Honorary degree | Bristol Business School blog

Honorary degree awarded to Kalpna Woolf

Faculty of Business and Law | 19 July 2018

UWE Bristol awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Business Administration to Kalpna Woolf in recognition of her contribution and commitment to economic and social equality and diversity initiatives in Bristol.

The honorary degree was conferred at the Awards Ceremony of the Faculty of Business and Law at Bristol Cathedral on Wednesday 18 July at 10:30.

Kalpna completed her early education in London culminating in a BA Hons in Russian from University of London, Queen Mary College. Since she came to Bristol 20 years ago, Kalpna has been a major influencer for change in our region – both at senior board and grassroots level. After an award-winning career in the BBC, where she was Head of Production overseeing a £100m global business including the BBC’s world-renowned Natural History Unit (including ‘Planet Earth, Antiques Roadshow, Rick Stein, Countryfile and many other factual series), Kalpna was recognised for her work in the media in 2013, winning the national Asian Women’s Achievement Award.

She continues to work within the creative sector and alongside this, she has established an impressive portfolio career underpinned by her business track record and her passion for social justice and equality. She has held positions on business and charity boards including Chair of Trustees for Frank Water, business advisor and Chair of the Skills Group to the West of England LEP Board. Her board work and drive for inclusive and economic equality has led her to launch the BeOnBoard programme which is striving to deliver diversity on business boards.

She devised a Masters programme in Production Management in the Media for UWE and was awarded Visiting Professorship for the Faculty of Business and Law.

She has written a best–selling food book – Spice Yourself Slim – and in 2015 she founded 91 Ways to Build A Global City – an innovative charity which reaches out to unite all the 91 language communities in Bristol, to bring greater understanding, break down barriers and build a more cohesive city. Three years on, the charity has run Peace Cafes connecting more than 10,000 people at over 100 events and modeled a template for similar projects to be rolled out in other cities in the UK.

Kalpna has won four other national awards including the BBC’s Food and Farming Hero Award, the Guild of Food Writers Inspiration Award and MTM Woman of the Year award.

Honorary degree awarded to Vanessa Moon

Faculty of Business and Law | 19 July 2018

UWE Bristol awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Business Administration to Vanessa Moon in recognition of her contribution and commitment to enterprise development, the third sector and the local community.

The honorary degree was conferred at the Awards Ceremony of the Faculty of Business and Law at Bristol Cathedral on Tuesday 17 July at 17:00.

Vanessa Moon is Managing Director of Moon Consulting Ltd, a leading Executive Search firm which is based in a beautifully converted Old Fire Station in Pill, Bristol with a satellite office in London. Vanessa co-founded the business in 2000 perceiving a need for a return to the personal touch in senior level recruitment and is a firm advocate of the company’s core values of being distinctive, ethical and approachable in all their undertakings.

Moon Consulting has grown steadily to a full-service team of 11 managing high level and confidential executive search and head hunting campaigns for clients in the UK and Internationally. Clients range from start-ups, family owned concerns, major banks as well as AIM and FTSE Listed businesses. They also have significant experience in the ‘not-for-profit’ and charity sectors.

Vanessa herself brings 30 years senior management and board level Executive recruitment experience, recruiting mainly board level roles for her clients; specialising in the placement of Non-Executive Directors, CEOs/ MDs, CFOs, Sales, Operations and HR Directors.

Prior to Moon Consulting, Vanessa graduated from Aston University in 1983 with a BSc (Hons) in Human Communication and then worked for Rank Xerox. After that she worked for a US owned Accountancy recruitment firm moving to Bristol in 1992 to manage their regional office and then joined a Venture Capital Backed search firm before setting up Moon in 2000.

Outside of Moon Consulting, Vanessa has always been involved with the wider Bristol community. She is currently Senior Warden of the Bristol Guild of Guardians and was appointed President of the Dolphin Society for 2017/2018. She is a member of the South West Regional Council of the CBI and is on the Advisory Board of The Faculty of Business and Law for The Bristol Business School at the University of the West of England. She is on the committee of the Lord Mayor of Bristol’s Children Appeal and Gift Gala, a Trustee with The Royal West of England Academy and a former Trustee of Spike Island.

