New Year Honours 2026: Greater Birmingham business figures recognised
Key figures from the Greater Birmingham business community have been recognised in the 2026 New Year Honours list.
Among the high-profile figures to be honoured were Aston University’s chief commercial officer Gurpreet Singh Jagpal, who receives an OBE for outstanding services to enterprise, entrepreneurship, education and policy.
Throughout his career, Professor Jagpal (pictured) has empowered thousands of students to launch businesses and been the catalyst for platforms that deliver enterprise education, both nationally and internationally.
At Aston, Professor Jagpal has played a pivotal role in advancing the university’s global reach, industry partnerships and commercial ambitions, closely tied to the institution’s transformative 2030 strategy.
He said: “This recognition belongs as much to the colleagues, mentors, partners and students I have had the privilege to work with as it does to me.
“Together, we have championed enterprise, strengthened ecosystems and created opportunities for individuals and communities to realise their ideas and ambitions across the UK and internationally.”
Birmingham Hippodrome’s artistic director and CEO of Birmingham Hippodrome, Jon Gilchrist, receives an MBE for his services to British theatre.
Under Jon’s leadership and five-year plan, the Hippodrome has launched the UK’s first in house department for New Musical Theatre and a New Work & Artist Development department, enabling thousands of artists to create work in the West Midlands.
He was also joint president of UK Theatre from 2022 to 2025, playing an instrumental role in the recovery of the UK theatre community post-pandemic.
Jon said: “I have had the privilege to learn from and work alongside a huge number of extraordinary people throughout my career.
“This award is dedicated to so many friends and colleagues, especially those at Birmingham Hippodrome, for their inspiring commitment to the transformative power of theatre.”
Also honoured with MBEs were Laurence Beard, former chief executive of Birmingham-based charity Jericho for services to social enterprise and the community in Birmingham; Professor Jacquelyn Dunne, vice-chancellor of Birmingham Newman University, for services to higher education; Sport4Life founder and CEO Tom Clarke-Forrest for services to young people, and Pathway Group CEO Safraz Ali for services to diversity and inclusion in business
Dr Tom Goodman, who was a Future Faces committee members from 2020-22, has received a British Empire Medal for services to Technology in the West Midlands.
His achievements include founding HackTheMidlands – the UK’s first 24-hour ‘creative marathon’ open to people of all ages and backgrounds – and organising the flagship TechMids Conference which brought together 210 technologists and 24 top speakers to Birmingham in November 2025.
