Honorary Doctorate and Fellowship recipients

Rob Draper

Rob Draper is a British artist and designer renowned for his distinctive approach to creativity.

Born in Worcester, he has built a wide-ranging creative career, working as a tutor, senior designer, art director, and ultimately creative director. After two decades in the industry, Rob chose to leave the traditional design world behind and pursue a freelance path. He has now worked independently for over 10 years, refining a practice that blends commercial work with deeply personal creative exploration. His hand-lettering expertise has earned global recognition, attracting an impressive international client list that includes The Golden Globes, Meta, NASA/JPL, Nike, Gap, Levi’s, Samsung, Penguin, Pentagram, Sunglass Hut, and WWF - a testament to both the versatility and broad appeal of his work.

In 2024, Rob was invited to hold a solo show at the University of Worcester’s Art House, where his journey came full circle—returning to the city where it all began.

Professor Elizabeth Hughes MBE

Elizabeth is Director of Research and Development at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust where she is also a Consultant in Metabolic Medicine and an acknowledged national and international expert in the management of lipid disorders in which she also has undertaken extensive academic research.

She has held many national roles, most recently Medical Director in NHS England, with responsibility for undergraduate medical and dental education and clinical academic training. She holds a number of academic appointments including Visiting Professor at the University of Worcester and is currently a Non-Executive Director on the Board of The Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board.

She was a founder member of the national charity HEARTUK of which she remains a Trustee.

Nadeem Khan

Nadeem qualified as a solicitor in 1999 working in a mixed civil litigation and family law practice. He went on to become a member of the Law Society's Children panel which meant he was able to represent children in care proceedings.

In 2008 he was appointed as a part-time tribunal judge and in 2010 was appointed a full time District Judge. At the time he was one of the youngest full-time judges in the country.  That appointment meant relocating to Worcester, where he became involved with the University in the early stages of the launch of its Law School.

Nadeem went on to become an independent governor on the board for the University in 2017 and remained in that role for eight years, completing the maximum of two terms, during which time he chaired one of the sub-committees.

In his role as a Judge, Nadeem mentored aspiring judges drawn from a pool of under-represented applicants.

He also mentored and appraised the work of other judges. In his personal life, Nadeem and his family have been foster carers for about 10 years and recently became adoptive parents to their youngest child. 

Dale Parmenter

Dale has been in the presentation and communication industry for over 40 years.

He left school with one goal - to run his own business. After just 3 years the opportunity arose and Dale took it, operating at first from a shed at his parent’s home as a filmmaker. Today DPRG is recognised as one of the leading integrated, full-service presentation and communication groups, winning agency of the year multiple times. The DPRG team comprises of over 400 specialists across seven locations in Worcestershire, London, Manchester, Germany, and the USA. In 2023 it was awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Growth and is one of only 1% of companies to hold the Investors in People platinum standard.

In 2015, Dale was presented with the events industry Personality of the Year and in 2016 honoured with a fellowship award for services to Communication, presented at the House of Lords. In 2022, he was awarded CIPR Leader of the Year and in 2024 CEO of the year.

Dr Benjamin Rogers

Ben is Director of Psychological Services at Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust and a practicing Consultant Clinical Psychologist. Alongside these roles, he co-chairs the British Psychological Society’s Division of Clinical Psychology for the West Midlands region and chairs the West Midlands Psychology Advisory Group.

Having worked in the NHS for over 25 years, including 16 years in Worcestershire, Ben has held senior leadership roles that have been instrumental in embedding psychological practice across communities. Ben is passionate about meaningful participation and innovations which promote mental health and psychological wellbeing, being shortlisted for the Health Service Journal’s Clinical Leader of the Year Award in 2019 for his work in this field.

A resident of Worcestershire and a strong supporter of the University of Worcester, Ben completed a Graduate Certificate in Managing in Health and Social Care here in 2010 and works closely with colleagues in the School of Health and Wellbeing, supporting the development of future psychological practitioners.

Dr Swaroop Sampat Rawal

Swaroop is a pioneering educator, life skills expert, and passionate advocate for inclusive, creative learning.

