson’s UK and is now their Champion of Cycling. In 2015, he took on the legendary Mont Ventoux – on a tandem, with his father who has Parkinson’s. As the Cycling Champion he wants to encourage more people to get out on their bikes to raise vital funds.  

Watch Conversations with...Enzo Cilenti. 

In recognition of Alan’s outstanding contribution to the arts and longstanding support for the University of Bradford, Alan Dix has been awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University.  

Alan Dix is the Artistic Director of Bradford Based 509 Arts. He has worked as a theatre director and arts consultant for over 40 years. His company, 509 Arts (www.509arts.co.uk), works with arts organisations and artists throughout the UK and abroad. 509 Arts specialises in the production of new work for underserved audiences in unexpected places. 

In the 1980s and 1990s Alan worked with Bradford based Major Road Theatre, touring across the UK, and to Russia and the USA. He has directed work in regional theatres, streets, parks, lakes, woodlands, castles and warehouses and from 1998 – 2002 he was Director of the Greenwich Millennium Festival, followed by 10 years as a cultural consultant for public, private and third sector bodies. 

More recently Alan directed My Last Car – a show about car love and climate change – as part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad, followed by Bike Story for the Tour de France in 2014, the large-scale community opera Calderland at the Piece Hall in Halifax in 2017, the Batley Variations in 2018 and an intriguing 10 year commission with Theatre in the Mill which started in 2019. He is currently developing a music theatre piece - Meal One – in partnership with Mind the Gap theatre and has a 10 year commission – Decade - with Theatre in the Mill, that explores his personal journey from 70-80. 

Alan is Chair of Hull Truck Theatre, a Board member of Leeds Playhouse and Chair of Time and Tide Bell – a charity that works with local coastal communities throughout the UK to place brass bells that chime at high-water and which serve as a warning and call to action. 

Watch Conversations with...Alan Dix. 

For his service to the community during the Covid-19 pandemic, and in recognition of being an outstanding role model to people in the Bradford District and around the UK, the University of Bradford have awarded Captain Sir Tom Moore with an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University.

Born and educated in Keighley, Captain Sir Tom Moore attended Keighley Grammar School before training as a Civil Engineer and enlisting in the Army during World War Two. He led a distinguished military career, where he served in India and Myanmar (Burma), and then went on to teach in the military within his field of expertise, armoured warfare.

Captain Sir Tom Moore captured the hearts and inspired the nation when he decided to raise money for NHS Charities Together during the Covid-19 pandemic. His initial target was to raise £1000 by walking 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday however, after gaining the attention of the media and the public, the total has now surpassed a staggering £32m. This money is now being used in NHS trusts and hospitals providing support for staff and patients during the pandemic.

“I’m delighted to have been awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University of Bradford. Thank you for your kind words referring to me as a great role model for Keighley and for the City of Bradford”

“To all your students who are graduating and right at the beginning of their careers - remember to have hope in your hearts. I understand times have been challenging recently but they have done so well and I am very excited for what lies ahead for them. As I always say ‘Tomorrow will be a good day’ and for them that will certainly be the case I’m sure”

For his valuable and continuous support for the City of Bradford, to the University and for internationally championing a culture of enterprise, the University of Bradford have awarded Amjad Pervez an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University. 

Amjad founded Seafresh/Adams in Bradford over 30 years ago and it is now one of the largest groups of independent specialist catering, food and cash and carry groups in the UK. Alongside building this successful business, he has committed a lot of time to education and enterprise in Bradford and the wider West Yorkshire region and around the world.  

In 1999, he became Chair of Asian Trade Links, since then he has continued to be a driving force and supporter to numerous Boards and initiatives including Bradford Breakthrough, Bradford Teaching Hospitals, Council for Mosques and the National Asian Business Association. He is also Chairman of Jumpstart Pakistan, an entrepreneurial movement whose ultimate vision is to create a national robust sustainable eco system of enterprise.  

For her unstinting support to the University and to education and community services in the City, the University of Bradford have awarded Ruby Bhatti an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University.

Ruby is a highly successful solicitor with over 27 years' experience in the legal field and over 25 years’ experience of various Non-Executive Directorships in the housing, education, youth and health sectors. To name a few Ruby, is Chair of the Wolfson Centre for Applied Research, Deputy Lay chair for Bradford District & Craven Clinical Commissioning Group, a trustee for Bradford Youth Development Board, chair at three primary schools and a secondary school (and a board member of over 25 schools) and she is the National Leader for Governance for Education for Yorkshire and the Humber.