Honorary degree awarded to Rob Law MBE

Faculty of Business and Law | 19 July 2018

UWE Bristol awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Business Administration to Rob Law MBE, in recognition of his contribution and commitment to enterprise and entrepreneurship.

The honorary degree was conferred at the Awards Ceremony of the Faculty of Business and Law at Bristol Cathedral on Tuesday 17 July at 14:00.

Rob Law MBE is the founder and CEO of Trunki, the brand behind the much-loved ride-on suitcase for tots. From one of the most famous rejections on BBC Dragons’ Den in 2006, Rob has successfully built a team who have pioneered a new retail category of children’s travel products, designing and creating a range of innovative solutions which help families on the go.

Since Trunki launched in May 2006, the company has sold 3.8 million suitcases in over 100 countries with consumers spending over $200 million on his brand. Trunki employs 25 people at their funky head office in Bristol called The Mothership, and a further 55 people at its UK manufacturing and distribution facility – Magma Moulding – in Plymouth.

The company has won over 120 awards within the design, trade, consumer and business sectors including reaching 42nd on The Sunday Times Fast Track 100 and winning The National Business Awards SME of the Year.

Rob originally hails from Chester and is 40 years old. He graduated with a First Class Honours Degree in Product Design in 2000 from the University of Northumbria and has worked internationally, including periods in New York, Taiwan, Australia and for some of the UK’s leading design consultancies.

On New Year’s Day 2011, Rob was awarded an MBE for Services to Business, and went on to receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Engineering from Bath University in 2015.

Rob is a popular and engaging personality on the speaking circuit, not least for his ‘dragon slaying’ tips, his fresh take on running a business and how to navigate the ever evolving challenges in the global marketplace, sharing his motivational story at large business conferences through to blue chip management teams.

He is also passionate about inspiring future business leaders and designers, as well as a judge for several national business awards, he also holds the following pro bono positions:

• UWE Advisory Board member at Faculty of Business and Management

• Prince’s Trust Ambassador and recipient of support in 2002

• ACID (Anti-Copying In Design) Ambassador

• Cystic Fibrosis Trust Patron for the Sixty-Five Roses Club

• Design council Spark programme Investment committee

When not designing tomorrow’s must have on-the-go products, Rob enjoys spending time with his young family and is an amateur triathlete, often found cycling around his adopted home of Bristol.

Honorary degree awarded to John Pullinger

Faculty of Business and Law | 19 July 201819 July 2018

UWE Bristol has awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science to John Pullinger in recognition of his contribution to the communication of statistics and economics, particularly for the advice, support and engagement of the Civil Service with the higher education system.

The honorary degree was conferred at the Awards Ceremony of the Faculty of Business and Law at Bristol Cathedral on Monday 16 July at 17:00.

John Pullinger has been the National Statistician, Head of the Government Statistical Service (GSS) and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority since July 2014.

His role is to safeguard the production and publication of high quality official statistics by all public departments, agencies and institutions in the UK. On appointment he described his role as to mobilise the power of data to help Britain make better decisions. His priorities are to improve measurement of the economy, to bring better evidence to public policy debates and to enhance data capability.

John’s career began in 1980 when he joined the Civil Service after graduating in geography and statistics from Exeter University. After several statistical, research and policy roles in different departments, John joined the Central Statistical Office as a senior civil servant in 1992. He was the project manager for the creation of the Office for National Statistics and was the policy lead on the development of the GSS. He worked on diverse projects and subject areas, including responsibility for flagship publications like ‘Social Trends’, leading the neighbourhood statistics programme as well as being actively involved in the creation of the Statistics Commission and National Statistics in 2000.

In 2004, John became the 14th Librarian to the House of Commons a post he held until taking up his current role.

John is a Chartered Statistician and was President of the Royal Statistical Society (2013-14). He has represented the UK internationally in EU, UN, OECD and other forums, was Chair (2015) and Vice-Chair (2016) of the United Nations Statistical Commission (UNSC) and is a member of the Board of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data.

