New Year Honours 2026
Karen Blake MBE
Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
Chief Executive Officer
“For services to Technology and to Diversity.”
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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
30 December 2025
THE KING has been graciously pleased to give orders for the following promotions in, and appointments to, the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire:
M.B.E.
To be Ordinary Members of the Civil Division of the said Most Excellent Order:
Karen Louise BLAKE
Chief Executive Officer, Tech Talent Charter
For services to Technology and to Diversity.
Source: The London Gazette, issue 64940 · Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0
Location
See other people honoured from Tunbridge Wells →
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.
Member of the Order of the British Empire
New Year Honours 2026- Role at the time
- Chief Executive Officer
- Region
- Tunbridge Wells, Kent
“For services to Technology and to Diversity.”
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New Year Honours 2026
Karen Blake
Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
“For services to Technology and to Diversity.”
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New Year Honours 2026
Karen Blake
Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
“For services to Technology and to Diversity.”
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New Year Honours 2026
Karen Blake
Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
“For services to Technology and to Diversity.”
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In context
The bigger picture
How common is this award?
The Member of the Order of the British Empire was awarded 590 times in the New Year Honours List 2026 — about 40% of the list.
In their area
152 Member of the Order of the British Empire recipients are from Kent.
What organisation were they with?
Chief Executive Officer.
How widely is this recognised?
1,797 people have been recognised for Science, Engineering & Technology.
Counts reflect the 1937–2026 honours lists in our records; earlier years are not yet included.
Honoured alongside them
Others awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire in the New Year Honours 2026
Aaron Thompson
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Abu Taher
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
London, Greater London
“For services to the Bangladeshi Community.”
Adam Culliford
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Adele Steel
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Inverurie, Aberdeenshire
“For services to Girlguiding.”
Ahmad Cheema
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
“For services to the Falkland Islands.”
Aileen Henderson
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Canvey Island, Essex
“For services to Defence Ceremonial.”
Aimee Anderson
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Fareham, Hampshire
“For services to Defence.”
Alan Borthwick
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh
“For services to Historical Document Recovery.”
Alan Craig
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Johnstone, Renfrewshire
“For services to Fundraising for Children’s Hospices.”
Alan Foster
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire
“For services to Further Education.”
Alan Tully
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Horley, Surrey
“For services to Law Enforcement and Combatting Fiscal Fraud.”
Alastair Upton
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Folkestone, Kent
“For services to Art.”
Alex Greenwood
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Wilmslow, Cheshire
“For services to Association Football.”
Alexander Gibson
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Brentwood, Essex
“For Charitable Service.”
Alexandra Knight
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Morpeth, Northumberland
“For services to Diversity and Inclusion in Engineering.”
Alice Curry (natasha Curry)
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
London, Greater London
“For services to Social Care Policy.”
Alice Wiseman
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Blyth, Northumberland
“For services to Public Health.”
Alisdair Miller
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Golspie, Sutherland
“For services to the community in Sutherland.”
Alison Broderick (alison Gilchrist)
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Banbridge, County Down
“For Public Service.”
Alison Fossey
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
“For services to Island Policing and to the wider community of Jersey.”
Alistair Jinks
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Coleraine, County Londonderry
“For services to the Environment and to the Economy.”
Alistair Risk
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Brora, Sutherland
“For services to Charity.”
Allison Raison (allison Mckay)
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Darlington, County Durham
“For services to Music.”
Amanda Hewitt
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
In the same field
Others recognised for Science, Engineering & Technology
Across the 1937–2026 honours lists in our records, 1,797 people have been recognised for Science, Engineering & Technology. See the full list →
Hayaatun Sillem
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
London, Greater London
“For services to Engineering.”
Stephen Andrew Smith
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Oxford, Oxfordshire
“For services to Climate Science.”
Matthew Wilson
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Robertsbridge, East Sussex
“For services to Blood Cancer Awareness and Research.”
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.”
Ghulam Ng
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Leicester, Leicestershire
“For services to Medical Research and Healthcare.”
James Markey
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Guildford, Surrey
“For services to the Technology Sector.”
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.”
Jonathan Boddington
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Oswestry, Shropshire
“For services to Design and Innovation in Furniture Making.”
Olubukola Babajide
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire
“For services to Technology, to Business and to Inclusion.”
Geoffrey Underwood
PersonOfficer Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Newport, Isle of Wight
“For services to the Technology Industry.”
Sharon Todd
PersonOfficer Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
London, Greater London
“For services to Innovation.”
Ian Ritchey
PersonOfficer Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
“For services to Engineering.”
Brian Mcconnell
PersonOfficer Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Bristol, City of Bristol
“For services to Engineering.”
Rashmi Mantri
PersonOfficer Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Glasgow, City of Glasgow
“For services to Mathematics Education.”
Myrtle Dawes
PersonOfficer Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Aberdeen, City of Aberdeen
“For services to Energy and Technology.”
John Boumphrey
PersonOfficer Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
“For services to Technology, Consumer and Digital Commerce Industry.”
Timothy Orchard
PersonCommander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
London, Greater London
“For services to the NHS and Healthcare Research and Innovation.”
Adikaari Adikaari
PersonCommander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Guildford, Surrey
“For services to Research and Innovation to Tackle Climate Change.”
Katherine Smith
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Stourbridge, West Midlands
“For services to Brain Tumour Research and to Charity.”
Mark Bamforth
PersonOfficer Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
“For services to UK Life Sciences and to UK/USA business relations.”
Benjamin Towers
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Gillingham, Kent
“For services to the Startup Business Community, Excellence in Innovation and Enterprise.”
Professor Rees
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh
“For services to Multi-Hazard Science and Disaster Risk Reduction.”
Source & provenance
Where this record comes from
Member of the Order of the British Empire · 2026
London Gazette (official record), issue 64940, notice 5028097. View the official notice ↗
Cabinet Office / gov.uk published honours list (New Year Honours List 2026).
Published 29 December 2025.
Location (Tunbridge Wells, Kent) comes from the Cabinet Office / gov.uk published honours list, not the Gazette notice, which records no recipient home location.
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