Former CPS head and government commercial chief named in New Year's Honours

Max Hill knighted, while former Passport Office head Abi Tierney is named CB

Former director of public prosecutions Max Hill received a knighthood. Photo: PA Images/Alamy Stock Photo

02 Jan 2024

The former director of public prosecutions at the Crown Prosecution Service has received a knighthood in the 2024 New Year's Honours, which also featured the former head of HM Passport Office and government’s chief commercial officer.

Max Hill, who stepped down as head of the CPS in October, was named Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the honours list for services to law and order.

He was praised for his work delivering a joint national action plan with the police to develop best practice for the investigation and prosecution of rape, as well as his "strong focus on victims" – with a summary of his achievements noting that he "personally met with families of the Manchester Arena bomb victims before the trial which led to a conviction".

Sir Gareth Rhys-Williams, who has been CCO at the Cabinet Office since 2016, was named a Companion of the Order of the Bath for public service, along with former HMPO chief Abi Tierney and former interim permanent secretaries Ruth Hannant and Polly Payne.

Hannant and Payne, who are job-share directors general for policy at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, spent several months last year leading the department after a perm sec reshuffle last February.

Tierney, who has recently served her notice period at the Home Office after being appointed as the first female chief executive of the Welsh Rugby Union, was named director general of UK Visas and Immigration and head of HMPO in February 2020.

She later became director general leading customer services, and was appointed as Home Office ethics adviser last June.

Tierney’s plans to leave the department were announced in August, with the DG saying she planned to “to take that heritage and the skills and learning I have gathered in my career to deliver the significant cultural advancement Welsh rugby deserves”.

Jonathan Marron, director general of the Office of Health Inequalities and Disparities in the Department of Health and Social Care, was also named a CB.

Meanwhile Penny Endersby, chief executive of the Met Office, received a CBE for services to meteorology, defence science and technology.

On the Overseas and International List, former national security adviser and Ministry of Defence permanent secretary Sir Stephen Lovegrove was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George. Meanwhile, Department for Business and Trade second permanent secretary Crawford Falconer was made a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, as was Thomas Drew, who is Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office director general for defence and intelligence.

Also among this year’s honours recipients are a number of civil servants who worked on projects related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began in 2022. They include Anthony McGee, director of the Ministry of Defence’s Ukraine Task Force, who received a CBE for public service; and David Levy, senior community outreach adviser, in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ Ukraine Humanitarian Taskforce, who received an MBE for services to refugee resettlement.

David Olney, the MoD’s assistant head Ukraine, security policy and operations, and Iain Reeve, head of the Department for Transport’s Ukraine Rail Response Team, received MBEs for services to defence and services to rail aid in Ukraine respectively.

Here are all the civil servants named in the 2023 New Year Honours List:

Order of the Bath – Companions of the Order of the Bath

Lee McDonough, director general, net zero, nuclear and international, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. For services to Energy and Climate
Simon Millhouse, Ministry of Defence. For services to Defence
Neil O'Connor, Lately director, Building Safety programme, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. For services to Building Safety
Kenneth Thomson, Lately director general, Scottish Government. For public service
Brendan Threlfall, director general, Union and Windsor Framework, Cabinet Office. For public service

Order of the British Empire – Commanders of the Order of the British Empire

Louise Alexander, Human Resources director, HM Courts and Tribunals Service and trustee, Rowland Hill Fund. For public and voluntary service
Ellen Atkinson, director, Constitution and Major Events, Cabinet Office. For public service
Mark Davies, director, Windsor Framework Taskforce, Cabinet Office. For public service
Dr Laura Dawson (Laura Gilbert), director, Data Science, Prime Minister's Office. For services to technology and analysis
Gayle Gorman, Lately HM chief inspector and chief executive, Education Scotland. For services to Education and Charity
Paul Harris, deputy chief executive officer and operations director, HM Courts and Tribunals Service. For public and voluntary service
Karl Hoods, chief digital and information officer, Department for Science, Innovation and technology and Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. For services to technology and to Education
Michelle Jarman-Howe, chief operating officer of Prisons, HM Prison and Probation Service. For public service
Andrew Pike, Lately director, GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland Campaign, Cabinet Office. For public service
Jessica Pulay, co-head of policy and markets, UK Debt Management Office. For services to public finances
Simon Regis, deputy director, Department for Culture, Media and Sport Legal advisers, Government Legal Department. For services to legislation
Shirley Rogers, director, Scottish Government. For services to Scottish Community Healthcare and to Major Events
Bidesh Sarkar, chief financial officer, Department for Business and Trade. For public service
Luke Staiano, deputy director, Ministry of Defence. For services to Defence
Charlotte Taylor, Lately director, Antivirals and Therapeutics Taskforce, Department of Health and Social Care. For services to Health and Social Care, particularly during Covid-19
Isabelle Trowler, chief social worker for children and families, Department for Education. For services to children's social care