John is married with three adult children. He was appointed as a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 2014 for services to Parliament and to the community, is a fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and holds honorary degrees from the universities of Exeter and Essex.

Honorary Degree awarded to Gillian Camm for commitment to UWE Bristol

Faculty of Business and Law | 7 July 2017

Gillian Camm is to be awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University (Hon DUniv) by the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) in recognition of her commitment and contribution to the University in the role of UWE Bristol Chair of the Board of Governors.

Gillian is Chair of the Board of the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education and Senior Independent Director of Wessex Water.

Gillian has held non-executive positions in a variety of organisations including in the Home Office, the General Medical Council and the law firm Capsticks. Her last executive position was a Board director of Clerical Medical Investment Group. Prior to that she was a partner in Hay Management Consultants where she developed a substantial South West office.

Gillian is a member of the Society of Merchant Venturers and the Honourable Gloucestershire Company and holds the position of the Deputy Lieutenant for Gloucestershire. She is also a Vice President of Quartet Community Foundation.

The Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University (Hon DUniv) will be conferred on Gillian Camm at the Degree Ceremony of the Faculty of Business and Law at Bristol Cathedral on Wednesday 12 July at 17:00.

Honorary Degree for Peaches Golding OBE

Faculty of Business and Law | 7 July 2017

Peaches Golding OBE is to be awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University (Hon DUniv) by the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) in recognition of her contribution, service and commitment to Business.

Peaches Golding OBE is Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant for the County and City of Bristol. Appointed in 2017, she will retire at the end of 2028.

Peaches is a highly experienced, award winning director and non-executive director having gained experience in sectors such as utilities, media, health, education and recruitment sectors. Her areas of specialism include corporate responsibility and strategic marketing and communications. She is a persuasive public speaker, trusted and respected campaigner and business leader.

Peaches established a marketing and communications consultancy in 1992 and for 17 years she was commissioned by one of HRH The Prince of Wales’s Charities, (the UK’s leading corporate responsibility charity), to focus on leadership development, diversity and change management. Her consultancy clients included Government Office for the South West, Office of Deputy Prime Minister, Business Link, Environment Agency, EDF Energy, Bowater Pharmaceuticals, British Steel, among others.

Peaches was a Non-Executive Director of the North Bristol NHS Trust and of GWR West Limited (where she was a member of the Board that won the franchise from Ofcom, the communications regulator).

She was the Independent Chair of the Regional Advisory Council of ITV West (1997 to 2006), Independent Chair of the Viewer’s Advisory Panel of ITV West Country (2006 to 2017), a member of the Ethnic Minority Business Forum (2004 to 2006), the Home Office representative on the Avon & Somerset Police Authority (2000 to 2008), an Independent Governor of the University of the West of England (2000 to 2008) and a member of the General Chiropractic Council (1996 to 2004).

Peaches is currently Independent Chairman of the Bristol Water Challenge Panel (the committee that assures the regulator Ofwat that the customer’s priorities are central to the business and investment programme), a Board Member of Moon Consultancy (an executive search, selection and recruitment consultancy for senior executive and Board level posts) and a Trustee of the ss Great Britain.

Peaches was appointed by The Queen to the ancient and historic role of High Sheriff of the County and City of Bristol 2010-2011. She was awarded an OBE in 2009 for services to minority ethnic people in the South West and was recognised by the Bristol Post and Bath Chronicle in 2015 for her ‘Outstanding Contribution to Business in Bristol and Bath’ in the Women in Business Award.

Peaches graduated from the University of N Carolina, USA with a BA (Biology) degree and awarded an Honorary MBA by the University of West of England in 2010. She is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Responding the award Peaches said, “I am thrilled and deeply honoured to be awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University. To receive this tremendous honour is far beyond my expectations and an enormous pleasure for my family, colleagues and me. Bristol is a city that I dearly love and I shall cherish this Honorary Degree in recognition of my contributions to it. Thank you so very much”.

She is married to Bob Golding (a former Zoo Director of the Zoological Gardens at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, Executive Director of Cotswold Wild Life Park and Founding Director of Natural Habitats Ltd). Peaches and Bob have one son Charles (who was awarded a Foundation degree at the University of the West of England before graduating from the London College of Printing).

This Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University (Hon DUniv) will be conferred at the Awards Ceremony of the Faculty of Business and Law at Bristol Cathedral on Friday 14 July at 10:30.

Entrepreneur Luke Johnson to be awarded Honorary Degree

Faculty of Business and Law | 6 July 2017

Luke Johnson is to be awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Business Administration (HON DBA) by the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) in recognition of his service to entrepreneurship.

Luke Johnson is a leading figure in private equity and the restaurant industry and the pioneer behind several instantly recognisable high-street brands.

An Oxford medical graduate, he began his career as a media analyst at Grieveson Grant, before being appointed as Chairman of PizzaExpress PLC in 1993. The business grew from 12 to over 150 restaurants during his tenure.

In 1999, he started Signature Restaurants, which owned The Ivy, Le Caprice and the Belgo chain, before establishing the Strada restaurant concept. The total proceeds from these two disposals were in excess of £90 million.

Luke is the Chairman of Risk Capital Partners, a private equity firm he co-founded in 2001, as well as Chairman and part owner of Gail’s bakeries, Neilson Active Holidays and Patisserie Holdings PLC.

He also serves on the board of Brompton Bicycles and is chairman of the Gaucho restaurant business. He also chairs Brighton Pier Group PLC. He was appointed Chairman of StartUp Britain in 2012 and, a year later, he created a think tank called The Centre for Entrepreneurs.

During his time as the Chairman of Channel 4 Television (2004 – 2010) the organisation enjoyed record ratings and revenues. He has also previously served as Chairman of the Royal Society of Arts and as a Governor of the University of the Arts. As well as being the Chairman of the Institute of Cancer Research and the Almeida Theatre, Luke writes weekly for The Sunday Times, and, until 2015, he contributed a weekly column to The Financial Times for seven years.

Commenting on his award Luke said, “I am very grateful to UWE Bristol for this honour. Every effort all of us can make to encourage more entrepreneurs matters. They generate new companies, jobs, innovation, tax and exports. Entrepreneurs are the future, and the more of them there are, then the better off we will all be.”

The Honorary Degree of Doctor of Business Administration (HON DBA) will be conferred at the Awards Ceremony of the Faculty of Business and Law at Bristol Cathedral on Wednesday 12 July at 14:00.

Stephen Robertson awarded Honorary Degree for contribution to Bristol Business

Faculty of Business and Law | 6 July 2017

Stephen Robertson is to be awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Business Administration (HON DBA) by the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) in recognition of his contribution to Bristol Business and academic business engagement.

Stephen Robertson is Chairman of Retail Economics (bespoke research consultancy), Non-Executive Director: Timpson Group (privately held services retailer), Hargreaves Lansdown plc (FTSE 100 consumer financial services), Sofology (furniture retailer) and Clipper Logistics plc.

Stephen is a Visiting Professor at Bristol Business School at UWE Bristol.

Stephen’s career started in marketing roles in fmcg businesses – Unilever, Alberto Culver, Mars Inc, Mattel – before serving on the boards of major UK retailers.

Stephen spent seven years as Marketing Director at B&Q before leading the acquisition of Screwfix Direct which he then chaired through a period of strong growth. He went on to become Director of Communications at Kingfisher plc and took the helm of the Ellen MacArthur sponsorship programme. Subsequently, he served on the boards of WHSmith and Woolworths.

Stephen was Director General of British Retail Consortium for five years to the end of 2012. The BRC represents UK retail, large and small, lobbying governments and near-government organisations, as well as producing key retail data. Through this role Stephen appeared frequently on TV, radio and press to discuss business issues.

Previously he was a non-executive board member at National Portrait Gallery Company, Fresca Group (fresh produce supplier) and Chairman, Business West and West of England LEP.

He is a fellow, and former chairman, of the Marketing Society, a fellow of Royal Society of Arts, a fellow of Chartered Management Institute and a member Emeritus of the Marketing Group of Great Britain.

Stephen Robertson said, “It is both a pleasure and an honour to receive this recognition from the respected and innovative Bristol Business School.”

Stephen lives with his wife, Sue (who is the elected Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset Constabulary), in North Somerset.

