King Charles III has awarded a British Empire Medal (BME) for services to the prevention of child abuse to Tony Hudgell, GKT community fundraiser and the youngest ever recipient of a New Year Honour. The medal was founded in 1917 and was awarded for 'meritorious' actions by civilians or military personnel, with around 300 awarded every year to community volunteers.

Two current King's staff members were awarded Honours. Professor Ulrike Schmidt, Professor of Eating Disorders and Director of the Centre of Research on Eating and Weight Disorders (CREW) at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, has been awarded an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to people with eating disorders. Professor Anthony David Edwards, a Professor of Neonatal Medicine, has been recognised with an MBE for services to health research. You can find out more about these academics here.

 A host of King's alumni have also been celebrated as part of the announcement.

Dr Brad Irwin MBE (Education, 2023) is the Head of Global Engagement at the Natural History Museum and has been recognised with an MBE for services to UK Culture and the Arts. Brad recently achieved a doctorate that explored the international work of UK national museums. His work focuses on creating partnerships and touring exhibitions that benefit the planet. In 2021, Blooloop named him one of their top 50 Museum Influencers.

Claire Goodman MBE (Nursing Studies, 1986) was awarded an MBE for contributions to services to Older People. After time as a district nurse, Claire is now a leading researcher into care homes and long-term care for older people, in particular those living with dementia and other complex health conditions. In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Claire also helped to create urgently-needed guidance for care homes to support staff and protect their residents.

Julia Walport MBE (Medicine, 1977) was recognised with an MBE for services to Young People and to Charity for her work as chair of the Ealing Youth Orchestra and of The Amber Trust, which helps children who are blind or partially-sighted to further their musical ambitions.

Sir Richard 'Dicky' Evans (Civil Engineering, 1967) has been named a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George for extraordinary and important services abroad or in the Commonwealth. His businesses Homegrown Ltd, Flamingo Holdings, and Hemingways Hotel and Travel Groups were credited with creating jobs and economic growth in Kenya over several decades. His work earned him the Order of the Grand Warrior, one of Kenya’s highest honours, in 1996.

Dr Robert Hicks MBE (St Thomas’s Medicine, 1989), has been a consultant vascular surgeon for the 23 years and received an MBE for his services to health in Northern Ghana. Dr Hicks started his invaluable global work in 2011 with worldwide charity Hernia International. The charity has performed more than 2,500 hernia operations in the Savannah region surrounding Carpenter, Ghana. He was also instrumental in raising funds of more than $10 million to build a hospital in Carpenter, which opened in 2022.

The full list of alumni recipients on The King’s New Year Honours List were:

• Richard Baldock BEM, BEM for services to the community in Over Wallop.
• Charlotte Ann Beardmore CBE, CBE for services to Radiography.
• Brigadier Vivienne Buck CBE (Defence Studies, 2008), CBE for services to the British Army.
• Brigadier Matthew Cansdale CBE (Defence Studies, 2014), CBE for services to the British Army.
• Air Vice-Marshal Nigel Colman CB OBE (Defence Studies, 2006), CB for service to the Royal Air Force.
• Air Commodore Catherine Coton CBE (Defence Studies, 2005), CBE for services to the Royal Air Force.
• Professor Rachel Cowgill MBE (Music, 1990), MBE for services to Culture.
• Major General Darren Crook CBE (Defence Studies, 2006), CBE for services to the British Army.
• Luke Dearden OBE AKC (History, 1998), OBE for services to British Foreign Policy.
• Major James Dott MBE (Military and Security Studies, 2019), MBE for services to the British Army.
• Linda Edmunds MBE (PGCert in Advanced Practice, 2016), MBE for services to Cardiac Rehabilitation.
• Dr Alice Hartley MBE (Biomedical Science, 2003), MBE for services to the NHS.
• Dr Benjamin Ellis MBE (Rheumatology, 2009), MBE for services to Healthcare & Equality.
• Professor Paul Emery CBE (Medicine, 1977), CBE for services to Rheumatology.
• Sir Richard Evans KCMG (Civil Engineering, 1967), KCMG for services to Business, to Sport & Charity.
• Colin Evans CMG (Defence Studies, 2005), CMG for services to National Security.
• Major Robert Fellows BA AKC MBE (War Studies, 2006), MBE for services to the British Army.
• Dr Jennifer Frow BEM MBBS (Medicine, 1966), BEM for services to Lawn Tennis in Worcestershire.
• Air Marshal Ian Gale CB MBE (Defence Studies, 2006), CB for service to the Royal Air Force.
• Professor Claire Goodman MBE (Nursing Studies, 1986), MBE for services to Older People.
• Colonel Brian Gorski OBE DL (Geography, 1976), OBE for services to Museums.
• Lieutenant Colonel Ewan Harris (War Studies, 2009), OBE for services to the British Army.
• Ian Hewitt MBE (Sports Law, 2004), MBE for services to Tennis and to Charity.
• Robert Hicks MBE MBBS FCRP (Medicine, 1989), MBE for services to Health in Northern Ghana.
• Brad Irwin MBE (Education, 2023), MBE for services to UK Culture and the Arts.
• Dr Christopher Kent BEM (Music, 1973), BEM for services to Music and Musicology.
• Wing Commander Matthew Lewis OBE (Aeromedical Research, 1999), OBE for services to the Royal Air Force.
• Dr William Lockhart OBE (Music, 2008), OBE for services to the Environment.
• Dr Robert Lyman MBE (Defence Studies, 1998), MBE for services to Military History.
• Lukas May OBE (Economics for Competition Law, 2014), OBE for services to International Trade.
• Squadron Leader Christopher Middleton MBE (Defence Studies, 2008), MBE for services to the Royal Air Force.
• Wing Commander Alison Morton OBE (Defence Innovation, 2021), OBE for service to the Royal Air Force.
• Air Commodore Gerard Opie CBE (Defence Studies, 1999), CBE for services to the Royal Air Force.
• Major Charles Singleton MBE (Military and Security Studies, 2018), MBE for services to the British Army.
• Lady Julia Walport MBE MB BS LOND(HONS) MRCP (UK) FRCP FFFLM (Medicine, 1977), MBE for services to Young People and to Charity.
• Commander Jamie Wells OBE (Defence Studies, 2018), OBE for service to the Royal Navy.

All at King’s would like to congratulate those honoured this year, as further demonstration of our excellence and the strength of our global alumni community.

We’ve done our best to identify all staff and alumni recognised in the honours list, but if you know an individual we’ve missed, please do let us know.

See the full honours list here.