Officers of the Order of the British Empire

Thomas Critchley, data scientist, Prime Minister's Office. For services to evidence-based policy
Lynn Cummings, commercial category lead, Department for Work and Pensions. For public service
Jonathan Donaghy, deputy director, customs, HM Treasury. For public service
Amy Doncaster, deputy director, strategy and future design, Department for Work and Pensions. For public service
Gregory Elliot, senior officer, National Crime Agency. For services to law enforcement
Mischa Foxell, deputy director, Cabinet Office. For public service
Andrew Graham, deputy director, strategic finance directorate, Department for Education. For public service and to the community in County Durham
Natasha Grant, deputy director, Cabinet Office. For public service
Edward Gray, lately chair, Antivirals Taskforce. For services to public health during Covid-19
Gordon Hickman, Head of exotic disease policy, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. For services to animal health and voluntary service to sport
Dr Elizabeth Hogben, Lately secretary, Prime Minister's Council for Science and Technology, Government Office for Science. For services to science in government
Peter Jefferies, Team Leader, Ministry of Defence. For services to Defence
Dr Christopher Johnson, forensic pathologist, Home Office. For services to criminal justice
Donna Jones, team leader, Ministry of Defence. For services to Defence
Nicholas Leader, Lately governor, HM Prison Berwyn. For public service
Dr William Lockhart, deputy director, international biodiversity and wildlife, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. For services to the environment
Professor Mark Loga, chief entrepreneurial adviser to the Scottish Government. For services to the economy
Dr Kathryn Marks, deputy director, Environment Agency. For services to flood risk management and to equality, diversity and inclusion
Kenneth Newton, governing governor, HM Prison Birmingham. For public service
David Nuttall, deputy director, neurodiversity, disability and learning disability, Department of Health and Social Care. For services to people with Down Syndrome
Dr Robert Orford, chief scientific advisor for Health, Welsh Government. For services to health sciences and evidence in health policy
David O'Sullivan, chief optometric advisor, Welsh Government. For services to eye care in Wales
José Riera, deputy director, communications, Department for Culture, Media and Sport. For public service
Rajwinder Singh, principal project sponsor, Prison Infrastructure Team, Ministry of Justice. For public service
David Smith, Departmental Records officer and chief librarian, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. For services to government knowledge and information management
Marie Smith, senior officer, National Crime Agency. For services to law enforcement
Luigi Strinati, delivery director, HM Courts and Tribunals service Wales. For public service
Ushaben Thomas, race adviser, Welsh Government. For services to Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities
Louise Van Der Straeten, senior lawyer, Serious Fraud Office. For services to the administration of justice
Helen Waite, deputy director, family support, Department for Education. For services to rducation
Stephen Willmer, lately deputy head France, security policy and operations, Ministry of Defence. For services to defence and to international relations
Helen Zammit-Willson, director, National Valuation Unit, Valuation Office Agency. For services to the surveying profession

Members of the Order of the British Empire

Zachary Birks, team leader, Ministry of Defence. For services to Defence
Ronald Butler, policy adviser, Department for Work and Pensions. For services to disadvantaged people
George Carney, executive officer, Department for Education. For public service
Dr Michael Collins, lately science lead on EU and international science partnerships, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. For services to international science policy
Denise Cooke, administrative officer, Maritime and Coastguard Agency. For public service
Samuel Cousley, head of seafarers, Department for Transport. For services to seafarers
Captain Thomas Eccles, fisheries officer, Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. For services to fisheries, environment and to maritime safety
Alison Fotheringham, appeals and litigation assistant director, Home Office. For public and voluntary service
Alison France, operational leader, Department for Work and Pensions. For services to disadvantaged people
Deborah Geany, senior case manager, Personnel Recovery Unit Wales and West, Ministry of Defence. For services to military personnel
Syed Ghaboos, deputy director, civil service employee experience, Cabinet Office. For public service
Julie Grant, deputy director, news and digital, Scottish Government. For services to Scotland on the demise of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Alasdair Hendry, senior operations manager, Forestry Commission. For services to Forestry and to climate change mitigation
Anoushé Husain, ambassador, E hlers Danlos Support UK, LimbPower and Disability Champion. For services to People with Disabilities
Lindsey Kemp, officer, National Crime Agency. For services to law enforcement
Virginia Kiddle, officer, National Crime Agency. For services to law enforcement
Joanne Loftus, lately civil secretary, Ministry of Defence. For services to defence
Maria Lopez, head of partnerships, Scottish Government. For services to minority ethnic communities in Scotland during Covid-19
Helen Maitland, Lately national director for urgent and unscheduled Care, Scottish Government. For services to NHS Scotland
Robert Malcomson, deputy director, Cabinet Office. For public and voluntary service to the LGBTQ+ community and to homeless people
Deirdre Marshall, team leader, Ministry of Defence. For services to defence
Marion Meakin, senior probation officer, North West Probation service, HM Prison and Probation service. For services to reducing reoffending and public protection
Christopher Middleton, operational delivery deputy director, Home Office. For public and voluntary service
Andrew Moseley, service leader, Department for Work and Pensions. For public service in southeast Wales
Satish Parmar, senior policy adviser, Department for Work and Pensions. For public service
Yvonne Rawsthorne, operational readiness senior officer, HM Revenue and Customs. For public service
Gaynor Ripley, partnership manager, Department for Work and Pensions. For public service
Karen Shepperson, director of people and operations, Ofsted. For services to education
Savraj Shetra, field intelligence officer, Home Office. For public service
Catherine Skidmore, head of aviation resilience, Department for Transport. For services to major event responses
Dr Andrew Stott, lately science adviser, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. For services to nature and climate
Professor Peter Stott, deputy head of climate science and science fellow, Met Office. For services to climate science
Laurence Thraves, head, National Situation Centre, Cabinet Office. For public service
Edward Warner, disability and access ambassador, Cabinet Office Disability Unit. For services to disabled people
Jonathan White, economist, Department of Health and Social Care. For services to social care policy
Dr Elizabeth Williams (Kay Williams), head of international chemicals, pesticide andhazardous Waste, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. For services to the international environment and charitable service through Bees Abroad
William Wilson, senior officer, National Crime Agency. For services to law enforcement
Susan Yates, officer, National Crime Agency. For services to law enforcement