Heritage Professionals Recognised in 2023 New Year’s Honours

Policy News

Many heritage and cultural professionals have once again been recognised for their significant contributions to the sector through New Year’s Honours. The full list published by the Cabinet Office on 30 December 2022 can be found here.

Those awarded this year include our Trustee, Peter Aiers OBE, for his services to heritage. Peter was formerly Chief Executive of The Churches Conservation Trust (CCT) [Alliance Member] and is now Director at The Charterhouse, London [Alliance Member].

Special congratulations also go to Peter Kyle OBE (Lately Chair, Shakespeare Birthplace Trust [Alliance Member]) – awarded for services to Cultural Heritage (Bath, Somerset) and and Kathleen Elizabeth Maclean BEM (Kate Dickson) (Former Trustee, Architectural Heritage Fund [Alliance Member]) – awarded for services to Heritage (Buxton, Derbyshire).

Awards for Heritage & Cultural Professionals

Knighthoods

John AKOMFRAH CBE Visual Artist. For services to the Arts (London, Greater London) 

Roland Francis Kester KEATING Chief Executive, The British Library. For services to Literature (London, Greater London) 

Grayson PERRY CBE Artist, Writer and Broadcaster. For services to the Arts (London, Greater London) 

William George ROBERTSON CBE DL Executive Chairman, Robertson Group. For services to the Construction Industry and to Charity in Scotland (Elgin, Moray) 

Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire

Professor Heather Jane McGREGOR CBE FRSE Provost and Vice Principal, Heriot-Watt University Dubai. For services to Education, to Business and to Heritage in Scotland (Abroad)

Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)

Peter William KYLE OBE Lately Chair, Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. For services to Cultural Heritage (Bath, Somerset)

Neil Francis Jeremy THE LORD MENDOZA Commissioner for Culture. For services to Arts and Culture (Oxford, Oxfordshire)

Dr Frances Mary MORRIS Director, Tate Modern. For services to the Arts (London, Greater London)

Eve Coulter SALOMON Chair, Horniman Museum and Gardens. For services to the Arts and Heritage (Bath, Somerset)

Claire Lois WHITAKER OBE Member, Culture Recovery Board. For services to the Arts and Culture (Poole, Dorset)

Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)

Peter Michael AIERS Lately Chief Executive, Churches Conservation Trust. For services to Heritage (London, Greater London)

Dr Richard Alan FORTEY FRS Senior Palaeontologist, Natural History Museum. For services to Palaeontology and Geology (Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire)

Jonathan Harry Samuel ARKUSH President, Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture, Co-Chair, Milah UK and lately President, Board of Deputies of British Jews. For service to Faith and to Integration (Hertfordshire)

Dr Nina Crampton BAKER DL For services to the History of Women in Engineering (Glasgow, City of Glasgow)

Joseph Patrick BREEN Lately Senior Scientific Officer, Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Northern Ireland Executive. For services to Marine Science and to Environmental Protection (Ballycastle, County Antrim)

Dr Jennifer ELLIOTT For services to the Arts in Northern Ireland. (Londonderry, County Londonderry)

Timothy George EYLES Chair, Royal Society of Arts. For services to the Arts (London, Greater London)

Professor Colin Craig KIDD Professor of History, University of St Andrews. For services to History, to Culture and to Politics (Strathkinness, Fife)

Dr Sandra Diane KNAPP FRS Botanist and Individual Merit Researcher, Natural History Museum. For services to Botany and the Public Understanding of Science (London, Greater London)

Simon MELLOR Deputy Chief Executive, Arts and Museums, Arts Council England. For services to the Arts (London, Greater London)

Janet Diana SWADLING Lately Chief Executive, Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture. For services to Farming and to Education (Cambridge, Cambridgeshire)

Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)

John Henry BISHTON For services to the Preservation of the Historic Buildings in Bruton, Somerset (Bruton, Somerset)

Dr Edson BURTON Writer, Academic and Curator. For services to the Arts and to the community in Bristol (Easton, City of Bristol)

Nicholas David CADY Deputy Head of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Team, Ceremonials, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. For Public Service (London, Greater London)

Verena CORNWALL Head of Culture and Place, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. For services to Local Government and to the community in Kensington and Chelsea (London, Greater London)

John GILL For services to the Arts, to Culture and to Education (Brighton, East Sussex)

Professor Edward HARCOURT Lately Director of Research, Strategy and Innovation, Arts and Humanities Research Council. For services to Interdisciplinary Research (London, Greater London)

Meryl Ann HAYWARD Director, Corporate Services, Historic England. For services to Heritage (Swindon, Wiltshire)

Professor Robert Allan HOUSTON (Rab HOUSTON) Emeritus Professor of Modern History, University of St Andrews. For services to Higher Education (Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh)

Peter Robert JARDINE Volunteer, Isle of Wight Steam Railway. For services to Heritage Railway (Newport, Isle of Wight)

Hammad NASAR Curator, Author and Art Historian. For services to the Arts (London, Greater London)

Edward Roger MALLINSON Chair and Boat Manager, The Shamrock Trust. For services to Steam Boating Heritage and to the community in Cumbria (Troutbeck Bridge, Cumbria)

John Patrick REYNTIENS Stained Glass Artist. For services to Art and Heritage (London, Greater London)

Anne TALLENTIRE Artist and Teacher. For services to the Arts (London, Greater London)

Keranjeet Kaur VIRDEE Chief Executive and Artistic Director, South Asian Arts UK. For services to the Arts, particularly South Asian Music and Dance (Leeds, West Yorkshire)

Jonathan Gerard WAKEMAN Founder and Artistic Director, East Street Arts. For services to the Arts (Leeds, West Yorkshire)

Lorna Esmé Margery WALKER Honorary Senior Lecturer of Medieval History, University of St Andrews. For services to Higher Education (St Andrews, Fife)

Karen WATSON Founder and Artistic Director, East Street Arts. For services to the Arts (Leeds, West Yorkshire)

Helena WHITBREAD Historian and Editor. For services to History and to Literature (Elland, West Yorkshire)

Jenifer Jane WHITE Historic Landscape Adviser, Historic England. For services to Heritage and to Historic Parks and Gardens (Saxmundham, Suffolk)

Medallists of the Order of the British Empire (BEM)

Jahswill Rohi Alexander EMMANUEL Founder, Multi-Ethnic Sports and Cultures Northern Ireland. For services to the community in Northern Ireland (Belfast, City of Belfast)

Kathleen Elizabeth MACLEAN (Kate DICKSON) Lately Trustee, Architectural Heritage Fund. For services to Heritage (Buxton, Derbyshire)

David William SCOTT For services to Countryside Conservation and to Heritage (Williton, Somerset)

Ian Francis SWINNEY Countryside Area Ranger, Bookham Commons. For services to Conservation and Heritage in Surrey (Leatherhead, Surrey)

Reverend Jason YOUNG Writer and Director. For services to Cultural Heritage and Public Awareness of Black British History through the Creative Arts (London, Greater London)