Queen’s Birthday Honours: Knighthood for Hamid Patel

London - Chief Executive of Star Academies in UK honoured for his services to education

By Prasun Sonwalkar

Published: Sat 12 Jun 2021, 7:03 PM

Last updated: Sat 12 Jun 2021, 7:16 PM

Hamid Patel, who heads a trust that runs several high-performing schools in England, was on Saturday knighted in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2021 list that recognises the achievements of several individuals from the Indian subcontinent, besides those associated with dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Earlier, Patel, the Chief Executive of Star Academies, was awarded the honour of CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire), and has been knighted for services to education, an official release said.

Patel said: “This is a tribute for all those who have worked so hard at Star Academies whose care, diligence and passion continue to inspire young people and nurture tomorrow’s leaders.”

He added: "All those involved with our schools at every level – our talented teachers, and our supportive parents, governors and wider community – have made a telling contribution to the positive impact we have had on the lives of so many children and young people”.

The honours list is released annually during Queen Elizabeth’s official birthday celebrations in the second weekend of June. A scaled-back Trooping the Colour parade was held at Windsor on Saturday to mark the occasion.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson noted that the list allows people to pay tribute to all those who have gone above and beyond in their service to the United Kingdom (UK): “Throughout the pandemic we have seen countless examples of everyday heroes. From those using their expertise to help develop life-saving vaccines, which are now being rolled out successfully to all parts of the UK, to the people who have given time and energy to care for their communities”.

He added: “We should take heart from the stories of those receiving honours today and be inspired by their courage and kindness. May they be a reminder of all that we can achieve when we come together as a society.”

The CBE is the highest-ranking award (excluding a knighthood/damehood), followed by OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) and the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire). The honours list includes BEM (British Empire Medal).

London-based Divya Chadha-Manek, who has been a leading figure in the UK government’s Vaccine Taskforce, has been awarded with an OBE for services during the Covid-19 response. Born in Kolkata, she was 18 when came to the UK on a scholarship.

She told Sky News that she can still recall her father's parting words: "He said 'do good, be good and do something amazing so that you get to meet the Queen'. My dad would be proud. He'd be messaging all his friends saying: 'that's my daughter'. We are ultimate royal fans." Her father passed away last December.

Other key individuals associated with response to the pandemic include Oxford academic and vaccine developer Sarah Gilbert, who is awarded damehood - the female equivalent of knighthood - and Andrew Pollard, also from the University of Oxford, who gets a knighthood.

Of the 1,129 individuals named in the list, 6.8 per cent are from the Asian community, officials said, adding that it is the most ethnically diverse list to date, with 15 per cent of recipients coming from an ethnic minority background.

Greater Manchester-based Abdul Hafeez, the founder and the Chief Executive of the Association of Pakistani Physicians and Surgeons of the UK, has been honoured with an MBE for services to the state-run National Health Service (NHS), particularly during Covid-19 pandemic.

Derby-based Jasvinder Singh Rai, the founder and the chairman of the Sikh Recovery Network, got an OBE for services to the Sikh community during the pandemic, while London-based Harmit Ahluwalia has been named for a BEM for services to the minority community in East London during the contagion.

Others from the Asian community named for the royal honours include Murthy Lakshmi Narayana Motupalli, Santokh Singh Dhaliwal, Jasjyot Singh, Devina Banerjee, Ananthakrishnan Raghuram, Jagjit Singh Chadha, Lolita Chakrabarti, Sumita Singha, Gurveer Dhami, Vimalkumar Choksi, Sumit Goyal, Priya Guha, Amika Sara George, Anoop JIvan Chauhan, Nahim Khan, Rimla Akhtar, Fadi El-Itani, Yousif Mohammed Eltom, Reha Begum Ullah, Nahim Ahmed, Mohammad Jamil Radha, Mohammed Imran, Mohammed Saeed, Jameel Sadik Al-Khalili, Javed Akhter Khan, Adnan Khan, Mohan Mansigani, Gerald John Pillay, Syed Naeem Pasha Shah, Gavin Mark Siriwardena, Arif Mohiuddin Ahmed, Thushantha De Silva, Asad Mahmood Fazil, Kiran Kumari Jassal, Fahima Khanom, Neena Mahal, Shivarubeni Mahathevan, Sofia Mahmood, Meera Naran, Zahir Patel, Ashraf Rahimshah Patel, Karin Qureshi, Kermal Singh, Reshma Sohoni, Ashok Kumar Jackisondas Taylor, Nagina Akhter, Atif Ali, Saiqa Ali, Syed Masum Ali, Wazid Hassan, Abrar Hussain, Humayun Islam, Bashir Kara, Pooja Kawa, Raj Wali Khan, Manoj Kumar Lal, Mahtab Morovat, Qamar Nawaz, Rajendra Parshotam Popat Pankhania, Idris Patel, Proshanta Lal Datta Purokayastha and Daksha Varsani.

Queen’s Birthday Honours: Knighthood for Hamid Patel; royal honours for Asians

London

Of the 1,129 individuals named in the annual list, 6.8% are from the Asian community

Earlier, Patel, the chief executive of Star Academies, was awarded the honour of CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire), and has been knighted for services to education, an official release said.

Patel said: “This is a tribute for all those who have worked so hard at Star Academies whose care, diligence and passion continue to inspire young people and nurture tomorrow’s leaders.”

The honours list is released annually during Queen Elizabeth’s official birthday celebrations at the second weekend of June. A scaled-back Trooping the Colour parade was held at Windsor on Saturday to mark the occasion.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson noted that the list allows people to pay tribute to all those who have gone above and beyond in their service to the United Kingdom (UK): “Throughout the pandemic, we have seen countless examples of everyday heroes. From those using their expertise to help develop life-saving vaccines, which are now being rolled out successfully to all parts of the UK, to the people who have given time and energy to care for their communities”.

London-based Divya Chadha-Manek, who has been a leading figure in the UK government’s Vaccine Taskforce, has been awarded an OBE for services during the Covid-19 response. Born in Kolkata, she was 18 when came to the UK on a scholarship.

She told Sky News that she can still recall her father's parting words: " He said 'do good, be good and do something amazing so that you get to meet the Queen'. My dad would be proud. He'd be messaging all his friends saying: 'that's my daughter'. We are ultimate royal fans." Her father passed away last December.

Other key individuals associated with response to the pandemic include Oxford academic and vaccine developer Sarah Gilbert, who is awarded damehood - the female equivalent of a knighthood - and Andrew Pollard, also from the University of Oxford, who gets a knighthood.

Greater Manchester-based Abdul Hafeez, the founder and the chief executive of the Association of Pakistani Physicians and Surgeons of the UK, has been honoured with an MBE for services to the state-run National Health Service (NHS), particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.