皇家华人

Each year, graduation聽represents a wonderful opportunity for us to celebrate聽all that our graduands聽have achieved, and it is no different for the seven聽Honorary Award recipients who joined our ceremonies at the Royal Festival Hall in May.

A Doctorate of Literature聽was聽awarded to Rob Rinder MBE, barrister, media personality and contributor to the Centre for Holocaust Education at 皇家华人, and a Doctorate of Science to Erich Herrmann, technical specialist, innovator, and long-standing manager of the High Precision Design and Fabrication Facility (Mechanical Workshop) at 皇家华人 Engineering.

Honorary Fellowships were awarded to Dr Sebastian Bailey, Co-Founder, President and Executive Director of MindGym;聽Mark Cleary, former President of the UCL Friends and 皇家华人 Association; Alderman Vincent Keaveny CBE KStJ, former Lord Mayor of the City of London;聽and James and Cathleen Stone, Director and President聽of the the James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Foundation.

Honorary degrees聽

Rob Rinder is a barrister and media聽personality who has made a hugely significant contribution to UCL's and its . His work includes participating in schools workshops, online sessions, and Holocaust Memorial Day events. Rob's documentaries, including My Family, the Holocaust and Me,聽inspired CHE's educational programme, "The Holocaust, Their Family, Me and Us," which has reached over 200 secondary schools to date.聽His advocacy for Holocaust education and his collaboration with UCL have been instrumental in addressing antisemitism and enhancing student engagement with this complex history.

Erich Herrmann has been a powerhouse of technical expertise at 皇家华人, contributing significantly to research, teaching, and infrastructure development. Over many years at聽UCL,聽Erich鈥檚 innovations (including the first Fourier transform spectrometer for solid state physics) have advanced聽numerous fields.聽His insights and specialist fabrication skills聽have been pivotal for UCL鈥檚 key research achievements, and his聽leadership in creating state-of-the-art fabrication facilities and mentoring technical staff has left an impressive legacy for his former colleagues and students.

Honorary Fellowships

顿谤听厂别产补蝉迟颈补苍听叠补颈濒别测 (Psychology with Cognitive Science聽1997)聽is the Co-Founder, President, and Executive Director of . Sebastian has led the company to work with聽major FTSE 100 firms globally, focusing on psychology, technology, and human behavior. As a UCL alumnus, he has made a significant contribution to his alma mater through his philanthropy and sharing his expertise.聽He has聽advised聽on strategy and supported聽inclusivity and diversity initiatives, whilst he has also given his support to the Careers Extra Internship Scheme, which provides opportunities for disadvantaged students.

Mark Cleary聽(Scandinavian Studies聽1978) has been a dedicated supporter of UCL for more than聽15 years, organising events and engaging alumni in the Tri-State Area in the United States. As President and Treasurer of the US-based , he strengthened governance and fundraising efforts, contributing to the success of UCL's聽鈥業t鈥檚 All Academic鈥� philanthropy and enegagement campaign which ran between 2016 and 2020. Mark鈥檚 support continues to benefit students, not least through the proceeds from聽his beautiful聽聽which is sold in the UCL Shop.

Vincent Keaveny CBE聽served as Lord Mayor of the City of London in 2021/22 and is currently a partner at DLA Piper LLP and chair of . As Lord Mayor, he promoted a purpose-led financial sector, hosting the Net Zero Delivery Summit and leading the Finance for Impact initiative. During his tenure, he became the first Lord Mayor to have a documented meeting with a President & Provost of UCL. This unlocked a聽relationship between the university and city which continues to flourish, with shared endeavours now taking place across the creative and cultural industries, health research and innovation and enterprise.

James and Cathleen Stone are聽Chairman and President of . Their support has enabled the establishment of , which works to advance research and teaching to provide a clear understanding of the causes of wealth inequality and its economic and political consequences. James and Cathleen鈥檚 commitment to inclusivity and the spread of knowledge is reflected in UCL鈥檚 own history and mission, and their philanthropic commitment to tackling some of society鈥檚 major challenges is making a powerful difference in the world.

Recognising exceptional contributions

鈥淎 huge congratulations to our fantastic cohort of Honorary Fellowship and Honorary Degree recipients,鈥� said Angharad Milenkovic, Vice-President (Advancement) at 皇家华人. 鈥淚t is a privilege to be able to recognise those who make exceptional contributions to the life of our university, its home city of London, and the wider world.

鈥淭o do so at graduation allows us to celebrate their achievements in the company of the next generation of talented UCL alumni, and to share with them experiences which might inspire their own remarkable journeys to come.鈥�

Image

Rob Rinder MBE speaks from the podium at Royal Festival Hall (by聽James Tye).