The Honorary Degree will be conferred at the Awards Ceremony of the Faculty of Business and Law on Thursday 13 July at 17:00 at Bristol Cathedral.

UWE Bristol awards an honorary degree to Lord Michael Bichard

Faculty of Business and Law | 20 July 2016

Lord Michael Bichard has been awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Business Administration in recognition of his service to Government.

The Honorary Degree was conferred at the Awards Ceremony of the Faculty of Business and Law on Tuesday 19 July 2016 at Bristol Cathedral.

Michael Bichard was born in Southampton where his father was a school caretaker. He studied law at Manchester (and subsequently social sciences at Birmingham) and began a career in Local Government in Reading. He became Chief Executive of the London Borough of Brent aged 32 and then became Chief Executive of Gloucestershire County Council. With considerable reluctance he left the County to lead the Governments Benefit Agency then responsible for £100 billions of public money. To his surprise he was appointed Permanent Secretary of the Employment Department when that post was, for the first time, advertised publically and then became Permanent Secretary of the merged Employment and Education Department shortly before the 1997 Election. In that role he worked closely with the Prime Minister and David Blunkett to deliver education reforms which were the centre piece of Labour’s first term. In 2001 he decided to do something completely different and for the next seven years was Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Arts, London, the largest creative arts learning centre in Europe.

During this period, he also chaired the inquiry into the Soham murders; chaired the Legal Services Commission and the Design Council. He became the first Director of the Institute for Government in 2008 and is now Chair of the National Audit Office, the Social Care Institute for Excellence and the Shakespeare Globe. He was knighted in 1999 and appointed as a Crossbench member of the House of Lords in 2010 where he is now a Deputy Speaker. He had lived in Gloucestershire on and off for 30 years and is now settled with his wife Gillian in Nailsworth. He has had contact with UWE Bristol since he came to Gloucestershire and recently agreed to chair the faculty advisory board for the Business School. He has been an active supporter of Manchester United for fifty years and is glad to see the end of the current season!

UWE Bristol awards an honorary degree to David Relph

Faculty of Business and Law | 19 July 2016

David Relph has been awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Business Administration in recognition of his contribution to management and leadership.

The Honorary Degree was conferred at the Awards Ceremony of the Faculty of Business and Law on Monday 18 July 2016 at Bristol Cathedral.

David Relph is the Director of Bristol Health Partners. He leads the partnership and his role involves promoting collaboration and ambition between Bristol’s NHS organisations, universities and council in order to deliver significant health gains and improvements in service delivery in and around Bristol.

David has a first degree from Bristol University in Economics and Economic History. He has further degrees from Cranfield University and Kings College London.

After graduating, he joined the British Army and spent 15 years working in a variety of roles. He served on operations in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. He also spent time in Whitehall working on security policy and the development of strategy across a range of UK and international partners.

After leaving the military David worked at the Carbon Trust, advising the UK and other governments on the development of low carbon technology. In 2012 he stared working in the health sector, leading on strategy development for a Hospital Trust in Bristol. In 2014 he became the Director of Bristol Health Partners.

David has studied, worked and lived in Bristol for much of the last 20 years. Outside work, he was an early campaigner for elected mayors in Bristol and other UK cities, helping to deliver a major change to the governance of the city. He is also the Chair of Happy City, a Bristol-based organisation that campaigns for happiness and wellbeing to be taken more seriously in policy and decision making.

David says of his work over the last few years:

“My work is about connecting people and ideas. This is what drives me and I am particularly focused on the power of informal networks to share ideas, build consensus, and mobilise change.

“Throughout my career I have been involved in connecting people and ideas, then leading people through the changes and challenges that inevitably result. I have been lucky enough to get opportunities in two of the areas that matter most to people and the way they live their lives – Energy and Health. I am motivated by a desire to develop approaches that will transform the way we deal with these issues.

“I also feel strongly that the city is the level at which we must address many of the challenges we face as a society. In Bristol, we have all the ingredients for an ideal city but plenty of challenges that we have still yet to tackle. Through my work, I am trying to do what I can to address this, and to help others to do the same.”