She has supported the University of Bradford since 2007. Ruby sits on the Service User and Carers Advisory Board advising on strategy and policy for the involvement of service users and carers in the Faculty of Health Studies. She is a Patient and Carer Lecturer at the University of Bradford with an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA) status. She has also recently been appointed a Faculty Community Fellow for the Faculty of Management, Law, and Social Sciences.

Ruby is Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce (FRSA). She was awarded an OBE by the Queen in the New Year's Honours list 2019 in housing and young people.

In recognition of his contribution to equality and diversity, both through his career as a highly respected lawyer and his personal endeavours to actively challenge cultural and community perceptions, the University of Bradford have award Nazir Afzal an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University.

Nazir Afzal OBE, Solicitor and former Chief Prosecutor, was Chief Crown Prosecutor for North West England and formerly Director in London. Most recently, he was Chief Executive of the country’s Police & Crime Commissioners.

During a 24-year career, he has prosecuted some of the most high-profile cases in the country and led nationally on several legal topics including violence against women and girls, child sexual abuse, and honour-based violence. His prosecutions of the so-called Rochdale grooming gang, BBC presenter Stuart Hall, and hundreds of others were ground-breaking and drove the work that has changed the landscape of child protection.

He is the Chair of Hopwood Hall. He was appointed to the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). He is also National Adviser on Gender Based Violence to the Welsh Government. Most recently he joined the advisory board of Google’s Innovation Fund for counter-extremism.

In recognition of her distinguished service and outstanding contribution to the public sector and policing in the UK, the University of Bradford have award Baroness Harris an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University.

Angela Harris was born in Lancashire, the daughter of a clergyman, and moved to North Yorkshire when she married. She became a Town, District and County Councillor and became the first woman to chair the North Yorkshire County Council and subsequently the first woman to chair the North Yorkshire Police Authority. Since then, she has held a number of senior roles in the national Association of Police Authorities, was a Magistrate for 16 years and a Deputy Lieutenant for North Yorkshire until 2019.

Angela Harris was created a Life Peer in 1999, taking the title Baroness Harris of Richmond, and has special interests in policing and Northern Ireland.

In recognition of his unstinting support to the University, his services to the community and for his outstanding commitment to the fight against discrimination and health inequalities, the University of Bradford have award Zulfi Karim DL an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University.  

Zulfi is the Programme Director of NHS Well Bradford, a partnership between Public Health England, Bradford Teaching Hospitals, Clinical Commissioning Group and Bradford Council. The programme involves improving health inequality in the district by creating access to green spaces and promoting cleaner air, as well creating opportunities for improved skills and job prospects for the youth in the most deprived areas of the district. 

A proud Yorkshireman, born to Pakistani parents, Zulfi started his career as a business marketing professional, his specialisms include brand development and sponsorship management with 15 years’ experience in delivering major events and festivals. Passionate about promoting the districts Cultural sector, he is a founding Director of UNESCO City of Film Bradford and led the successful UK bid in 2007 to host the Bollywood Film Awards IIFA in Yorkshire. 

Zulfi is listed as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Yorkshire by Insider Magazine. He is winner of The Muslim News Award for Excellence in Community Service as well as receiving the Telegraph and Argus Community Awards for his work to save Bradford’s last remaining Jewish synagogue from closure. He is also the President of Council for Mosques, Bradford and was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of West Yorkshire in 2018.

Pioneering scientist and Nobel Prize winner, Professor Ada Yonath, who is best known for her discoveries on the structure and function of ribosomes, has been awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science from the University of Bradford.

Ada Yonath was born in Jerusalem, Israel in 1939, following her Father’s death her family moved to Tel Aviv to be nearer her mother’s family, and it was there that Ada completed her high school education. She gained a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1962 and a master’s degree in biochemistry in 1964 from Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She then attended the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and received her Ph.D. in 1968.

In 1970 she established the only protein crystallography lab in Israel and began working on the structure of the ribosome - the cell organelles that make proteins and a major bacterial target for antibiotics.

In 2000-2001, she published the full structure of the ribosome. In recognition of her work, Ada was jointly awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in chemistry, only the fourth woman to receive the prize.

As a result of her work, chemists are able to improve their understanding of the way to treat bacterial infections, develop and design new antibiotics and better understand antibiotic resistance.

I would like to offer congratulations to the graduates who have achieved their degrees in these most difficult times. My advice is not to look for advice, but to do what you are good at, what you are curious about and what you think you can make a contribution to. Follow your passion and be curious.

