New Year’s Honours winners
Sector leaders from across a wide range of engineering, infrastructure and transport organisations were recognised in the New Year’s Honours, with variety proving the key theme.
Among the most distinguished of those honoured was Professor Sir James McDonald, president of the Royal Academy of Engineering, who was made a Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) for services to engineering, to education and to energy.
There were also two Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBEs) awarded for services to engineering: Professor Danielle George MBE at the University of Manchester and Catriona Schmolke, chief executive officer of Charlie Five.
A number of industry figures were made Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBEs) in the honours this year.
In the rail sector, Edward Album, founder of the Settle and Carlisle Railway Trust, was made an OBE for services to railway heritage and to the communities in the North of England.
Ruth Busby, people and transformational director at the Great Western Railway and Network Rail Wales and Western, won for services to diversity in the rail industry and Munir Patel, chief executive officer for XRAIL Group, won for services to rail exports.
In other industries, Kathryn Leahy, director of operations at Heathrow Airport, won an OBE for services to aviation transport and John Trayner, lately managing director at Go-Ahead London, won for services to transport, skills and education.
Former managing director at Lindhurst Engineering Ltd, Martin Rigley MBE, won his OBE for services to the East Midlands Covid-19 Response and to the community in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.
Figures in the roads sector featured prominently in the list of those who were made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). Suzette Davenport, chair of the National Driver Offending Retraining Scheme won for services to road safety, while Janis James, the founder of the Good Egg Child Safety Campaign, won for services to children’s road safety.
In the wider context of place services, Nicholas Smith, founder and director of Create Streets and chair of the Office for Place, won an MBE for services to planning and design.
From the local to the international, Iain Reeve, head of the Ukraine Rail Response Team at the Department for Transport, was made an MBE for services to rail aid in Ukraine and Zoe Sookun, project manager at Network Rail, was made a Medallist of the Order of the British Empire for her part in the same programme.
Full list of transport, highways and engineering (related) winners:
Order of the British Empire Dames and Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE)
Professor Sir James Rufus MCDONALD – FREng FRSE President, Royal Academy of Engineering. For services to Engineering, to Education and to Energy
Order of the British Empire Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
Professor Danielle Amanda GEORGE MBE – Professor of Radio Frequency Engineering, University of Manchester. For services to Public Engagement in Engineering
Catriona Mary Robertson SCHMOLKE FREng – Chief Executive Officer, Charlie Five. For services to Engineering
Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
Edward Jonathan Corcos ALBUM – Founder, The Settle and Carlisle Railway Trust. For services to Railway Heritage and to the communities in the North of England.
Ruth Catherine Margaret BUSBY – People and Transformational Director, Great Western Railway and Network Rail Wales and Western. For services to Diversity in the Rail Industry.
Kathryn Maria LEAHY – Director of Operations, Heathrow Airport. For services to Aviation Transport and to Major Events.
Munir PATEL – Chief Executive Officer, XRAIL Group. For services to Rail Exports.
Martin John RIGLEY MBE – Lately Managing Director, Lindhurst Engineering Ltd. For services to the East Midlands Covid-19 Response and to the community in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.
John Henry TRAYNER – Lately Managing Director, Go-Ahead London. For services to Transport, to Skills and to Education in London.
Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
Peter George BUCHAN – Managing Director, Shipping, Nuclear Transport Solutions. For services to the Nuclear Industry and to Young People.
Samuel Robert John COUSLEY – Head of Seafarers, Department for Transport. For services to Seafarers.
Suzette Louise DAVENPORT – QPM Chair, National Driver Offending Retraining Scheme. For services to Road Safety.
Enass ABO HAMED – Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, H2GO Power. For services to Engineering and to Enterprise.
Neil Rankin HUTCHISON – Lately Engineer, Roche Diagnostics. For services to Laboratory Engineering.
Janis Lindy JAMES – Founder, Good Egg Child Safety Campaign. For services to Children’s Road Safety.
Melissa KOSE – Emerging Talent Manager, British Airways. For services to Early Careers in Aviation.
Maurice Joseph KENNEDY – Volunteer, Transport Training Board. For services to the Transport and Logistics Industries of Northern Ireland and Great Britain.
Nicholas BOYS SMITH – Founder and Director, Create Streets and Chair, Office for Place. For services to Planning and Design.
Iain Robert REEVE – Head of Ukraine Rail Response Team, Department for Transport. For services to Rail Aid in Ukraine.
Catherine Elizabeth SKIDMORE – Head of Aviation Resilience, Department for Transport. For services to Major Event Responses.
Keith Norman WALTON – Founder, Severnside Community Rail Partnership. For services to Urban Rail Transport in Bristol.
Gareth David WILLIAMS – Detective Superintendent, British Transport Police. For services to Policing.
Medallists of the Order of the British Empire
Gillian Pamela BROWN – Diary Manager to Permanent Secretaries, Department for Transport. For Public Service.
Sam CAMFIELD – Design Manager, South Western Railway. For services to the State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Chico Cheikh Sadibou COULIBALY – Regional Manager Waterloo, South Western Railway. For services to the State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Mary Margaret Rose FISHER – Lately Lollipop Crossing Patrol, Darley and Summerbridge Community Primary School, Harrogate. For services to Child Road Safety.
Richard Stansfield ISAAC – Community and Sustainability Manager, Northern Trains. For services to Inclusion in the Rail Industry.
Christopher Angus JAMIESON – Special Inspector, British Transport Police (Scotland). For services to Policing.
Uzoamaka Louisa NWOKOLO – Lately Executive Officer, Department for Transport. For services to Young People.
Betty PHILIPSON – President, City Road Club (Hull). For services to Cycling and to the community in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
Sukhdev Singh PHULL – Engineer, Department for Transport. For services to Transport Technology and for charitable services through the Ekom Charity Trust.
Zoe Donna SOOKUN – Project Manager, Network Rail. For services to the Railway and to Rail Aid for Ukraine.