New Year Honours list recognises importance of education sector

It was fantastic to see so many names from across the education sector named in the King’s New Year Honours for 2026.

Recognising the importance of the sector to the UK as a whole, Crescent Purchasing Consortium is proud that many of the institutions represented in the list are a part of CPC’s 10,000+ member community.

CPC Managing Director, Darren Lowe, said: "On behalf of everyone at CPC, I would like to offer congratulations to everyone named in the King's New Year Honours list. It’s great to see people recognised for the fantastic work they are doing within education and, as a charity, we are proud of the role we play in supporting the sector and their individual organisations".

The following individuals were all recognised for their services to specifically Further Education or Higher Education:

Knighthood

Prof. Nishan Canagarajah, Vice-Chancellor, University of Leicester.

Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)

Colin Booth, lately Chief Executive, Luminate Education Group.

Debra Gray, Principal, Hull College.

Prof. Susan Rigby, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Edinburgh Napier University and lately Vice-Chancellor, Bath Spa Uni.

Lisa O' Loughlin, Principal and Chief Executive Officer, East Lancashire Learning Group.

Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)

Tracy Aust, lately Principal and Chief Executive Officer, West Thames College.

Anna Dawe, Chief Executive Officer and Principal, Wigan and Leigh College.

Julia Heap, Principal and Chief Executive Officer, Hopwood Hall College.

Rachael Hennigan, Principal and Chief Executive Officer, Hugh Baird College.

Deborah Millar, Director of Digital Transformation, Hull College.

Sara Russell, Principal and Chief Executive Officer, Peter Symonds College.

Dr. Nikolaos Savvas DL, CEO, West Suffolk College/Eastern Education Group and Principal, Abbeygate Sixth Form College.

Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)

Andrew Barnes, lately Chair of Governors, City College Norwich.

Prof. Jacquelyn Dunne, Vice-Chancellor, Birmingham Newman University.

Alan Foster, Governor, Wilberforce Sixth Form College.

Hazrat Islam, Senior Manager, Regions and Providers Directorate, Department for Education.

Medallists of the Order of the British Empire

Peter Clark, Head of 16-19 Funding and Financial Support Policy, Department for Education.

Russell Clark, Head of Languages Centre, University of Keele.

Ruth Flynn, Director of Sixth Form, La Retraite Roman Catholic Girls School.

Angela Wooller, Apprenticeship and Qualifications Manager, East Sussex County Council.

Read on for the complete 2026 New Year Honours list, including all those who contributed to the UK education sector. 👏