In recognition of his outstanding career in sport and his services to the communities of Bradford, including supporting activities that provide opportunities and improve the lives of young people in the City, the University of Bradford have awarded Adil Rashid an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University. 

Adil Usman Rashid was born in Bradford in 1988 and is only the third Yorkshire-born Asian to play first-team cricket for Yorkshire, and the first of Pakistani origin. His major teams include England, ICC World XI, South Australia and Yorkshire. 

Rashid is now considered to be one of the world’s very best spinners and is a firm fixture in England’s one day and T20 teams. He is ranked as the fourth best in the ICC T20 bowling rankings and played a big role in England’s world cup success in 2019. On 21 June 2019, in the match against Sri Lanka, Rashid played in his 150th international match for England.  

Rashid has won many awards for his performance with 2007 standing out as a hugely successful year for him when he won the YCCSA Young Player of the Year Award, the Neil Lloyd Young Cricketer of the Year, PCA Young Player of the Year and Cricket Writers’ Club Young Cricketer of the Year.  

Alongside his career in cricket, Rashid runs the Adil Rashid Cricket Academy, with his brother, to inspire more children to get into sport and is an ambassador for the Overseas Plastic Surgery Appeal (OPSA) charity. The OPSA is a registered charity in the UK that exists to provide free facial surgery for poor children and young adults in Pakistan. 

For his service to the community during the Covid-19 pandemic and his unstinting support to the University of Bradford, Javed Bashir has been awarded with an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University. 

Javed Bashir is the Founder and CEO of the Professional Muslims Institute, Safeguarding Consultant for the Strengthening Faith Institution (SFI) and has played a pivotal role for promoting better understanding, integration and community cohesion in the City for many years.  

During the Covid-19 lockdown, Javed teamed up with different faith communities to set up the Volunteering Interfaith Partnership in collaboration with Age UK Bradford & District and SFI. Together they responded to the urgent needs of elderly, vulnerable and isolated people by providing hot meals, welfare packs, help with shopping and collecting prescriptions and provided food to the NHS working on the frontline.   

During this time, Javed also started the Sharing Ramadan initiative where he engaged local Muslim communities and places of worship to share iftar meals with their neighbours particularly non-Muslims to forge stronger links. 

Once the Covid-19 restrictions allowed, Javed then worked with dozens of faith institutions in the Bradford district to help them to carry out their risk assessments and prepare them for the safe opening of their places of worship and out-of-school settings.  

In 2007, Javed was awarded an honorary fellowship by International Centre for Peace and Conflict and Conflict Resolution to help promote non-violent means of resolving world conflicts, in 2015 he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by University of Bradford and in 2018, Javed was included in a publication honouring the highest levels of achievement in the Muslim 100 Parliamentary Review.  

More recently, Javed was included in Hall of Fame by the Telegraph and Argus for his commitment to promoting a positive image of Bradford, British Pakistanis and Muslims in the UK at an international level and was awarded the Unsung Hero award by Keighley MP Robbie Moore for his innovative work in helping and supporting elderly, vulnerable and isolated people during difficult times of Covid-19. 

Professor John Wright is a clinician and epidemiologist with a background in hospital medicine and public health in the UK and in Africa. He established and leads the Bradford Institute for Health Research and Wolfson Centre for Applied Health Research, working to speed up the translation of medical research into practice and policy. 

In 2007 he set up Born in Bradford (BiB), one of the largest research studies in the world tracking the lives of over 30,000 children, to find out what influences their health and wellbeing. Evidence from BiB has had a national and international impact, with information collected being used to find the causes of common childhood illnesses and conditions and to explore the mental and social development of this generation. 

John has also played a leading role in responding to the COVID-19 outbreak in Bradford. As one of the front-line staff at Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI), as a reporter for the BBC raising awareness on how the BRI is coping with Covid-19 and as a key communicator informing communities how to stay safe during the pandemic.   

Watch John Wright's message to the Class of Summer 2020.

Dr. Venkata S. M. (“Murthy”) Renduchintala is Chief Engineering Officer and Group President at Intel Corporation. His group brings together all of Intel’s major technology, engineering and manufacturing functions. These functions encompass Semiconductor Process Technology, Manufacturing & Operations, Systems & Product Architecture, IP Development, Design & System-on-Chip Engineering, Software & Security and Intel Labs. Dr. Renduchintala’s team is responsible for delivering the core technology and products that power the devices and infrastructure comprising our data-centric world – from PCs and the cloud to telecommunications equipment and data centers.

