Birthday Honours for Catz alumni

Three alumni of St Catharine’s College were recognised for their public service as part of the Birthday Honours list published to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s 95^th birthday earlier in June.

Dr Philip Augar was appointed a Knight Bachelor for services to Higher and Further Education Policy. Having served the College as Bursar (1987–89) and been elected to the Fellowship of St Catharine’s in 1987, he has enjoyed a successful career as a financial services expert and author. He explained how the knighthood recognises his contributions to the recent review of post-18 education and funding in the UK:

“In 2018 I was asked by the then Prime Minister, Theresa May, to chair a panel on post-18 education in England and our report was published in 2019. I was privileged to work with an outstanding panel and a team of brilliantly dedicated officials. I consider this award to be for them and I hope that the work we did will be of lasting benefit to all parts of the sector.”

James Coppin was awarded an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to the Vaccine Taskforce. James joined St Catharine’s as an undergraduate in 2001 to read Economics, and is now an executive director of UK Government Investments. His recent work with the Vaccine Taskforce involved negotiating agreements with vaccine manufacturers to secure vaccines and manufacturing capacity as part of the UK’s response to COVID-19.

James commented, “I am delighted to receive this award and for my work to be recognised in this way. I am really pleased that I was able to contribute and make a difference to a matter of national importance. It was a privilege to work with such a great team.”

Devina Banerjee was awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to COVID-19 Vaccine Development. Devina studied Classics at St Catharine’s 2014–17 and joined the Civil Service in 2019. She was a civil servant in the Vaccine Taskforce from April 2020 until May 2021.

Devina added, “I am delighted by the award and the recognition of the Vaccine Taskforce's work to secure safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines at incredible pace. I was responsible for providing advice on the most promising vaccines for the UK to purchase and coordinated work with a team of industry experts to select a portfolio of vaccines out of all those in development globally. Our work ensured Government could act quickly to secure vaccine supplies before we had data on clinical efficacy and it is amazing to see the real-world outcomes from the vaccine rollout.”

Professor Sir Mark Welland, Master of St Catharine’s, remarked, “It is a source of immense pride for the College when members of our community are recognised for their public service. I am delighted to offer my warmest congratulations to Sir Philip, James and Devina on their recognition in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list. They have each stepped up and helped the country pave a way forward in challenging circumstances, from supporting the response to the pandemic, to shaping the post-18 education landscape.”

Additionally, Professor Bill Sutherland, the College’s Environment Fellow and Miriam Rothschild Chair in Conservation Biology in the Department of Zoology, was awarded a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to Evidence-based Conservation. Read the College’s response to Professor Sutherland’s CBE.