Several figures from the worlds of business, technology, education, sport and charity have been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours list.
Oldham’s favourite son Kevin Sinfield has been knighted for his services to rugby and his fundraising for motor neurone disease (MND).
The Leeds Rhinos and England Rugby League legend has raised more than £10m from his marathon running exploits following the MND diagnosis and death of his former team-mate Rob Burrow.
Sinfield was included in BusinessCloud’s 2024 Northern Leaders list and shared his story at a business breakfast in 2025 in aid of Rochdale’s Springhill Hospice.
Sir Kevin Sinfield was interviewed by BusinessCloud’s Chris Maguire at Springhill Hospice in 2025
Businessman Dave Fishwick, who inspired Netflix’s Bank of Dave film, was awarded an OBE for services to finance, business and charity in the King’s Birthday Honours list.
The 55-year-old made his fortune supplying minibuses before opening Burnley Savings and Loans to support people following the 2008 financial crash.
Jane Fraser, chief executive of Citigroup, has been made a dame for services to the financial sector.
Diana Sarah Brightmore-Armour has been awarded a CBE for services to women and diversity in financial services. She’s the CEO of C. Hoare & Co.
Liz Prince has been awarded an MBE for services to the games industry and to diversity. She’s the business manager at Amiqus; founder of G Into Gaming; and co-founder of Empower Up.
Prince has spent more than 30 years as a recruitment professional, including more than two decades specialising in the games industry.
Through her role at Amiqus, she has supported studios, publishers and games businesses across the UK and internationally, helping games companies find specialist talent while championing fairer, more inclusive hiring practices across the sector.
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Alongside her work at Amiqus, Prince founded G Into Gaming in 2018, an initiative created to recognise and celebrate women working in the games industry and to shine a light on those helping to create more inclusive workplaces.
She is also co-founder of Empower Up, which provides practical guidance, resources and signposting around equity, diversity, inclusion, hiring, leadership and workplace culture for games studios and individuals across the industry.
She said: “My hope is that this recognition helps keep attention on the importance of fairer access, better representation and more inclusive workplaces across the games industry.”
Hannah Bernard, director of business banking at Nationwide, was appointed a CBE for services to female entrepreneurship and access to finance for women.
She is co-chair of the UK’s Invest in Women Taskforce, which has brought together government, financial institutions and the investment community to secure more than £600m in capital for female-led funds and founders, while challenging the systemic gender bias in the allocation of capital.
The Taskforce’s other co-chair, entrepreneur Debbie Wosskow, was also awarded a CBE.
Honoured: Debbie Wosskow and Hannah Bernard
Bernard said: “This was a lovely surprise and recognises the importance of unlocking the depth of female talent in this country for everyone’s future prosperity.”
Wosskow said: “Since founding my first business in 2000, and over the last 25 + years, I’ve been fortunate to work alongside and support many fantastic women – and benefit from the allyship of many brilliant men.”
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Nationwide is one of the Invest in Women Taskforce’s founding partners and provides investment capital, sponsorship and administrative support for its work.
Rebecca Evernden, director of the UK Space Agency, has been awarded a CBE for services to space.
She said: “I’m delighted, surprised and rather humbled to tell you that I received a CBE in the King’s Birthday Honours.
“It is a real privilege to work with such an inspiring and dynamic space sector and to be on the list in the company of people who have made a positive difference in the UK, whatever their walk of life.”
Three senior figures from the University of Manchester, Professor David Knowles, Professor Luke Georghiou and Professor Gareth Evans, have been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours.
Prof David Knowles is the CEO of the Henry Royce Institute and has been awarded a CBE for services to industry and academia.
His work has focused primarily on the application of advanced materials and engineering research to address major industrial and national challenges across transport, energy, petrochemical and infrastructure sectors.
Prof Luke Georghiou made BusinessCloud’s inaugural Northern Leaders list in 2024 and is a former deputy president and deputy vice-chancellor at The University of Manchester. He was awarded an OBE for services to science and innovation.
His current role is Professor of Science and Technology Policy and Management in the Manchester Institute of Innovation Research at Alliance Manchester Business School.
Among his many contributions, he led Manchester’s successful bid to host the Euroscience Forum and secure its designation as European City of Science, and played a key role in the foundation of Northern Gritstone, a £380m venture capital company supporting university spinouts across the North.
Speaking on his award, Prof Georghiou said: “It has been a privilege to support and guide so many hugely talented people and to help develop Manchester’s outstanding innovation ecosystem.”
Professor Gareth Evans, Emeritus Professor of Medical Genetics at The University of Manchester and consultant in Medical Genetics at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, has been awarded an MBE for services to cancer genetics.
His work has made a significant contribution to advancing understanding, diagnosis and care in inherited cancer, benefiting patients and families in the UK and beyond.
Professor Evans said: “I’m very honoured to be mentioned in the King’s Birthday Honours. It’s the culmination of 36 years of work on inherited cancers and I’m extremely pleased.”
Vishal Marria, founder and CEO of Quantexa, has been awarded a CBE for services to technology, economic crime prevention and the data and AI sector.
He said: “When I founded Quantexa, the goal was simple: to help organisations make better decisions by unlocking the value in their data. What began as an idea has grown into a global business driven by a shared belief that better information leads to better outcomes.
This recognition is not mine alone. It reflects the dedication, ingenuity, and ambition of the extraordinary Quantexans – past and present – who have worked tirelessly to solve complex challenges and build a company that is making a real impact around the world.”
University of Central Lancashire vice-chancellor Professor Graham Baldwin DL was awarded an OBE for services to higher education.
Professor Graham Baldwin DL
He said: “Receiving an OBE is a humbling moment. My whole career in higher education has been driven by a desire to remove social and economic barriers, to nurture potential, and to ensure that studying at university is transformational.”
Myrtle Dawes, chief executive of Net Zero Technology Centre, was awarded an MBE for services to energy and technology.
Prof Janet Lord, deputy pro-vice-chancellor at Manchester Metropolitan University, has been awarded an OBE for services to education.
Jane Luca, director of public affairs at ITV, was awarded an OBE for services to broadcasting and television.
She said: “I’ve been proud to champion public service media throughout my career, and this honour is recognition of the brilliant colleagues I’ve worked alongside at ITV over the years, who are committed to making content that challenges, entertains, inspires and shapes culture.
“Above all this is a celebration of them, and of my mentors, friends and family who have supported me throughout my career.”
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