Birthday Honours 2021
Helen Atkinson DBE
Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE)
Pro Vice-Chancellor
“For services to Engineering and to Education.”
Timeline
Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE)
For services to Engineering and to Education.
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Recognised for
Topics
London Gazette notice
Order of the British Empire
Civil Division
Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood
St. James’s Palace, London SW1
12 June 2021
THE QUEEN has been graciously pleased, on the occasion of the Celebration of Her Majesty’s Birthday, to give orders for the following promotions in, and appointments to, the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire:
D.B.E.
To be Ordinary Dames Commander of the Civil Division of the said Most Excellent Order:
Professor Helen Valerie ATKINSON C.B.E. FREng
Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Aerospace, Transport and Manufacturing, Cranfield University
For services to Engineering and to Education.
Source: The London Gazette, issue 63377 · Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0
Location
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Location comes from the Cabinet Office / gov.uk published honours list, not the Gazette notice, and isn’t available for every honour.
In context
Each honour in context
Role, region and citation as recorded for each award.
Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Birthday Honours 2021- Role at the time
- Pro Vice-Chancellor
- Region
- Bedford, Bedfordshire
“For services to Engineering and to Education.”
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Birthday Honours 2021
Helen Atkinson
Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE)
“For services to Engineering and to Education.”
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Birthday Honours 2021
Helen Atkinson
Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE)
“For services to Engineering and to Education.”
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Birthday Honours 2021
Helen Atkinson
Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE)
“For services to Engineering and to Education.”
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In context
The bigger picture
How common is this award?
The Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire was awarded 14 times in the Birthday Honours List 2021 — about 1% of the list.
In their area
1 Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire recipient is from Bedfordshire.
What organisation were they with?
Pro Vice-Chancellor.
How widely is this recognised?
1,706 people have been recognised for Science, Engineering & Technology.
Counts reflect the 2000–2026 honours lists in our records; earlier years are not yet included.
Honoured alongside them
Others awarded the Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the Birthday Honours 2021
Andrea Leadsom
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2021
London, Greater London
“For Political Service.”
Anne Richards
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2021
Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh
“For services to Financial Services, to Women, to Education and to Science.”
Arlene Phillips
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2021
London, Greater London
“For services to Dance and to Charity.”
Caroline Macewen
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2021
Longforgan, Perth and Kinross
“For services to Ophthalmology and Healthcare Leadership during the Covid-19 Response.”
Catherine Bingham
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2021
London, Greater London
“For services to the Procurement, Manufacture and Distribution of Covid-19 Vaccines.”
Imogen Cooper
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2021
London, Greater London
“For services to Music.”
Margaret Hillier
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2021
London, Greater London
“For Political and Parliamentary service.”
Maura Regan
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2021
Sedgefield, County Durham
“For services to Education.”
Phyllida Barlow
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2021
London, Greater London
“For services to Art.”
Prudence Margaret Leith
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2021
Moreton in Marsh, Gloucestershire
“For services to Food, to Broadcasting and to Charity.”
Sandra Horley
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2021
London, Greater London
“For services to the Prevention of Domestic Abuse and to the Protection of Women and Children.”
Sara Llewellin
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2021
Worthing, West Sussex
“For services to Social Justice.”
Sarah Gilbert
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2021
Headington, Oxfordshire
“For services to Science and to Public Health in Covid Vaccine Development.”
In the same field
Others recognised for Science, Engineering & Technology
Across the 2000–2026 honours lists in our records, 1,706 people have been recognised for Science, Engineering & Technology. See the full list →
Stephen Andrew Smith
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Oxford, Oxfordshire
“For services to Climate Science.”
Fiona Rayment
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Salford, Greater Manchester
“For services to Nuclear Engineering.”
Carol Brayne
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
“For services to Medicine, Medical Research and Public Health.”
Polina Bayvel
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
London, Greater London
“For services to Engineering and to Optical Communications.”
Lorna Dawson
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Aberdeen, City of Aberdeen
“For services to Innovations in Soil and Forensic Science.”
Andrew Morris
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2026
Perth, Perth and Kinross
“For services to Medical Sciences, to Public Health and to Patient Care.”
Hayaatun Sillem
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
London, Greater London
“For services to Engineering.”
Debra Padgett
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear
“For services to Biomedical Science in the NHS.”
Simeon Yates
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Sheffield, South Yorkshire
“For services to Digital Inclusion.”
Jian Zhang
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Bournemouth, Dorset
“For services to Computer Animation Research, to Education and to Innovation in STEM.”
Matthew Wilson
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Robertsbridge, East Sussex
“For services to Blood Cancer Awareness and Research.”
Claire Vincent
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Bangor, County Down
“For services to Marine Science and to Women in Science.”
Ann Watson
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
London, Greater London
“For services to the Advancement of Skills in the Engineering and Manufacturing Sector.”
Martin Rolles
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Swansea, West Glamorgan
“For services to Healthcare Science and Cancer.”
Peter Robertson
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Belfast, City of Belfast
“For services to Research and Innovation in Northern Ireland.”
Professor Riley
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
London, Greater London
“For services to Research and Education around Black British Music.”
Beena Puri
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
“For services to Digital Inclusion.”
Ghulam Ng
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Leicester, Leicestershire
“For services to Medical Research and Healthcare.”
Ian Marson
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
London, Greater London
“For services to Migration and Borders Technology.”
James Markey
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Guildford, Surrey
“For services to the Technology Sector.”
Carolyn Heitmeyer
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
London, Greater London
“For services to Social Science.”
Jane Gate
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Thatcham, Berkshire
“For services to Science and the Innovation Ecosystem.”
Maurice Geddis
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Dromore, County Down
“For services to Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Northern Ireland.”
Mark Downs
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Deal, Kent
“For services to Biology.”
Source & provenance
Where this record comes from
Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire · 2021
London Gazette (official record), issue 63377, notice 3816712. View the official notice ↗
Cabinet Office / gov.uk published honours list (Birthday Honours List 2021).
Published 11 June 2021.
Location (Bedford, Bedfordshire) comes from the Cabinet Office / gov.uk published honours list, not the Gazette notice, which records no recipient home location.
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