Dr. Renduchintala also serves on the Board of Directors of Accenture, Plc. Additionally, he serves on the Engineering Advisory Councils of the Jacobs School of Engineering at the University of California San Diego and the Fung Institute of Engineering Leadership at the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. Renduchintala has spent a substantial part of his career in the SoC, mobile and IoT areas. Prior to joining Intel, he was executive vice president of Qualcomm Technologies Inc. and co-president of Qualcomm CDMA Technologies, where he led its semiconductor business in the computing and mobile segments. He joined Qualcomm in 2004 from Skyworks Solutions Inc./Conexant Systems Inc., where he was vice president and general manager of the company’s Cellular Systems Division. Prior to Skyworks, he spent a decade with Philips Electronics, where he progressed to become vice president of engineering for its consumer communications business.

Dr. Renduchintala holds a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, a Ph.D. in digital communications and a MBA from the University of Bradford in England.

David Wilson is an expert advisor to the UK Commission to UNESCO on the development of creative cities and has provided mentoring and support to many candidate cities applying to join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network over the past decade. David has a long career history in cultural programmes and in-depth knowledge in the use of culture and creativity as a driver for sustainable development.

David is an international ambassador for the creative cities programme, and a regular speaker at film, business and community events on culture and sustainable development. In addition to writing about film and presenting review shows on TV and radio, he is invited to speak at international conferences, festivals and events on the impact of culture and creativity on sustainable development and is often asked to facilitate high level discussions in this area.

David has a first class honours degree with a focus on culture and regeneration from the University of Bradford. He is a guest professor at the Beijing Film Academy Modern Creative Media College and Fellow in Film at the University of Bradford. He is also a member of the advisory board at the Centre for World Cinema & Digital Cultures – University of Leeds, UK.

Ian Beesley is an award winning and internationally acclaimed artist and photographer. His work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally. His work is held in the collections of the National Media Museum Bradford, The Royal Photographic Society, The V&A London, The Smithsonian Institute, Washington & the Imperial War Museum London amongst many other important collections.

On leaving school he worked as a labourer in a mill, a foundry and then at a sewage works. He was encouraged by his fellow workers to find a profession and he found photography and eventually won a place at Bradford Art College. On graduating from college, he received a Kodak Scholarship for social documentation and began his life’s work of documenting the demise of industrial society and its effects on communities in particular his hometown of Bradford. In 2012 in recognition of this work, he was awarded the Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society.

He is currently the artist in residence for Born in Bradford at the Bradford Institute for Health Research, Yorkshire Water and IDEAL (Improving Dementia Experience and Active Living).

Professor Shafi Ahmed is a multi-award winning cancer surgeon, teacher, futurist, innovator and entrepreneur working at The Royal London Hospital. He has delivered more than 250 keynote lectures in 30 countries, including three TEDx conferences. He was the Associate Dean of Bartholomew’s Medical School and an elected member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England where he led the international and global health programme.

Professor Ahmed is a member of the NHS assembly advising the government on the NHS Long Term Plan and was conferred the Future NHS Award by members of Parliament in 2018. He was recently appointed as an advisor to the Abu Dhabi government for digital transformation of health and innovation. He has also set up surgical education programmes in over 20 countries including conflict zones and has participated in the streaming of live operations using Google Glass and Virtual Reality on national television as part of Operation Live that was shortlisted for a BAFTA award in 2019. He co-founded Medical Realities, a VR education company, sits on its board and advises Fortune 500 companies. He chairs the Webit Health summit in Spain and the GIANT health summit in London. He is one of the top 20 global influencers in digital health and innovation and is a HIMSS Future 50 Clinical Leader 2019.

Sir Nick Weller is a National Leader of Education, the Chief Executive and Accounting Officer of the Dixons Academies Trust. He is a Board member of both the Queen Street Group of national MATs and the New Schools Network.

He spent the first 25 years of his career in London, as an English Teacher, middle and senior leader, and then Head Teacher. In 2006 he moved north to take up the post of Principal at Dixons City Academy on its conversion from
the CTC.

Since then he has led the expansion of the Trust from just over 1,000 students then to well over 8,000 across Bradford and Leeds today, establishing one of the very highest-performing Multi-Academy Trusts in the country, in an area of significant social and educational disadvantage.

He was awarded a knighthood for services to education in 2015. His report to the Treasury and DfE on schools in the Northern Powerhouse region was published in November 2016.

