Industry leaders and diversity champions awarded honorary degrees

Leading figures from the world of business have been awarded honorary degrees by Manchester Metropolitan University in recognition of their achievements.

The University presented four honorary doctorates this week (July 11-15) during graduation ceremonies at the Bridgewater Hall.

Honorary degrees are awarded to those who have made major contributions to the academic work of the University or who have earned distinction for their services to their sector.

This week’s honorands were:

Vanda Murray OBE was awarded an honorary Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) in recognition of her achievements in business and significant contribution to the North West, as well as her inspirational leadership and outstanding contribution to Manchester Metropolitan University.

Vanda is one of the region’s most prominent business leaders, with over 25 years’ experience in senior roles. Vanda was Chair of Manchester Met’s Board of Governors and Chair of the Nominations and Governance Committee from 2014 to 2020.

She specialised in marketing before moving into general management and was CEO of Blick plc, a FTSE quoted support services group, before being appointed OBE for Services to Industry and to Export in 2001.

Vanda chairs Yorkshire Water and Marshalls plc and serves as a Non-Executive Director at Bunzl plc and Manchester Airports Group. She is a member of the Growth Company Board and co-chairs the Business Support and Business Finance Company.

She is also a member of the Manchester Maggie’s Cancer Care charity. In 2018, she won the Sunday Times Award for Non-Executive Director of the Year in the large company category.

Vanda and her family established the Quiet Man Dave Prize at Manchester Met - a competition to find new writers - and is a founding donor of the First Generation scholarship programme.

Sally Penni MBE was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) in recognition of her distinction in the field of law and her contribution to the academic work of the University.

Sally is a high profile, award-winning barrister. Outside of this role she is also a public speaker, patron and board member, diversity leader, radio broadcaster and a proud mother of three.

She also sits as Non-Executive Director on a variety of boards bringing her experience and expertise in a variety of areas including governance, employment law and cyber security.

Sally is a keen fundraiser supporting numerous local and national charities including Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.

She is also the founder of a social enterprise “FMD” which is a community network that aims to connect the community and campaigns to end loneliness and isolation in the community.

Sally is passionate in her support for Women in Business and leadership and has written about diversity and related issues. Believing in the need to start early she provides free, inspirational talks to thousands of school children and university students annually as well as leadership, mentoring and coaching to students and young professionals.

Fasha Mahjoor was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science (DSc) in recognition of his major contribution to the analytical sciences and his support for a wide range of charitable causes.

Fasha was born in Persia before moving to the UK and attending the Royal Grammar School Worcester. He then achieved an undergraduate degree in Architecture at Manchester Polytechnic (now Manchester Metropolitan) before relocating to California to complete his Masters in architecture.

He shared his experiences in the latest edition of the University’s Met Magazine.

Fasha was the founder and CEO of Phenomenex and InventX and CEO of Phenova. With no background in chemistry, he built leading companies in the chromatography world as well as leading research and development in manufacturing.

In 2016, after 34 years at the helm, he sold his companies and founded Farrona, LLC, and Neoteryx, LLC, a company focused on the microsampling of biological fluids, particularly blood. His vision has created precise maps that allow scientific innovators to conquer new territory.

He actively supports a wide range of charities around the world for which he was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. He serves as a Trustee for the Outward Bound Trust and is a supporter of the University’s First Generation scholarship programme.

Lord Scriven was awarded an honorary Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) in recognition of his significant contribution to the health sector and public service, in particular public sector reform, youth homelessness and International LGBT Rights.

Lord Scriven was born in 1966 in Huddersfield and for most of his life has lived in the north and Yorkshire.

He was educated at Rawthorpe High School and leaving with no formal qualifications spent two years working for a road construction firm, before re-entering education at Huddersfield Technical College then onto Manchester Polytechnic to read a BA (Hons).

Lord Scriven was a President of the Student Union at Manchester Polytechnic in 1990. After graduating, he began his career in the National Health Service where he was selected as one of only three people in the Yorkshire area to be fast-tracked to senior National Health Service management.

After two years’ training, he went on to become one of the youngest hospital managers in the UK, running a specialist hospital in the West Midlands at the age of 25.

Lord Scriven represented the Broomhill Ward in the City of Sheffield as a Councillor from 2000 to 2012 and was elected as Leader of the Sheffield Liberal Democrat councillors in 2002.

He was Leader of the Council from 2008 to 2011 and was elected as the representative for the Ecclesall Ward in the City of Sheffield in 2016, taking the decision not to stand for re-election when his term ended in May 2019.

In 2014, Lord Scriven was appointed as a Liberal Democrat life peer, before being made Lords Spokesperson for International LGBT Rights in October 2016.