Leading figures from the business, finance, law, education, medicine, literature, and diversity and inclusion sectors have been awarded the Freedom of the City of London during a group ceremony, hosted by Lord Mayor Professor Michael Mainelli.
Today’s ceremony – the third and final event of its kind to be held this year – brought together 37 recipients to be honoured at the Lord Mayor’s official residence, The Mansion House, for outstanding achievements in their respective fields.
The awards were given as part of the Lord Mayor’s ‘Connect to Prosper’ theme, which focuses on the City’s expertise in areas such as finance, law, and engineering, and brings together experts to work on critical global challenges, such as climate change and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Today’s recipients included Director of Creative, Consumer, Sport and Education, Department for Business & Trade, Rupert Daniels, Director, Barts Cancer Centre, St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, Professor Thomas Powles, Writer, author; and founder and director, The Black Curriculum, Lavinya Stennett, Project manager, Schroders, Tamina Thobani, Principal, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Professor Jonathan Vaughan, Chief Executive Officer, Safer Business Network, Hannah Wadey. All recipients have been nominated for the Freedom by Lord Mayor Professor Michael Mainelli and Lord Mayor Elect Alastair King.
Speaking after the ceremony, Lord Mayor Professor Michael Mainelli said:
“Representing such a wide range of fields of expertise and backgrounds, these remarkable individuals have enriched the Square Mile’s diverse tapestry with their impressive achievements and contributions to public life and in our view, their Freedom awards are richly deserved.
“Today’s ceremony embodies the essence of connectivity that underscores my mayoral theme, ‘Connect to Prosper’, celebrating our many Knowledge Miles and ability to find solutions to our planet’s biggest challenges.”
One of the City of London’s ancient traditions, the Freedom is believed to have begun in 1237 and enabled recipients to carry out their trade.
As well as being nominated for, or applying for, the Freedom, it is also offered by the City of London Corporation to individuals as a way of paying tribute to their outstanding contribution to London or public life, or to celebrate a very significant achievement.
Recent high-profile recipients include former Chief Economist at the Bank of England, Andy Haldane; ‘Hamilton’ actor, musician, and filmmaker, Giles Terera; former Managing Director and Chief Privacy Officer at the London Stock Exchange, Vivienne Artz; and Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert, who initiated and led the development of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID vaccine.
Full list of recipients of Freedom awards:
| Name of recipient | Field of work/expertise |
| Lincoln Barnwell | Science |
| Julian Barnwell | Science |
| Benjamin Bishop | Environment |
| Francesca Centurione Scotto Boschieri | Diplomacy & Education |
| Dr I. Stephanie Boyce | Law |
| Heather Butler | Diversity & Inclusion |
| Hannah Chukwu | Literature |
| Professor Andrea Cipriani | Psychiatry |
| Rupert Daniels | Business |
| Niamh Dowling | Performance & Education |
| James Dunn | Charity & Sailing |
| Olori Atuwatse III | Empowerment, Social Enterprise & Education |
| Janette Foster | Charity |
| Professor Kim Hardie | Biology & Academia |
| Chief Inspector Caroline Hay, MBE | Police |
| Professor Jenny Higham | Academia |
| Professor Katrin Hohl, OBE | Education |
| Yasmin Kazi | Charity |
| Wincie Viola Knight-Piau | Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Business |
| Professor Anthony Mathur | Medicine |
| Alessandra Miles | Charity |
| Dermot Moynihan | Finance |
| Oba Nsugbe, KC | Law & Advocacy |
| Dr Heather Oakervee | Medicine |
| Professor Alexandra Olaya-Castro | Science and Higher Education |
| William Palin | Medicine |
| Rupert Pleasant | Finance |
| Professor Thomas Powles | Medicine & Oncology |
| Lavinya Stennett | Education |
| Sam Taylor-Nobbs | Charity & Business |
| Tamina Thobani | Finance & Gender Equality |
| Dr Konstantinos Tsiolis | Ecology & Agro-Environmental Research |
| Professor Jonathan Vaughan | Music |
| Hannah Wadey | Business |
| Professor Geoffrey West | Science |
| Dr Simon Woldman | Medicine |
| Dr Andrew Wragg | Medicine |