Westminster celebrates alumni and supporters recognised in 2024 New Year Honours

Along with the Birthday Honours, the New Year Honours list is the most significant announcement of civilian and military gallantry awards. Recipients are recognised for improving the lives of those around them. 

This year, Lady Frances Sorrell, former Chancellor of the University of Westminster, has been awarded a CBE for her services to design and to the creative industries. She is the designer and co-founder of the Sorrell Foundation, which was set up in 1999 to inspire creativity in young people by providing them with new skills to help them thrive in their future careers. She is also the co-founder and trustee of The Saturday Club Trust, which offers young people in the UK the chance to spend their Saturday mornings at their local museums, universities and colleges, exploring subjects they love, making new friends and finding hidden talents.

Samuel Ross, who holds an Honorary Doctorate from Westminster, has also made the list, being awarded an MBE for his services to fashion. In 2014, Samuel founded his own menswear brand A-COLD-WALL*, which grew out of a think piece exploring the socio-economic concerns, inequalities and realities that Ross had observed in inner-city London. By 2017, he was showing at London Fashion Week and was named British Emerging Menswear Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards the following year. He was awarded his honorary doctorate in 2021 by Andrew Groves, Professor of Fashion Design at Westminster, and since then, the pair have been working collaboratively on the self-funded Black British Arts Programme.

Angela Foulkes, a Film and Television Studies MA alumna, was awarded a CBE in this year’s Honours list for her services to further education. The Westminster alumna is currently the Chief Executive and Principal of The Sheffield College. She took the position in 2018 and has over 30 years of experience working in further education across the UK.

Yvonne Wilks-O’Grady, who graduated from Westminster’s Sociology and Criminology BA Honours course in 1997, has also been awarded with an OBE for her services to media, publishing and charity with her work in philanthropy and impact on the media landscape. She is a philanthropist and co-founder of Root magazine, working for several decades in the media in both the UK and Jamaica. She has also been on the board of directors at the Genesis Academy in Kingston, a secondary school for those with special education needs.

Professor Mark Watson-Gandy, a visiting lecturer at the University of Westminster, was awarded an OBE for public and voluntary services. He is also a barrister, specialising in insolvency, company, banking and private international law, and the chair of the Biometrics and Forensics Ethnics Group, which offers ethical advice to ministers in the Home Office on issues about the use, collection and retention of biometrics and forensic material.

Another alumna, Virginia Barrett, was also named on this year’s list, awarded with an OBE for services to further education. Since completing her Business Studies BA Honours course in 1993, she has become the Principal and Chief Executive Officer of Farnborough College of Technology. Barrett has worked in a number of colleges, being appointed to her current position in 2016, and has constantly pushed to meet students’ needs by creating more inclusive learning environments.

About receiving her OBE, Virginia Barrett said: “I am grateful for the opportunities that studying at the University afforded me.  I joined the University as a mature student and was challenged and supported in equal measure by my lecturers, graduating with a 2:1 degree. One of the key activities we were required to do whilst at Westminster was a personal SWOT including aspirations, which in my case included returning to the further education sector as a lecturer and eventually moving into management. This stayed with me and prompted me to apply for an opportunity after seven years of teaching.  

“30 years on, I am honoured to have been recognised for my contributions to further education. I hope that my success can inspire others to pursue their passions and become net-positive contributors in their communities and beyond.”

Laura Hughes, Head of Alumni Relations, added: “It is hugely inspiring to learn about our alumni who have been recognised at such a prestigious level for their dedication and successes in their respective sectors. It is extraordinary to understand the extent to which they have transformed the lives of so many through their careers, and to see what they have achieved following their time studying at the University of Westminster. A huge congratulations to all of our alumni, honorary members and partners who have been recognised in the Kings New Year Honours List 2024.”

Learn about the colleagues, alumni and supporters who were recognised in the 2023 New Year Honours.