UCL confers seven Honorary Awards in final 2024 graduation ceremonies
6 September 2024
In September’s graduation ceremonies, seven UCL alumni and friends were recognised for their outstanding professional achievements and invaluable contributions as partners, advocates and supporters of the university.
As this year’s graduation season comes to an end, UCL is proud to welcome the talented graduates of the Class of 2024 – and seven new Honorary Awardees – to its 440,000-strong alumni community.
Honorary Fellowships were awarded to Sir Peter Wood, UCL cancer research donor, entrepreneur and business leader; Joanne Hannaford, CIO Corporate Bank at Deutsche Bank; and Professor Gloria Laycock OBE, Professor Emeritus of Crime Science at UCL.
A Doctorate of Law was awarded to Lord Justice Rabinder Singh, Court of Appeal judge, distinguished legal scholar, and author. Chila Kumari Singh Burman MBE, Slade School of Fine Art alumna and renowned artist, received a Doctorate of Literature; Georgia Gould MP OBE, Cabinet Office minister and former Leader of Camden Council, was awarded a Doctorate of Science, as was Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE, computer scientist and social entrepreneur.
Honorary degrees
Chila Kumari Singh Burman MBE is an artist who has been challenging stereotypes and exploring themes of gender and cultural identity for more than four decades. After earning an MFA from UCL’s Slade School of Fine Art, she became a prominent figure in the British Black Arts movement of the 1980s.
Her work is included in prestigious collections at the Tate, the V&A, the British Council and the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. She has received several accolades for her influence and contribution to the arts, including an MBE in the Queen’s Jubilee Birthday Honours in 2022 for her seminal installation 'Remembering a Brave New World' at Tate Britain during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Georgia Gould MP OBE is a Cabinet Office minister who served as Leader of Camden Council between 2017 and 2024, in which period she spearheaded initiatives focused on youth engagement, climate action, and social equity. First elected as a Labour councillor at the age of 24, she also authored 'Wasted: How Misunderstanding Young Britain Threatens Our Future' in 2015.
Georgia has played an important role in strengthening the relationship between UCL and its home borough, enabling the signing of the UCL-Camden Memorandum of Understanding in 2020 and partnering with the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose as part of the Camden Renewal Commission.
Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE is a British-Nigerian social entrepreneur and computer scientist. In 2013, she co-founded ‘Stemettes’ to inspire women and girls to participate in science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects; it has now reached more than 60,000 young people across Europe.
Her work with the UCL STEM Participation and Social Justice Research Group bolsters our institutional mission to support fully inclusive education, and Anne-Marie’s wider influence extends to numerous advisory roles and media appearances, including her role as host of the ‘Women Tech Charge’ podcast and author of two books: 'How to be a Maths Whizz' and 'She’s in CTRL'.
Lord Justice Rabinder Singh is a Court of Appeal judge and distinguished legal scholar. Educated at the University of Cambridge and UC Berkeley, he began his career in academia before being called to the Bar in 1989. A founding member of Matrix Chambers and appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2002, he became one of the youngest Deputy High Court judges in 2003.
As the first Sikh judge in the Queen’s Bench Division in 2011 and the first person of colour appointed to the Court of Appeal in 2017, his judicial contributions are hugely notable. Lord Justice Singh’s commitment to justice and equality are reflected in his book 'The Unity of Law' and his role as President of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal.
Honorary Fellowships
Joanne Hannaford is CIO Corporate Bank at Deutsche Bank, a major global financial organisation where she leads technology strategy and delivery.
Throughout her career, Joanne has been a key advocate for quality assurance and diversity in the technology sector. Her links to UCL includes her role as a speaker at student events and support for diversity initiatives in Computer Science, while she makes a major contribution to public life as a member of the UK Government Digital Service Advisory Board and trustee for both Founders4Schools and the British Computer Society.
Professor Gloria Laycock OBE is a distinguished UCL alumna, having earned both her BSc in Psychology and PhD from the institution. Beginning her career as a prison psychologist, she later moved to the UK Home Office and founded the Police Research Group to introduce situational crime prevention.
In 2001, she became the founding Director of the UCL Jill Dando Institute of Crime Science and later led the UCL Department of Security and Crime Science. Her innovations in crime prevention have had a global impact, for which she was recognised for with an OBE in 2008. In 2021, she became Professor Emeritus of Crime Science.
Sir Peter Wood CBE is an entrepreneur best known as founder of Direct Line, the UK’s first telephone-only insurance company. Over four decades, he has founded, built and invested in a hugely successful portfolio of businesses in the UK, Europe and US, and was knighted in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2016.
Sir Peter is also a passionate philanthropist and a leading supporter of cancer research at UCL, with his £1.8 million gift to the UCL Cancer Institute in 2019 enabling researchers – from PhD students to Professors – to improve our understanding of a prostate cancer, a disease which will affect 1 in 8 men during their lifetimes.
Inspiring positive change
“We were delighted to welcome our Honorary Fellowship and Honorary Degree recipients to Royal Festival Hall and mark their fantastic accomplishments,” said Angharad Milenkovic, Vice-President (Advancement) at UCL.
"Graduation is a wonderful opportunity for us to celebrate all that our graduands have achieved, and I am sure that the inspirational stories we heard from the stage will serve to inspire our Class of 2024 as they embark on the next stage in their journeys and use their UCL experiences to make their own positive impact on the world."