BBC journalist Clive Myrie, author Tracy Chevalier, and YouTuber Colin Furze among University of Warwick’s 2025 Honorary Graduates

Baroness Catherine Ashton (Hon DLitt)

Baroness Catherine Ashton is a former UK Minister and the EU’s first High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (2009–14), where she led major international negotiations including the Iran nuclear deal. She has held numerous government roles, including Leader of the House of Lords and Parliamentary Under-Secretary across several departments.

She was Chancellor of the University of Warwick from 2017 to 2024 and our first female Chancellor.

After being created a life peer in 1999, she was appointed Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George and Lady Companion of the Order of the Garter. In 2023, she published And Then What? Inside Stories of 21st Century Diplomacy.

Tracy Chevalier FRSL (Hon DLitt)

Tracy Chevalier is a bestselling novelist whose works include Remarkable Creatures, The Last Runaway, and Girl with a Pearl Earring, which was adapted into a major Hollywood film.

Chevalier holds a BA from Oberlin College and an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and has served as Chair of the UK Society of Authors and President of the Royal Literary Fund.

Since 2015, she has been a Trustee of the British Library and is an Ambassador for the Woodland Trust. Her novels have won numerous awards, including the WH Smith Fresh Talent Award and the Barnes & Noble Discover Award.

Colin Furze (Hon DSc)

Colin Furze is a British inventor and YouTuber known for his imaginative engineering builds, including a hoverbike, underground bunker, and world-record-breaking inventions.

Originally trained as a plumber, his projects include the world’s longest motorcycle, a 71-mph mobility scooter, and a motorised pram. His YouTube channel has over 13 million subscribers and 1.8 billion views worldwide. Colin is widely credited with making STEM exciting and accessible to young audiences and has appeared on UK and German TV.

Clive Myrie (Hon DLitt)

Clive Myrie is a BBC journalist and broadcaster who joined the BBC’s graduate journalism programme in 1987. He has reported from over 80 countries, covering major conflicts including Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Gaza. Since 2009, he has been a BBC news presenter and, since 2021, has hosted Mastermind.

His recent work includes Clive Myrie’s Italian Road Trip and Caribbean Adventure. His memoir, Everything is Everything, explores identity and journalism. In 2023, he was appointed Pro-Chancellor of the University of Bolton and in 2024, Chancellor of the University of the Arts London.

Talan Skeels-Piggins (Hon DLitt)

Talan Skeels-Piggins is a Paralympian, motorcycle racer, and former Royal Navy officer.

Before a spinal injury in 2003, Talan captained a county-winning hockey team, represented Cornwall in hockey and windsurfing, and served as a Royal Navy Lieutenant with deployments worldwide. After his injury, he competed in alpine skiing for Great Britain at the 2010 Winter Paralympics and became the first paraplegic to race in an able-bodied motorcycle race. He is the founder of The Bike Experience charity and now works as a motivational speaker.

Dr Gemma Tetlow (Hon DSc)

Dr Gemma Tetlow is Chief Economist at the Institute for Government and a Warwick alumna with a BSc and MSc in Economics. She earned her PhD from University College London. Her career includes senior roles at the Institute for Fiscal Studies and as Economics Correspondent at the Financial Times.

She is an ONS Fellow, Governor at the National Institute for Economic and Social Research, and chairs the Policy Advisory Board at the Centre for the Analysis of Taxation (Warwick/LSE). Gemma regularly comments on UK public finances in broadcast and print media and serves on the advisory board of Warwick’s Centre for Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).

Mark Urban (Hon DLitt)

Mark Urban is a British journalist, military historian, and author with over 30 years’ experience reporting on international conflict and diplomacy. A former Royal Tank Regiment officer, he was Diplomatic Editor for BBC Two’s Newsnight until May 2024 and now writes for The Sunday Times specialising in defence and foreign affairs.

Mark has reported from Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and the Balkans. He has authored several acclaimed books, including Big Boys’ Rules and The Man Who Broke Napoleon’s Codes, combining rigorous research with vivid storytelling.

Professor Ekaterina Zhuravskaya (Hon DSc)

Professor Ekaterina Zhuravskaya is an economist at the Paris School of Economics and EHESS, and co-editor of the American Economic Review. A Research Fellow at CEPR, her work explores how political institutions, media, and economic policies shape societies, with a focus on development, conflict, and media – including social media’s political effects.

She earned her PhD from Harvard in 1999 and has received numerous honours, including the CNRS Silver Medal and a fellowship of the Econometric Society. Her research has earned international recognition and contributes to economic policy debates across Europe and beyond.