Roland Clark has spent most of this working life as an accountant in Bradford. As a Governor at Belle Vue Girls Academy, he has been involved in the education sector for many years, including a decade as Pro-Chancellor and Treasurer of the University of Bradford.

Roland is Chair of the YMCA in Bradford as well as ‘Inn Churches’ a charity that in winter organises overnight accommodation in local churches for the homeless, as well as running ‘The Storehouse’ café in Bradford that delivers training on healthy cooking and nutrition on a limited budget.

His role within the Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust enables him to make a positive contribution both in the area of education both within a Christian context as well as to the overall welfare of the region. A proud adopted Bradfordian, the welfare of the City of Bradford has always been paramount to Roland - thus as well as advising his clients he was delighted to be involved in the business life of the city – having been President of the Bradford Chamber of Commerce.

Ram Saroop is a solicitor and heads the Dispute Resolution Department of the legal firm RDC Solicitors in Bradford. In 1998 he was appointed as a Conciliation Officer by the Law Society to assist with complaints against solicitors. After ten years as a Conciliation Officer he was appointed as a Consultant advising solicitors regarding complaints and client care procedures.

He also assists a number of charities and other organisations outside his professional work. Currently Ram is an External Trustee on the Board of the University of Bradford Union of Students. He is also authorised to conduct Civil Marriages at the local Bhawan.

Born in India, Ram has lived in Bradford since 1964. Married with four adult children and two grandchildren, he has been associated with the University of Bradford Union of Students since early 1990’s in helping advise both home and international students.

Dr Joséphine Borchert-Ansinger has been involved in European higher education for well over 30 years and is presently Executive Advisor, European Graduate Development for IVA Driebergen (Netherlands).

Previously the Founding Dean of NIMBAS Business School in the Netherlands, Joséphine single-handedly developed a leading European business school that developed strong ties and relationships with a number of global partners including close links with the School of Management, University of Bradford. NIMBAS and the University jointly developed the DBA programme. Following a merger with TIAS business school and subsequent sale to Tilburg University in the mid-2000’s, Joséphine continues to provide advisory and consultancy services to a number of higher education institutions in the Netherlands as well as Ireland on graduate (Master’s) admissions to leading universities in Europe.

Over this period of time, Joséphine has maintained strong links with the School of Management, as an Executive Advisor for graduate recruitment in Europe wherein she serves as the current link with IVA Driebergen.

Tim O’Reilly is the founder, CEO, and Chairman of O’Reilly Media, the company that has been providing the picks and shovels of learning to the Silicon Valley gold rush for the past thirty-five years. The company delivers online learning, publishes books, and runs conferences about cutting-edge technology, and has a history of convening conversations that reshape the computer industry. If you’ve heard the term “open source software”, “web 2.0”, “the Maker movement”, “government as a platform” or “the WTF economy”, he’s had a hand in framing each of those big ideas.

Tim is also a partner at early-stage venture firm O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures (OATV), and on the boards of Code for America, PeerJ, Civis Analytics, and PopVox. He is the author of many technical books published by O’Reilly Media, and most recently WTF? What’s the Future and Why It’s Up to Us (Harper Business, 2017). He is working on a new book about why we need to rethink antitrust in the era of internet-scale platforms.

Listen to Tim's speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

Dame Mary Archer DBE is Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Science Museum Group. She read chemistry at Oxford and has taught the subject at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge and at Imperial College London. Her research interests lay in direct (non-thermal) methods of solar energy conversion to power and fuels, and she was the founder secretary of the UK Solar Energy Society and founder Chair of the UK’s National Energy Foundation. She has had a long association with the NHS, sitting on the board of Cambridge University Hospitals from 1993 and chairing it from 2002 to 2012. She chaired the External Advisory Board of Imperial College Health Partners, 2013–2017. In 2012, she was appointed DBE for services to the NHS.

Among other commitments, Dame Mary is Chair of the External Advisory Board of the Centre for Personalised Medicine, Oxford, a non-executive director of the clean energy group, Hydrodec Group plc, and a board member of the Library of Alexandria.

A keen singer and supporter of choral music, Dame Mary has sung in a number of choirs, including the Oxford Bach Choir, the BBC Choral Society and the Clerkes of Oxenford. She currently chairs Cambridge Early Music and is a non-executive director of the Britten Sinfonia, Patron of Cambridge Summer Music, President of the Guild of Church Musicians and Vice-President of the Friends of Newport Cathedral Choir.

Listen to Mary's speech from the Graduation Ceremony.

