Detailed guide: Honours committees

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 are:

• Sir Jonathan Stephens KCB (chair)
• Chair of Arts and Media Committee: Rupert Gavin
• Chair of Community, Voluntary and Local Services Committee: Dame Clare Tickell DBE
• Chair of the Economy Committee: Sir Ian Cheshire
• Chair of Education Committee: Sir Daniel Moynihan
• Chair of Health Committee: Professor The Lord Kakkar
• Chair of Parliamentary and Political Service Committee: The Rt. Hon. The Lord Spicer
• Chair of Science and Technology Committee: Professor Sir John Bell GBE
• Chair of Sport Committee: The Lord Coe of Ranmore KBECH
• Chair of State Committee: Dame Mary Marsh DBE
• The Cabinet Secretary
• The Permanent Secretary of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
• The Chief of Defence Staff
• Another Permanent Secretary (vacant)

Arts and media

Rupert Gavin – Chair, Historic Royal Palaces (independent chair)

Independent members:

• The Lord Fellowes of West Stafford DL– writer, actor and director
• Dame Liz Forgan DBE– journalist
• Julia Peyton Jones OBE– Director, the Serpentine Gallery
• Luke Rittner – Chief Executive, Royal Academy of Dance
• Sir Peter Stothard – Editor, The Times Literary Supplement

Official members:

• Sue Owen CB – Permanent Secretary, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
• Leslie Evans – Permanent Secretary, Scottish Government

Community, voluntary and local services

Dame Clare Tickell DBE– Chief Executive, Action for Children (independent chair)

Independent members:

• Evelyn Asante-Mensah OBEDL– Chair, NHS Manchester
• Melanie Bryan OBE– social entrepreneur, Why Not Change?
• Dilwar Hussain – Co-founder, New Horizons in British Islam
• Dr. Angus Kennedy OBE– Chief Executive, Community Regeneration Partnership
• John Knight CBE JP – formerly Director of Policy at Leonard Cheshire Disability and Board Member, Charity Commission
• Dame Barbara Monroe DBE– Chief Executive, St. Christopher’s Hospice
• Brian O’Doherty – Director, Helping Hand North East
• Noreen Oliver MBE – Founder and Chief Executive Officer, BAC O’Connor Centre
• Sir Nicholas Young – former Chief Executive, British Red Cross

Official members:

• Melanie Dawes – Permanent Secretary, Department for Communities and Local Government
• Richard Heaton – Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice
• Sir Derek Jones KCB– Permanent Secretary, Welsh Government
• Mark Sedwill CMG– Permanent Secretary, Home Office
• Chris Wormald – Permanent Secretary, Department for Education

The economy

Sir Ian Cheshire – Chief Executive Officer, Kingfisher plc (independent chair)

Independent members:

• Dame Helen Alexander DBE– Chair, UBM plc and Chancellor, University of Southampton
• Dame Colette Bowe DBE– former Chair, Office of Communications (Ofcom)
• Anya Hindmarch MBE – fashion designer and businesswoman
• Brent Hoberman CBE– entrepreneur
• Helen Mahy – Group Company Secretary and General Counsel, National Grid
• Dr Yvonne Thompson CBE– entrepreneur

Official members:

• Martin Donnelly CMG– Permanent Secretary, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
• Sue Owen CB – Permanent Secretary, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
• John Kingham – Permanent Secretary, HM Treasury
• Leslie Evans – Permanent Secretary, Scottish Government

Education

Professor Sir Michael Barber – Head, McKinsey’s Global Education Practice (independent chair)

Independent members:

• Dame Rachel de Souza DBE– Principal and Executive Director, Ormiston Victory Academy
• Marion Matchett CBE– Civil Service Commissioner for Northern Ireland
• Peter Williams CBE– former Chief Executive, Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education
• Dr John Guy OBE– former sixth form principal and education consultant
• Dame Asha Khemka DBE– Principal and Chief Executive, West Nottinghamshire College

Official members:

• Martin Donnelly CMG– Permanent Secretary, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
• Chris Wormald – Permanent Secretary, Department for Education
• Dr. Malcolm McKibbin – Head, Northern Ireland Civil Service

Health

Professor The Lord Kakkar – Director, Thrombosis Research Institute (independent chair)

Independent members:

• Dame Christine Beasley DBE– Chief Nursing Officer for England
• Dame Ruth Carnall DBE– Chief Executive, NHS London
• Professor Sir Ian Gilmore – Chair, Liverpool Health Partners, University of Liverpool
• Professor Karen Middleton CBE– Chief Executive, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
• Sir Nicholas Partridge OBE– former Chief Executive, Terrence Higgins Trust
• Professor Sir Simon Wessely – Director, King’s Centre for Military Health Research, King’s College London

Official members:

• Dame Sally Davies DBE– Chief Medical Officer (England)
• Una O’Brien CB – Permanent Secretary, Department of Health
• Andrew Goodall – Director General, Department for Health, Social Services and Children, Welsh Government

Parliamentary and political service

The Rt. Hon. The Lord Spicer – Member, House of Lords (independent chair)

Independent members:

• Dianne Bevan – Chief Operating Officer, National Assembly for Wales
• The Rt Hon the Lord Butler of Brockwell KG GCB CVO - Member, House of Lords
• The Rt Hon the Baroness Hayman GBE – former Speaker of the House of Lords
• The Rt Hon Peter Riddell CBE– Director, Institute for Government
• The Lord Lisvane KCBDL

Official members:

• The Rt Hon Mark Harper MP – Government Chief Whip
• The Rt Hon Rosie Winterton MP – Labour Chief Whip

Science and technology

Professor Sir John Bell FRS– Regius Professor of Medicine, University of Oxford (independent chair)

Independent members:

• Professor Sir Tony Atkinson FBA – Senior Research Fellow, Nuffield College
• Professor Dame Glynis Breakwell DBEDL– Vice Chancellor, University of Bath
• The Baroness Brown of Cambridge DBE– Vice-Chancellor, Aston University
• Martyn Rose – Director, Martyn Rose Ltd.
• Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell DBEFRSDL– President and Vice Chancellor, University of Manchester

Official members:

• Professor Sir Mark Walport FRS– Chief Scientific Adviser to HM Government
• Professor Gareth Davies – Director-General, Knowledge and Innovation, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
• Professor Julie Williams CBE– Chief Scientific Adviser, Welsh Government

Sport

The Lord Coe of Ranmore KBECH– Chairman, CSM (independent chair)

Independent members:

• Giles Clarke – Chair, England and Wales Cricket Board and Director, International Cricket Council
• The Baroness Grey Thompson of Eaglescliffe DBE– former Paralympic athlete
• Tim Lamb - former Chief Executive, Sport and Reaction Alliance
• Tim Phillips - former Chairman, All England Lawn Tennis Club
• Graham Taylor OBE– former England Football Manager

Official members:

• Sue Owens CB – Permanent Secretary, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
• Dr. Malcolm McKibbin – Head, Northern Ireland Civil Service

State

Dame Mary Marsh DBE– (independent chair)

Independent members:

• The Rt Hon the Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone JP DL– Member, House of Lords and Chair, Board Practice, Odgers Berndtson
• Elizabeth McKeikan – Non-Executive Director, JD Wetherspoon plc. and former Civil Service Commissioner
• Dr. Diana Walford CBE– former Principal, Mansfield College, Oxford
• Dr. Suzy Walton – Deputy Chairman RSA, University of Westminster and Internet Watch Foundation

Official members:

• Permanent Secretary, (vacant)
• Sir Jonathan Stephens KCB, Permanent Secretary, Northern Ireland Office

Vacancies

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