Honorary fellows 2019

Rod Hill

Ambassador Fellowship in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the sustained success of the university

Rod has lived a life in public service alongside a hugely successful corporate career during which, as Managing Director for Liverpool Airport for ten years, he was responsible for the successful redevelopment of the city’s airport and was instrumental in the first ‘naming’ of an airport in the UK – so we now have the John Lennon Airport as our gateway to the world.

Read the full oration for Rod Hill

Alex Brooker

In recognition of his personal commitment and dedication to redefining the presence of disability

Alex Brooker is a role model and inspiration for people of all ages and backgrounds, but particularly for those with disabilities. He has attained huge success as a journalist and is renowned as a writer and television presenter.

Read the full oration for Alex Brooker.

Janet Dugdale

In recognition of outstanding contribution to curating and celebrating Liverpool culture

Janet is the Director of Museums at National Museums Liverpool and has been a lightning rod for innovation in the programmes she has curated since arriving on Merseyside in 1997.

Read the full oration for Janet Dugdale

Girlguiding UK (Merseyside)

Corporate Award in recognition of an association that resonates so closely with our own ethos and aspirations

Girlguiding Merseyside has over 3,200 members and more than 700 volunteers who give girls and young women a space where they can be themselves, have fun, build brilliant friendships, gain valuable life skills and make a positive difference to their lives and their communities.

Read the oration for Girlguiding Merseyside

Mike Houghton

In recognition of outstanding professional achievement and as a champion of the positive contribution of engineering to our society

Liverpool John Moores University makes this prestigious award to those who have made an outstanding contribution to society, or an outstanding achievement by an individual in a given field, and who reflect the ethos and values of the University and the city of Liverpool.

Read the full oration for Mike Houghton

Admiral Sir Philip Jones

In recognition of an extraordinary career in the service of his country

Admiral Philip Jones served as first Sea Lord – Britain’s most senior sailor – for three years from April 2016 - June 2019.

The former naval navigator saw active service in the South Atlantic in the 1982 Falklands War and also sailed counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden.

The Birkenhead school graduate, from Bebington, has strong Mersey connections and was among the guests of honour at Cammell Laird for the flight deck launch of The Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s largest ever warship.

Read the full oration for Admiral Sir Phillip Jones.

Nisha Katona

In recognition of her outstanding achievement in the food industry and as a champion for entrepreneurship

Nisha is the founder of the Mowgli group of restaurants that have built up such a following since first opening here in Liverpool in 2014 they could almost be described as a cult – certainly amongst our student population who are willing to queue around the block for a table on a busy Friday night.

But how did Nisha, the daughter of two doctors, who came to Lancashire from India in the 1960s, find a way to spearhead a revolution in the notoriously competitive restaurant business.

Read the full oration for Nisha Katona

Mark Lawler

In recognition of his personal and professional commitment to community business generation

Mark is the Managing Director at Baltic Creative CIC and a Co-Founder and Director of the Baltic Triangle Area CIC, which he helped launch in 2012.

Mark has been instrumental in the growth of the Baltic Triangle Area, helping the city work towards the ambition he set of Liverpool being recognised nationally and internationally as the place for creative and digital industries in the north of England.

Read the full oration for Mark Lawler

Paul Nolan

In recognition of his personal commitment to outdoor learning and promotion of sustainable green spaces

Paul has been Director of Mersey Forest for 20 years, a growing network of woodlands and green spaces across Cheshire and Merseyside, which is 25 years old this year. He has played a leading role in the development of Forest School Movement and alongside his Mersey Forest colleagues has been actively involved in vitally-important issues such as climate change and water management, health, biodiversity and woodland culture.

Read the full oration for Paul Nolan