Graham Hart is the Chairman of Graham Hart (ProcessTechnology) Ltd, a company he founded over forty-five years ago. He graduated in Chemical Engineering from the University of Bradford in 1969 and his first job after graduating was as a process engineer with BTI Chemicals. It was during his time there that he decided to make the leap of faith into starting his own company, something he had always dreamed of.

As the company grew, his focus moved towards process design and more specifically heat transfer. A passion for problem solving meant that Graham gained a reputation for getting the oddball projects and he has accumulated an extensive catalogue of weird and wonderfully shaped heat exchangers.

The company has now all but outgrown its third property and is embarking on its next phase of expansion. While many of its clients have been with the company for decades, the continually changing landscape of industry has found the company now operating in fields and at levels never imagined in those early years.

Listen to Graham's speech from the Graduation Ceremony.

Wendy Mitchell was diagnosed with youngonset dementia on the 31st July 2014 at the age of 58 years young. She might not have much of a short term memory but that’s one date she’ll never forget.

She retired early from the NHS, having worked as a non-clinical team leader for 20 years. Post diagnosis, shocked by the lack of awareness, both in the community and clinical world, she now spends all her time travelling around the country raising awareness and encouraging others to embrace her passion for research.

Wendy is the proud author of the Sunday Times bestseller, Somebody I Used to Know. She has two daughters and lives happily in Yorkshire. 

Listen to Wendy's speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

Dr. Anita Patil-Deshmukh brings a wide variety of talents and expertise to PUKAR. A trained Neonatologist by profession, Anita received her Master’s in Public Health from Harvard University and worked as a Faculty Neonatologist at a teaching institution in Chicago for 20 years.

During her tenure, she was the Director of the Ambulatory Pediatric Residency programme and Director of Continuous Medical Education for the Department of Pediatrics. She played a major leadership role within the India Development Service (IDS), a Chicago based pioneering organisation that supported multiple, small-scale Integrated Rural Development Projects (IRDP) across India. During her voluntary tenure at IDS, Anita visited 44 projects across 12 states to evaluate and learn from.

She helped organised many important seminars in Chicago on developmental issues and built links between several philanthropic initiatives and leaders in India and the United States. Anita relocated to India in 2005 to contribute to the developmental sector and joined PUKAR as Executive Director.

Listen to Anita's speech from the Graduation Ceremony.

Manoj is a Ugandan of Indian origin and became a British citizen after arriving in the UK as a refugee during the infamous Idi Amin crisis. As a Pharmacist, he began his career as a Laboratory Technician in a small manufacturing chemist and joined Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI Pharmaceuticals) in 1979. He retired after 27 years as Business Development Manager for AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals.

He led causes to alleviate the inequality and disenfranchisement of black and ethnic minorities in health and social care services, and for the overall cohesion and participation of all community sectors in the public dialogue.

As a founder sponsored governor and currently Chair of Governors of the Bradford Academy school, he is dedicated to improving the life opportunities for all children. He is passionate about the proliferation of equality in opportunity and outcome in education and employment, access to healthcare and support services for the elderly and vulnerable, and to increase overall community participation in the governance and provision of public services.

He is a Rotarian with 51 years “Service Above Self” and elected District Governor for Rotary International for Yorkshire & North Lincolnshire.

Listen to Manoj's speech from the Graduation Ceremony.

Lady Hale is the United Kingdom’s most senior judge. She became the first, and sadly the only, woman ‘Lord of Appeal in Ordinary’ in 2004, after a varied career as an academic lawyer, law reformer and judge. Born in Leeds, she was educated at Richmond High School for Girls and
Girton College, Cambridge. She was called to the Bar by Gray’s Inn in 1969. She taught Law at the University of Manchester for 18 years, specialising in Family and Social Welfare Law. She was the joint founding editor of the Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law and author and co-author of a number of books, including The Family, Law and Society: Cases and Materials and Mental Health Law.

In 1984 she became the first woman to serve on the Law Commission. There she led the work of the Family Law team, resulting (among others) in the Children Act 1989 and the Mental Capacity Act 2005. She was promoted to the Court of Appeal of England and Wales in 1999 and in
2004 to the House of Lords.

In 2009, the ‘Law Lords’ became the Justices of the newly created Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. Lady Hale was the first woman Justice and became its Deputy President in 2013 and its President in 2017.

She was a Trustee of the Nuffield Foundation from 1987 to 2002, Chancellor of the University of Bristol from 2004 to 2016 and Treasurer of Gray’s Inn in 2017. She helped establish the United Kingdom Association of Women Judges in 2004 and from 2010 to 2012 served as President of the International Association of Women Judges.

