Five Sidney alumni recognised in New Year Honours

Sidney alumni have been recognised for their contributions to areas including policing, social mobility, social care policy, information regulation, inclusivity and healthcare, in the New Year Honours list.

Emily Bolton, Dr Benjamin Ellis, Jonathan White and Nicola Wood have been appointed MBE. Matthew Ward receives the King’s Police Medal.

L to R: Emily Bolton MBE, Dr Benjamin Ellis MBE, Matthew Ward KPM, Jonathan White MBE, Nicola Wood MBE.

Emily Bolton (Natural Sciences, 1996), CEO and Founder of Our Future,  was awarded an MBE for services to social mobility. Our Future backs citizens in deindustrialised communities to build a flourishing future. 

Emily has a long track record in social innovation, founding or co-founding organisations and partnerships that have created lasting change. Her work includes establishing the first Social Impact Bond in Peterborough Prison, and co-founding The Drive Project which has catalysed a national response to perpetrators of domestic abuse.

Emily said: ‘It is a real privilege to do this work and to collaborate with inspired leaders from every sector who want to build a positive future in the country. It really is a collective endeavour and I hope the news of this award provides a boost to the work we all care about.’ 

Dr Benjamin Ellis (Neural and Developmental Biology, 1996), Consultant Rheumatologist and Clinical Director for Outpatient Transformation, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, serves as Senior Clinical Policy Adviser to the charity Versus Arthritis, and is a co-founder and Director of , a charity that works to advance LGBT+ inclusion within the Jewish Community. He was appointed MBE for services to healthcare, to equality and to the Jewish community.

Benjamin said he felt ‘overwhelmed’ by news of his honour: ‘I have all these different aspects to what I'm passionate about and who I am, so to be honoured for those things together – healthcare, LGBT+ inclusion, my work with the Jewish community - is wonderful.’

Matt ‘Wes’ Ward (Law, 1992), Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Crime, Metropolitan Police Service, was awarded the King’s Police Medal (KPM) for his work, at a national level, on building public trust in the police, and for planning and leading the policing operation for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, held in Birmingham.

Matt said he felt ‘deeply humbled’ to be honoured in this way, adding that he ‘felt a bit like an imposter because success in policing is always about the team and never the individual.’

‘I joined West Midlands Police three weeks after graduating.  Becoming a police officer had been a childhood ambition of mine and I was delighted when I was accepted onto the police's national graduate entry scheme.  Being a student at Sidney Sussex had given me the confidence to pursue my dreams, as well as providing me with incredible friends for life.’

Jonathan White (Economics, 2002) works for the Department of Health and Social Care, where he is Economic Adviser on the care market. In this role, he has substantially transformed the Department’s evidence base on the care market and has successfully guided it through a string of crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jon was appointed MBE for services to social care policy. He described the news of his award as a ‘massive surprise, to be honest, but it feels wonderful for my work to be acknowledged in this way. It also reflects the contribution of many people I’ve worked with, both inside and outside government.’

‘During my economics degree at Sidney I received a solid grounding in economics, including my first introduction to health economics. It stood me in a strong position to apply my economics skills to public policy problems within the Civil Service.’

Nicola Wood (History and Law, 1990), Senior Independent Director, Information Commissioner's Office, was appointed MBE for services to regulation. She joined the ICO in 2015. A qualified solicitor, Nicky has served on the committees, panels and boards of a wide range of organisations, including the Chartered Insurance Institute, The Health and Care Professions Council and the sustainable transport charity Sustrans.

Nicky said: ‘With all the changes in technology over the last decade, it has been a fascinating time to be at the ICO and to help it transform as its statutory powers, size and significance increased. I am delighted to have received this award knowing that it is a reflection of the work of the whole of the ICO.’

The College offers its congratulations to those who have received honours, and would like to thank all our alumni for the contributions they make to improving the lives of others.