Honours committees
Source: gov.uk (2025-10-28)

This page provides information on how honours committees are made up and who the current members are.

Honours committees are made up of senior civil servants (‘official members’) and people who are independent of government (‘independent members’). All honours committees have a majority of members who are independent.

Each honours committee has an independent chairperson. A representative from 10 Downing Street is invited to attend all committee meetings.

Honours committees review honours nominations for people involved in specific activities (like arts and media or sport) which are then sent to the Main Honours Committee.

Main committee

Members:
- Dame Sarah Healey DCB CVO
- The Cabinet Secretary - delegated attendance to Dame Antonia Romeo DCB
- Chair of Arts and Media Committee: John Booth CVO
- Chair of Community and Voluntary Services Committee: The Rt Hon Nick Hurd
- Chair of Economy Committee: Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia DBE CVO FRSE
- Chair of Education Committee: Sir Hamid Patel CBE
- Chair of Health and Social Care Committee: Dame Jane Dacre DBE
- Chair of Parliamentary and Political Service Committee: The Rt Hon. the Baroness Winterton of Doncaster DBE
- Chair of Public Service Committee: Harris Bokhari OBE
- Chair of Science, Technology and Research Committee: Stephen Kelly
- Chair of Sport Committee: Sir Ron Kalifa OBE
- Chair of State Committee: The Rt Hon Dame Anne Rafferty DBE (https://www.gov.uk/government/people/anne-rafferty)
- The Permanent Under Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
- The Chief of the Defence Staff
Arts and Media

John Booth CVO - Chair, National Gallery and Prince’s Trust (Independent Chair)

Independent members:
- YolanDa Brown OBE DL - Saxophonist, Broadcaster and Chair of BPI
- Ben Evans CBE - Director of the London Design Festival and Executive Director of London Design Biennale
- Sir Richard Mantle OBE DL - Cultural administrator, Chair of The Grange Festival, Chair of In Peace or War and former General Director of Opera North
- George Saumarez Smith - Director of ADAM Architecture
- Samir Shah CBE - Chair, BBC
- Dr Jo Twist OBE - CEO, BPI
- Lisa Opie - Managing Director, Ubisoft Reflections; Chair, ScreenSkills; Chair, Together TV
- Kate Mosse CBE FRSL - Author, Arts Campaigner and Founder, Women’s Prize for Fiction and Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction
Official members:
- Susannah Storey CB - Permanent Secretary, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
- Joe Griffin - Permanent Secretary, Scottish Government
Community and Voluntary Service

Chair: The Rt Hon Nick Hurd (Independent Chair)

Independent members:
- Rabbi Dr Harvey Belovski - Emeritus Rabbi, Golders Green Synagogue; Chief Strategist and Rabbinic Head, University Jewish Chaplaincy
- Carly Jones MBE - Autism Advocate
- Adeeba Malik CBE - Deputy Chief Executive, QED UK
- Daryl Brown MBE DL - Chief Executive, Magpas Air Ambulance
- Melanie Bryan OBE DL - Founder, WhyNotChange
- Dr Wakkas Khan MBE DL - Founder, Young Interfaith; Member, Lancashire Cricket Foundation Inclusion Advisory Board; Former Chair, Prince’s Trust Mosaic North West; Former Trustee, Oxfam GB
- Eddie Lynch MBE - Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Group Chair, Abri; Board Member, London Travelwatch; Misconduct Hearings Independent Panel Member, Thames Valley Police
- Ruth Shaw OBE - Independent Consultant, Affleck & Co
- Michelle Mitchell OBE - Chief Executive, Cancer Research UK
- Jane MacLeod LL - Solicitor; Chair, Developing Young Workforce Argyll; Secretary and Treasurer, Mid Argyll Chamber of Commerce
- Dr Stefan Fafinski DL - Trustee, Public Appointee and Deputy Lieutenant for the Royal County of Berkshire
Official members:
- Susannah Storey CB - Permanent Secretary, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
- Will Garton - Director General, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
- Dr Andrew Goodall CBE - Permanent Secretary, Welsh Government
The Economy

Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia DBE CVO FRSE (Independent Chair)

Independent members:
- Dame Vivian Hunt DBE - Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company
- Dr Gerard Lyons - Chief Economic Strategist, Netwealth
- Peter Harrison, Chair Morgan Sindall plc, NED at Lazard Inc and Chair Business in the Community
- Dame Julia Hoggett DBE - CEO, London Stock Exchange
- Steven Cooper CBE - CEO, Aldermore Group; Chair, Experian UK
Official members:
- Gareth Davies CB - Permanent Secretary, Department for Business and Trade
- Jeremy Pocklington CB - Permanent Secretary, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
- Joe Griffin - Permanent Secretary, Scottish Government
- James Bowler CB - Permanent Secretary, HM Treasury
Education

Sir Hamid Patel CBE - Chief Executive, Star Academies (Independent chair)

Independent members:
- Dame Sally Coates DBE - Director of Secondary Education, United Learning
- Dame Sally Dicketts DBE - President, Association of Colleges
- Sir Martyn Oliver, HM Chief Inspector of Education
- Dame Nicola Dandridge DBE
- Dame Janet Beer DBE
- Clive Lawrence OBE - Chief Education Officer at Esteem Multi-Academy Trust
Official members:
- Jayne Brady MBE - Head of Northern Ireland Civil Service
- Susan Acland-Hood – Permanent Secretary, Department for Education
Health and Social Care

Professor Dame Jane Dacre DBE - Professor of Medical Education, University College London and President, Medical Protection Society (Independent chair)

Independent members:
- Dr Henrietta Hughes OBE - lately National Guardian for the NHS
- Dame Til Wykes DBE - Professor of Clinical Psychology and Rehabilitation, King’s College London
- Dame Ruth Beverley DBE - Lately Chief Nursing Officer for England
- Dame Laura Lee DBE - Chief Executive, Maggie’s
- Sir David Pearson - Lately President of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services
- Wol Kolade - Managing Partner of Livingbridge, lately Deputy Chair of NHS England and lately Chair of the Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation
Official members:
- Professor Sir Chris Whitty KCB - Chief Medical Officer (England)
- Samantha Jones OBE – Permanent Secretary, Department of Health and Social Care
- Judith Paget CBE - Director General, Department for Health, Social Services and Children, Welsh Government
Parliamentary and Political Service

The Rt Hon. the Baroness Winterton of Doncaster DBE (Independent Chair)

Independent members:
- Lord McNicol of West Kilbride
- The Lord Oates
- Professor Stephanie Rickard - Professor of Political Science, London School of Economics
- Craig Stephenson OBE - Trustee, Public Appointee and formerly Director at Welsh Parliament.
Official members:
- The Rt Hon Jonathan Reynolds MP - Government Chief Whip
- Dame Rebecca Harris MP - Opposition Chief Whip
- Wendy Chamberlain - Liberal Democrat Chief Whip
Public Service

Harris Bokhari OBE - Trustee, Natural History Museum, Chair, National Citizen Service Trust (Independent Chair)

Independent members:
- Tariq Shah OBE - CEO, Vigo Group
- Sir David Thompson QPM DL - Former Chief Constable, West Midlands Police
- The Rt. Hon. Lord Young of Old Windsor GCB, GCVO - Independent senior corporate adviser; House of Lords Finance Select Committee; former Principal Private Secretary to the Sovereign
- Caroline Underwood OBE - Founder and CEO, Philanthropy Company
Official Members:
- Susan Acland-Hood – Permanent Secretary, Department for Education
- Simon Ridley, Second Permanent Secretary, Home Office
- Dr Andrew Goodall CBE – Permanent Secretary, Welsh Government
- Will Garton - Director General, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
- Dr Jo Farrar CB OBE - Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice
Science, Technology and Research

Stephen Kelly - Chair, Tech Nation (Independent chair)