Listen to Lady Hale's speech from the Graduation Ceremony.

Dr Elworthy is an three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee for her work with the Oxford Research Group to develop effective dialogue between nuclear weapons policy-makers worldwide and their critics. Dr Elworthy founded Peace Direct in 2002 to fund, promote and learn from local
peace-builders in conflict areas: Peace Direct was voted ‘Best New Charity’ in 2005.

Priscilla was awarded the Niwano Peace Prize in 2003 and was adviser to Peter Gabriel, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Sir Richard Branson in setting up ‘The Elders’. She co-founded Rising Women Rising World in 2013, and FemmeQ in 2016 to establish the qualities of feminine intelligence for women and men as essential skills in building a safer world.

Her latest book The Business Plan for Peace: Building a World Without War (2017) and her book Pioneering the Possible: awakened leadership for a world that works (North Atlantic Books, 2014) both received wide critical acclaim.

Priscilla is an Ambassador for Peace Direct, a Councillor of the World Future Council and patron of Oxford Research Group; adviser to the Syria Campaign and the Institute for Economics and Peace. She advises the leadership of various international corporations, as well as students and young social entrepreneurs.

Listen to Priscilla's speech from the Graduation Ceremony. 

Dr Hassib Sahyoun is a member of our Bradford alumni community, having received both his MSc in 1976 and PhD in 1979 from the University.

An entrepreneur, Dr Sahyoun’s vision has always been to transform the one-man-show culture in Laboratory Medical Diagnostic Services in Jordan, to a Group Practice culture to best serve physicians and their patients, as well as ensuring long term sustainability. In 1993 Dr Sahyoun along with four doctor colleagues co-founded MedLabs Consultancy Group, forming the first private “Group Practice” in Laboratory Medicine in the Region.

MedLabs is now the fastest growing network of private medical diagnostic laboratories in the Middle East with 50 branches across three countries and a regional Reference Laboratory in Jordan that has achieved the highest international quality accreditations and awards. By introducing Group Practice, Dr Sahyoun made a difference in Laboratory Medicine in Jordan and the Region.

As Chairman and CEO, Dr Sahyoun has overseen the company’s provision of free-of-charge testing to underprivileged communities, as well as launching many national health awareness campaigns.

He is currently head of the Medical Laboratory Specialists Syndicate in Jordan as well as a member of several committees which oversee national standards of quality for the Jordanian Ministry of Health.

Jonathan Phillips, OBE, is a qualified social worker. For many years he worked in social services – including in Bradford – carrying out a number of frontline, training and management roles.

After a stint in the voluntary sector, as a Director with National Deaf Children’s Society, Jonathan worked for the social services inspectorate. He then moved to the Commission for Social Care Inspection as a National Director. His final job before retirement was director of Adult Social Services at Calderdale.

Since retiring 7 years ago he has chaired the Safeguarding Adults Boards for both Bradford Council and North Yorkshire, as well as providing other consultancy services. Jonathan is very interested in disability rights and is a strong believer in people’s rights to choose their own lifestyle and social workers’ responsibility to support them.

Sir Gary Verity DL is a British businessman and Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire.

He is most well-known for spearheading the successful campaigns for the Grand Départ of the 2014 Tour de France to be held in Yorkshire and the UCI Road World Championships which will come to Yorkshire in 2019 and will see Bradford host the start of the Women’s Elite Road Race.

Sir Gary created the Tour de Yorkshire, now the best attended sporting event in the UK, credited with bringing a £252million boost to Yorkshire’s economy over the last four years.

As well as a Knighthood, Sir Gary was awarded a top honour by the French Government, a chevalier medal in the Ordre National du Mérite for his work with the Tour de France. This year he was also appointed Deputy Lieutenant of West Yorkshire.

Yorkshire woman Sandy Needham is the Chief Executive of the West and North Yorkshire Chamber, the leading business organisation for the Bradford, Leeds, York and North Yorkshire. Previously she was Chief Executive of the Bradford Chamber.

A champion for business Sandy led a regeneration project to provide offices and industrial units on easy terms for start-up and growing businesses.  Another innovation has been the development of the Raising the Bar initiative to encourage companies to support the wider community and measure their social impact.  Sandy has also been heavily involved with the Business Enterprise Fund. The fund lends money to enterprises that cannot obtain bank finance and has helped some great business ideas become a reality.

