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A dozen honours and a dance

05 November 2013

 

Dancing Teesside favourite Mark Benton will be waltzing on stage to collect an honorary degree this year as part of Teesside University’s graduation ceremonies.

The Strictly Come Dancing star and actor will be joined by 11 other outstanding figures to be awarded honorary degrees at the ceremonies which take place in November and December.

Also being honoured is:

Anna Kennedy OBE, the locally born director of a major autism charity • Graeme Burnett, Senior Vice-President of Delta Air Lines • Stephanie McGovern, BBC TV business journalist • Richard Milward, Middlesbrough born acclaimed author • Professor Graham Honeyman CBE, Chief Executive of Sheffield Forgemasters International • David Parnaby, football coach and head of Middlesbrough Youth Academy • Lord Crathorne, HM Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire • Professor Charles Greenough, Clinical Director of spinal injuries at South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust • Dr Joy Shi, President of Hong Kong Institute of Technology (partner institution) • Tony Waites, Chair of County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust • Ken Home OBE, founder of K Home Engineering.

Professor Graham Henderson CBE DL, Vice-Chancellor of Teesside University, said: 'I am absolutely delighted that we are awarding honorary degrees to such a diverse and talented group of individuals and I am really looking forward to having the opportunity to welcome them into our University community. I am sure that our students will enjoy sharing their personal success with such inspiring role models.'

Details of Teesside University’s 2013 honorary graduates in the order they will receive their degrees:

Ken Home OBE – Honorary Doctor of Business Administration Ken Home is the Chairman and founder of K Home Engineering. He has led a major Tees Valley success story achieving awards such as the Queens Award for Export, Tees Valley Company of the Year (twice), Tees Valley Exporter of the Year. Ken was personally recognised as Tees Valley Executive of the Year.

David Parnaby – Honorary Doctor in Professional Achievement David Parnaby is head of the Middlesbrough Football Club Academy. He was previously a teacher at Longfield Comprehensive School in Darlington and coached England under-15 school boys before joining Middlesbrough FC. He is widely recognised as one of the most talented Academy leaders in English football.

Anna Kennedy OBE – Honorary Doctor in Professional Achievement Anna Kennedy OBE is a prominent autism campaigner. She is a former Tesco ‘Mum of the Year’ and founder of two ASD specialist schools in the UK. Anna originally comes from Middlesbrough.

Lord Crathorne KCVO KStJ JP MA FRSA – Honorary Doctor of Laws Lord Crathorne is Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire and member of the House of Lords, where he is a member of the Works of Art Committee. Among many external roles he is the Chairman of the Trustees of the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum and Chairman of the Lord Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Justices of the Peace, North Yorkshire.

Graeme Burnett – Honorary Doctor of Business Administration Graeme Burnett is Senior Vice-President of Delta Air Lines. He was previously Senior Vice-President of Total Petrochemicals and Refining USA Inc. Graeme is one of the most influential people in his field and is a graduate of Teesside University.

Professor Graham Honeyman CBE – Honorary Doctor of Business Administration Professor Graham Honeyman is Chief Executive of Sheffield Forgemasters. He worked previously at NEI Parsons. On re-joining Forgemasters he led a management buyout and led the company to great success in terms of both reputation and turnover. Graham completed his PhD, sponsored by the Ministry of Defence, at Teesside University.

Dr Joy Shi – Honorary Doctor of Business Administration Dr Joy Shi is the founding President of Hong Kong Institute of Technology, an important partner of Teesside University. Joy is a major public figure in Hong Kong and a distinguished educationalist.

Stephanie McGovern – Honorary Doctor in Professional Achievement Stephanie McGovern is a business journalist for the BBC and is currently the main business presenter for BBC Breakfast. She grew up in Middlesbrough and won the ‘Young Engineer for Britain’ award at the age of 19. Stephanie is also a former champion Irish dancer.

Professor Charles Greenough – Honorary Doctor in Professional Achievement Professor Charles Greenough is Consultant in Orthopaedics at South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He is Chairman of the Education Committee of the Spine Society of Europe and Visiting Professor of Spinal Studies at the University of Durham. He is the first ever national clinical director for back disorders and is a national leader in his specialism.

Tony Waites – Honorary Doctor of Business Administration Tony Waites is chair of the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust. He has previously held various Board level appointments in the international textile industry for almost 40 years and several Board positions in the National Health Service.

Mark Benton – Honorary Doctor of Letters Mark Benton is an actor known for many roles including Early Doors, Northern Lights and Barbara. He has recently toured the UK with Hairspray the Musical and has been making his dancing debut on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing. Mark comes from Grangetown, here on Teesside.

Richard Milward – Honorary Doctor of Letters Richard Milward is the young, highly-renowned author of Apples, Ten Storey Love Song and, most recently, Kimberly’s Capital Punishment. Richard’s writing has appeared in numerous publications and his books have been translated into nine languages. Richard comes from Middlesbrough and is a leading cultural ambassador for our town.


 
 
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