Independent members:
- Professor Sir Keith Burnett, CBE, FRS – Chair, Nuffield Foundation and Chair of the Academic Council, Schmidt Science Fellowship, University of Oxford.
- Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser DBE – CEO, UK Research and Innovation
- Professor Dame Muffy Calder DBE FRSE FREng - University of Glasgow
- Stian Westlake - Executive Chair, Economic and Social Research Council
- Professor Sarah Hainsworth OBE FREng - Pro-Vice Chancellor, University of Bath
- Professor Dame Julia Black CBE - Warden, Nuffield College and Professor of Law and Regulation, University of Oxford
- Professor Nola Hewitt-Dundas - Professor of Innovation Management and Policy and Pro Vice-Chancellor, Queen’s University Belfast
Official members:
- Professor Dame Angela McLean DBE FRS - Chief Scientific Adviser to HM Government and Head, Government Office for Science
- Sarah Munby - Permanent Secretary, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
- Professor Jas Pal Badyal FRS - Chief Scientific Advisor for Wales
Sport

Chair - Sir Ron Kalifa OBE (Independent Chair)

Independent members:
- Susan Barker CBE - Former television presenter and professional tennis player
- Anthony Hamilton - British racing car manager
- Elena Narozanski - Board member, Football Foundation and Sport England
- Jennie Price CBE - Former CEO of Sport England, Chair, International Tennis Integrity Agency
- Robert Sullivan - CEO, Football Foundation
Official members:
- Susannah Storey CB - Permanent Secretary, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
- Jayne Brady MBE - Head of Northern Ireland Civil Service
State

Chair - The Rt Hon Dame Anne Rafferty DBE (https://www.gov.uk/government/people/anne-rafferty) (Independent Chair)

Independent members:
- Pavita Cooper - Portfolio Non-Executive Director and Chair, 30% Club UK
- Martyn Roper - Former Diplomat, lately Governor of the Cayman Islands
- Tony Poulter - Non-Executive Board member, Department for Transport Board; Civil Service Commissioner; Other NED roles
- Margaret Edwards OBE - Former Chair of the Civil Service Pension Board and Civil Service Commissioner.
Official members:
- Dame Sarah Healey DCB CVO, Permanent Secretary, Department, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
- Dame Antonia Romeo DCB - Permanent Secretary, Home Office
Diversity and Outreach Committee

The Committee will assist the committee process in delivering an honours system which is representative of UK society through a programme of policy improvements and interventions; targeted regional and sectoral outreach and publicity of the honours system; and advice to both the independent committees and Government departments.

The Committee will meet at least four times a year.

Chair - Moni Mannings OBE - Senior Independent Director and Committee Member (Remuneration and Nomination), The Co-operative Group Limited and Land Securities PLC (Independent Chair)

Independent members:
- Lisa Opie – Managing Director, Ubisoft Reflections; Chair, ScreenSkills; Chair, Together TV (Arts and Media Committee)
- Eddie Lynch MBE – Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Group Chair, Abri; Board Member, London Travelwatch; Misconduct Hearings Independent Panel Member, Thames Valley Police (Community and Voluntary Service Committee)
- Dame Julia Hoggett DBE – CEO, London Stock Exchange (Economy Committee)
- Clive Lawrence OBE – Chief Education Officer at Esteem Multi-Academy Trust (Education Committee)
- Wol Kolade – Managing Partner of Livingbridge, lately Deputy Chair of NHS England and lately Chair of the Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation (Health and Social Care Committee)
- Craig Stephenson OBE – Trustee, Public Appointee and formerly Director at Welsh Parliament (Parliamentary and Political Service Committee)
- Caroline Underwood OBE – Founder and CEO, Philanthropy Company (Public Service Committee)
- Professor Nola Hewitt-Dundas – Professor of Innovation Management and Policy and Pro Vice-Chancellor, Queen’s University Belfast (Science, Technology and Research Committee)
- Jennie Price CBE – Former CEO of Sport England, Chair, International Tennis Integrity Agency (Sport Committee)
- Pavita Cooper – Portfolio Non-Executive Director and Chair, 30% Club UK (State Committee)
Vacancies

From time to time, the Cabinet Office invites applications to fill vacancies on the committees.

All vacancies will be advertised on the Public Appointments website (https://apply-for-public-appointment.service.gov.uk/roles).