New Year Honours 2025 celebrates unsung heroes in public service and beyond

Several tech leaders have been recognised in the King's New Year Honours list. Lorna Armitage and Dr Andrea Cullen, co-founders of cyber security training company Capslock, have been awarded MBEs for services to cyber security. Piers Linney, former Dragons' Den star and tech entrepreneur, has been awarded an MBE for services to small business, to entrepreneurs, to investors, to banking and to diversity and social mobility. Linney said: "The next phase of my work will focus on supporting organisations to embrace and implement AI to boost productivity and competitiveness. I'm also determined to play my part with the Implement AI team to ensure that the UK, a country that gave my parents and me opportunities that would have been unavailable elsewhere, helps shape, and benefits from, the fourth industrial revolution." Cllr Bev Craig, leader of Manchester City Council, has been awarded an OBE for services to local government. Cllr Craig said: "To receive an OBE is a huge privilege, and to get awarded it for what I've been able to give back to our city is all the more special. Manchester is an incredible city, made special by its people and a place I'm proud to call home. Leading our city is a privilege I don't take for granted so to get awarded an OBE for what we've been doing to make Manchester an even better place to live and improve the lives of Manchester people, while creating a city that is fairer and more inclusive for generations to come, is the real honour." Henri Murison, chief executive of The Northern Powerhouse Partnership, was awarded an MBE for services to the economy. Kathy Cowell OBE DL, Chair of Manchester University NHS FT (MFT), has been honoured as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to the NHS. Cowell said: "It is a great privilege to serve our diverse communities in Manchester, Trafford and beyond. I have been blessed to work with incredible people throughout my time in the NHS, all committed to improving patient care. This honour is testament to everything we have achieved together over the years, including the work of our amazing volunteers." Julia Heap, principal and CEO of Hopwood Hall College, has been awarded the OBE for services to further education. Julia Fawcett, CEO of The Lowry, was awarded the OBE for services to art and the creative industry. Mo Isap, chief executive of MediaCity-based professional technology skills provider IN4 Group, has been awarded an OBE for services to education. Dr Jonathan Hague, an executive of Unilever and chair of Liverpool City Region Innovation Board for services to research, innovation and economic development, received an OBE. Dr Andrea Cullen spoke of her delight after she and her Capslock co-founder Lorna Armitage were awarded MBEs for services to cyber security. Cullen said: "We are not the most conventional so it is a huge surprise to us how proud and humbled we are feeling. We've spent our whole careers making sure that the job opportunities our digital world presents are open to everyone no matter who they are or where they're from. When you are really passionate about something, you are most focused on what you haven't achieved yet rather than what you have. So receiving an accolade like this has definitely forced us to take a moment to reflect and reluctantly pat ourselves on the back. Thank you to all the brilliant people and businesses who have supported us and, most importantly, all the learners we've worked with whose pure grit and determination to succeed in cyber is what makes us tick. Being seen does matter. It matters to us especially, as women in tech from working class roots and as a married couple. We are definitely starting 2026 with even more fire in our bellies as a result." Alex Knight, founder and CEO of STEMAZING, was awarded an MBE for services to diversity and inclusion in engineering. Knight said: "This is such a huge honour and I am super grateful to everyone who contributed to this recommendation and everyone who is part of the work we do in STEMAZING and the wider wonderful ecosystem of organisations, communities, charities, institutions and individuals that all work so hard to keep driving positive progress in the world of diversity, inclusion, equality in STEM. I am very proud of the impact I am able to be a part of because of the collective movement of so many amazing people around me - so thank you. What a way to start 2026." Entrepreneur Richard Harpin, founder of HomeServe, has been knighted for services to politics. Harpin said: "I'm enormously proud of the UK's entrepreneurial talent and remain passionate about continuing to support founders and businesses to scale. This honour reflects the efforts of many brilliant people I've had the privilege to work with over the last 35 years and I'm deeply grateful to colleagues, friends, and family for their unwavering support."