Project professionals celebrated in the King’s New Year Honours 2026

Several members of the project profession have been recognised in the King’s New Year Honours list 2026 – the annual list which celebrates the contribution of well-known personalities, government employees and ordinary people who have served their community.

Among those receiving honours are:

·       Professor Simon Milne MBE, Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE), has been awarded a Knighthood for his work in transforming the RBGE into a world leader in botanical science, conservation and horticulture.

·       Andrew McNaughton, FREng, Executive Director Infrastructure Projects for AWE plc, has been awarded a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to National Infrastructure. Andrew has been responsible for delivering some of the nation’s most significant major projects including High Speed One, the Aquatics Centre for London 2012 and Heathrow Terminal 5. 

·       Dr Beate Lewkowicz, Co-Founder and Project Director, Refugee Voices, Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR), has been awarded an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her services to Holocaust Remembrance and Education. Dr Lewkowicz has spent over 20 years documenting and preserving the stories of Holocaust refugees and survivors in the UK.

·       Aimee Anderson Project Leader for the Ministry of Defence has been awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for helping pioneer innovative and novel technologies at speed. Aimee played a pivotal role in critical ‘first-of-their-kind’ science and technology solutions for military operations.

·       Paul Higson, Project Manager and Volunteer for North East Scotland Preservation Trust (NESPT), has been awarded an MBE for Services to the Built Heritage of Scotland. Paul has worked for NESPT since March 2009 and during this time has managed the successful restoration of numerous buildings into fully operational commercial assets.

·       Francis Chamberlain, Director and Project Coordinator for Brierley Hill High Street Heritage Action Zone, has received a British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to heritage and to the community in Brierley Hill, West Midlands

·       Julie Fitzpatrick, Project Manager at Department for Work and Pensions, for services to Local and National Cancer Care.

·       Ffion Mitchell-Langford, Hiraeth Yn Y Môr Project Lead for Marine Conservation Society, has received a BEM for services to the Natural Marine Environment and to the communities in North Wales

·       David Tomlinson, Co-Founder, Chair of Trustees and Project Manager for Acting on Impulse, and Suzan Tomlinson, Co-Founder and Project Manager for Acting on Impulse, have both been awarded a BEM for their services to the community in Greater Manchester (Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester).

As the chartered membership organisation for the project profession, Association for Project Management offers its congratulations to everyone whose contributions and achievements have been recognised.