Sandy has a strong affinity with the local area. This is reflected in her roles as a member of the Bradford Economic Partnership, non-executive director of Bradford City of Film and interim director of the Bradford Business Improvement District (BID). The Bid plans to raise £2.5million, over the next five years, to spend on projects to boost the city centre.

Professor Nicholas Barber is Emeritus Professor of Pharmacy at University College London School of Pharmacy.

A Bradford alumni, having studied Pharmacy between 1972-1975, Nick is a former Vice-President of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society GB and has been awarded the Gold Medal of the Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award. 

As well as spending several years as a hospital pharmacist, Nick has been involved in research around the prescribing and use of medicines. The NHS New Medicines Service – where pharmacists support patients with new medicines to use them safely and to best effect – was derived from Nick’s research.

His work, which is estimated to have saved the NHS £0.5bn, has led to national policy changes in care homes, community pharmacy and in hospitals.

Nadira Mirza is a former University of Bradford Dean and Director. 

Her career has been dedicated to improving the life chances of disadvantaged young people, especially women, which stems from her time as a youth worker in 1970s' London.

As a committed believer in the transformative nature of education, Nadira is a particularly keen proponent of lifelong learning. She has been instrumental in shaping national and international developments in the fields of widening participation and access to higher education. Under her leadership, Bradford became the number one English university for widening participation.

An acknowledged authority in her field, Nadira’s experience and expertise have led her to sit on a number of government boards and advise a range of commissions.

As Honorary Visiting Professor of International Security between 1996 and 2017, Graham Pearson is no stranger to the University of Bradford. Having studied at Woodhouse Grove School in Apperley Bridge, his links to the region stretch even further back than that.

Graham obtained a First Class Degree in Chemistry from St Andrew’s University before starting his career by joining the Scientific Civil Service. In 1984 he was appointed Director General and Chief Executive of Porton Down, the UK’s Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment, a role he held for eleven years.

Whilst Honorary Professor at Bradford, Graham facilitated the involvement of the University of Bradford Peace Studies Department in the Review Conferences of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention in Geneva.

Graham is a renowned and respected author, with his textbook on the search For Iraq's weapons of mass destruction described as the definitive source of information on this topic.

Professor Sir Mark Welland is professor of nanotechnology and head of the Nanoscience Centre at University of Cambridge.

His career has been long and distinguished, encompassing roles at IBM, the Science and Technology Research Centre at the American University in Cairo, Egypt and as Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK’s Ministry of Defence.

2011, the year he was bestowed a Knighthood in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list, proved to be a stellar year for Mark. He received the highest medal awarded by the National Nuclear Security Administration - Gold Medal for Distinguished Service - and was also awarded the US Secretary of Defense’s Award for Exceptional Public Service; the highest award presented by the Department to a representative of another government.

As well as his academic work, a long-term commitment to engaging with schools led to Sir Mark designing a short DVD film which went on to win the 2010 Science Short Film of the Year at Scinema - the largest science film festival in the southern hemisphere.

Richard Noble is a Scottish entrepreneur who was holder of the land speed record between 1983 and 1997.

He was also the project director of ThrustSSC, the first land vehicle to officially break the sound barrier, which holds the current land speed record set in 1997. Richard is planning another land speed record attempt to take place in 2019.

A qualified pilot, Richard’s life has revolved around technology, engineering and speed. He holds the record for the fastest ever triple consecutive Atlantic crossing from London to New York and back to London in Concorde.

Richard was awarded an OBE in 1983.

Dr Gullapalli Rao, academic and ophthalmologist, is renowned for the creation of sustainable and high quality eye care which is transforming vision health across India.

Described as an entrepreneur of solutions for eye health, he founded the L V Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad 25 years ago, and is now a key player in Vision 2020: The Right to Sight, a global initiative aiming to eliminate avoidable blindness by 2020.

Previously the President and CEO of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, Dr Rao’s work as an internationally recognised ambassador for eye health saw him inducted into the Ophthalmology Hall Of Fame in 2017.

With over 300 published academic papers to his name, Dr Rao is a visiting professor in universities across the world and a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Medical Sciences.

Dr Ruth McKernan has been Chief Executive of Innovate UK – the UK’s innovation agency – since 2015.

A graduate of King’s College London, Ruth is a published author and winner of the Science Writers’ Award.

She has over twenty five years of research and experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Her career includes prestigious roles as Head of Neuroscience at Merck and Senior Vice President at Pfizer.

Ruth has been a champion for diversity within innovation, promoting the ‘Women in Innovation’ campaign during her time at Innovate.

She was awarded a CBE in 2013 for services to business, innovation and skills.