UCL awards 2021 Honorary Degrees and Fellowships

Among the award recipients this year are the Rt Hon. the Baroness Hale of Richmond DBE, former President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and Honorary Professor within the UCL Faculty of Laws, Dame DeAnne Julius DCMG CBE, international economist and former Chair of UCL Council, and Rokhsana Fiaz OBE, Mayor of Newham – the first directly elected female mayor for any London borough.

One of UCL’s highest honours, an Honorary Degree is conferred principally in recognition of exceptional scholarly or intellectual achievement, and contributions of unusual importance in academic fields or in public life. Admission to the UCL Honorary Fellowship is granted in recognition of exceptional service rendered or a significant or outstanding contribution, including philanthropic support, made to UCL.

Baroness Hale (UCL Faculty of Laws) said: “We lawyers hold Jeremy Bentham, ‘spiritual father’ of UCL, in great esteem, so it is a special honour for me to join the community of UCL graduates.”

On admission to the UCL Honorary Fellowship, Rokhsana Fiaz OBE said: “My deepest thanks for the honour and recognition, which seriously blew me away, and especially made my father very proud. As I am, because joining the UCL community and its Honorary Fellowship is a special privilege. UCL represents the wonder of the human spirit and the appetite of the inquiring mind.

“It also represents the diversity of innovative thinking that has contributed so much in shaping our world. Significantly, the Fellowship represents the unrelenting quest for change by committed people, who want to do something bigger than themselves, take on challenges and drive improvements as part of an unrelenting passion to just do good.”

On receiving his Honorary Doctor of Literature, Harry Bradbeer said: “I am delighted to receive this honour. UCL was a truly creative environment. It was here that I first explored the world of film, and I’m eternally grateful for the part it played in starting my career.”

Vivienne Parry OBE, who received an Honorary Doctor of Science, said: “I was possibly the worst student UCL ever had, and broke most of their lab equipment in a short undergrad reign of terror. Nevertheless, what I was taught, how my insatiable curiosity was nurtured and the way that UCL fostered my critical thinking has been the foundation of any success I have achieved in life. 

“It’s been my pleasure to give something back to this great community through my tenure on the UCL Council and through the many events I’ve been asked to host. I am deeply honoured and touched to receive an honorary doctorate of what I think is one of the best universities in the world.”

The full list of awards is as follows:

Honorary Graduands 2021

• Mr Harry Bradbeer Honorary Doctor of Literature (DLit), Emmy-award winning Film and Television Director of Fleabag and Enola Holmes; UCL alumnus
• Professor Raj Chetty Honorary Doctor of Science (Economics) (DSc (Econ)), William A. Ackman Professor of Public Economics, Harvard University, USA
• Dr G. Marius Clore BSc MB.BS PhD FRS Honorary Doctor of Science (DSc), NIH Distinguished Investigator, National Institutes of Health, USA; UCL alumnus
• Professor David Crystal OBE FBA Honorary Doctor of Literature (DLit), Writer, editor, lecturer and broadcaster; Honorary Professor of Linguistics, University of Bangor; UCL alumnus
• The Rt Hon the Baroness Hale of Richmond DBE FBA Honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD), President of the UK Supreme Court (2017-20); Deputy President of the UK Supreme Court (2013-17); Justice of the UK Supreme Court (2009-13); Member, House of Lords
• Professor Bill Hillier Honorary Doctor of Science (DSc) – posth. award, Professor of Architectural and Urban Morphology, University of London; formerly Director, Space Syntax Laboratory, UCL
• Mr Richard Horton FRCP FRCPCH FMedSci Honorary Doctor of Science (DSc), Editor-in-Chief, The Lancet
• Dame DeAnne Julius DCMG CBE Honorary Doctor of Science (Economics) (DSc (Econ)), Economist and Founder Member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England; Distinguished Fellow, Chatham House; Chair of UCL Council (2014-19)
• Professor Bill Manhire Honorary Doctor of Literature (DLit), Emeritus Professor of English and Creative Writing, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand; UCL alumnus
• Ms Vivienne Parry OBE Honorary Doctor of Science (DSc), Science writer and broadcaster; UCL alumna
• Dr Sigrid Rausing Honorary Doctor of Literature (DLit), Editor Granta Magazine; Publisher Granta Books; Chair and Founder, The Sigrid Rausing Trust; UCL alumna (PhD)
• Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE Honorary Doctor of Science (Engineering) (DSc (Eng)), CEO, Royal Academy of Engineering; UCL alumna.

Honorary Fellows 2021

• The Rt Hon the Baroness Amos CH, Master of University College, Oxford; Director, SOAS University of London (2015-20)
• Ms Millie Banerjee CBE, Businessperson and senior public official; Chair of NHS Blood and Transplant and Independent Chair of South West London Health and Care Partnership; UCL alumna
• Mr Hani Farsi, Founder and Chairman, Mohamed S. Farsi Foundation; Chief Executive, Corniche Group
• Ms Rokhsana Fiaz OBE, Mayor of Newham
• Ms Savitri Hensman, LGBT+ community activist and writer; UCL alumna
• Mr Mark Howard JYA, Managing Director, BNP Paribas; Past President, UCL Friends and Alumni Association
• Ms Cathy Chui Lee, Patron, Save the Children Hong Kong; Advisory Board Member, Hong Kong Red Cross
• Mr Martin Ka Shing Lee, Chairman, Henderson Land Group
• Professor Farshid Moussavi OBE RA, Founder, Farshid Moussavi Architecture; Professor in Practice of Architecture, Harvard University Graduate School of Design; UCL alumna
• Professor Dame Alison Peacock DBE, CEO, Chartered College of Teaching
• Ms Chantal Rickards OBE, Film and television executive/non-executive director; CEO, BAFTA Los Angeles (2015-19); UCL alumna
• Mr Ashok Jivraj Rabheru CVO DL, Founder and Chairman, Genisys Group; UCL alumnus
• Mr David Taglight, Chair, The John Black Charitable Foundation
• Mr Richard Walker, Managing Director, Iceland Foods; Trustee, Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation; Chairman Bywater Properties.

Images

Image 1: (clockwise from top-left) David Taglight, Martin Ka Shing Lee, Dr Richard Horton, Hani Farsi, Professor Farshid Moussavi OBE, Millie Banerjee CBE, Professor Dame Alison Peacock DBE, Ashok Rabheru CVO DL, Dr G. Marius Clore, Professor Raj Chetty, Dr Sigrid Rausing, Professor David Crystal OBE, Chantal Rickards OBE, Professor Bill Hillier, The Rt Hon the Baroness Amos CH, Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE, Mark Howard, Richard Walker, Cathy Chui Lee, Professor Bill Manhire, Savitri Hensman

Image 2: (from left to right) The Rt Hon the Baroness Hale of Richmond DBE, Dame DeAnne Julius DCMG CBE, Rokhsana Fiaz OBE

Image 3: (from left to right) Harry Bradbeer, Vivienne Parry OBE

Photo credits: Ebony Lamb (Professor Bill Manhire); Paul Phung (Professor Farshid Moussavi); Lord Snowdon (Professor Bill Hillier)