With a PhD and Doctor of Letters from the University of Worcester, she works across educational levels - from preschool to postgraduate - using drama and art to transform learning experiences and support mental wellbeing. Recognised among the top 10 teachers globally (2019), her impact reaches across India’s classrooms and communities. She plays a key role in shaping India's education policy, serving on the Central Advisory Board of Education and leading as Chair of Art-Integrated and Experiential Learning for the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE) 2023. As a mentor in India’s National Mission of Mentoring, she helps nurture the next generation of educators and leaders.

Swaroop has authored 15 academic books, published widely in international journals, and delivered over 75 presentations at national and international conferences, including keynote addresses. Her vision blends intellect, empathy, and creativity - championing education that empowers every child to thrive.

Ian Smith

Ian Smith is the 2025/26 High Sheriff of Worcestershire.

He qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1984 and has had a long and distinguished career. He was a Partner of Rabjohns Chartered Accountants in Worcester from 1987 to 2011, before merging the firm and becoming equity partner in Bishop Fleming LLP. Ian went on to become Chair of the firm in 2017, leading the innovative personal development programme for young newly qualified staff called ‘Bright Futures’, before retiring in 2022.

In addition to his professional career, Ian was Founder and Chair of Trustees of the Clothiers Company Charitable Foundation, which supports the education of young people in Worcestershire through bursaries, awards and prizes. He is also Chair of Trustees at both The Rowlands Trust and The Kildare Trust, as well as being a Trustee at Queen Elizabeth’s Almshouses (The Six Masters) and the Lulsley Charities.

Ian served as an Independent Governor on the University’s Board of Governors from 2016 to 2024, and was made a Freeman of the City of London in 2014. 

Keith Stokes-Smith

Keith spent most of his successful career in retail, where he was Company Secretary of British Home Stores, and Group Company Secretary of Wickes plc.

He established his own property investment company when he was 35 and has served in a vast range of other roles, including becoming Consul for Lithuania in the West Midlands in 2000 and a Justice of the Peace in 2002. In 2013 he became the founding Chairman of the Birmingham Commonwealth Association and went on to become the founding President of the Greater Birmingham Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce.

Keith is also a member of the African Business Chamber, founded the Birmingham Commonwealth Society, is a trustee of United Community Activity Network, and a member of the Worcestershire Diocese Criminal Justice Affairs Group. He is Auditor to the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Magistrates Association, Chairman of Point Severn Worcester Management Ltd and a past Director of Worcester FC, the Albrighton Trust and Wickes Aid. Keith is also a freeman of the City of London and a Liveryman of the Chartered Governance Institute.

He and his company have been a supporter of the University of Worcester for over 10 years with sponsorship of LLB prizes in Sport and Law.

The Very Revd Dr Stephen Edwards

Stephen was educated at Lancaster University and trained for ministry at Westcott House, Cambridge.

He was ordained in 1996 served his curacy in the parish of Colwyn Bay, in the Diocese of St Asaph, Wales. From 1999, he served as Priest-in-Charge of Bryn-Y-Maen. In 2002, Stephen was appointed Priest-in-Charge at St Agnes Birch-in-Rusholme, with St John with St Cyprian Longsight, in the Diocese of Manchester. From 2012, he served as Team Rector of Wythenshawe and, in 2013, he was additionally appointed Area Dean, Withington.

In 2019, Stephen was appointed Residentiary Canon at Worcester Cathedral, named as Vice-Dean in 2021, Interim Dean in 2023, and then installed as Dean of Worcester in September 2024.

Lindsey Hilsum

Lindsey Hilsum is Channel 4 News' International Editor.

Her most recent book is I Brought The War with Me; Stories and Poems from the Front Line. Recently she has reported on the wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Ukraine and the fall of Assad in Syria. She has covered the major conflicts and refugee movements of the past three decades, including Afghanistan, the Sahel, Iraq, Kosovo and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. From 2006-8 she was based in China, and in 1994 was the only English-speaking foreign correspondent in Rwanda as the genocide started.

She has won several awards, including the Royal Television Society Journalist of the Year, the Charles Wheeler Award and the Royal Geographical Society Patron’s Medal. She  contributes regularly to newspapers and literary magazines. Her book, In Extremis; the Life of War Correspondent Marie Colvin, won the 2019 James Tait Black Prize for biography. Her first book was Sandstorm; Libya in the Time of Revolution.