A prison reformer, one of the UK’s most experienced leaders in football, and a world-renowned human rights lawyer are among those being recognised for their positive contribution to society by Keele University.

The University is awarding five honorary doctorates at its summer graduation ceremonies in July, where thousands of students will also be celebrated for their academic achievements.

This year’s honours are being given to Pia Sinha, Chief Executive of the Prison Reform Trust; Rick Parry, Chairman of the English Football League; 2023 European Legal Award winner Jason McCue, pioneering scientist Sir Richard Catlow and former Keele student Professor Fumiko Yonezawa, who will receive the first posthumous honorary doctorate awarded by the University.

Manali Lukha, who works for ITV News and is head of the Millbank Studios in the heart of Westminster, will also be appointed to Keele’s College of Fellows. Manali graduated from Keele in 1996 with a degree in Geography and Geology, and completed a Master’s in Information Technology in 1997.

Professor Trevor McMillan OBE, Vice-Chancellor of Keele University, said: “Celebrating the successes of our graduates is one of the highlights of the year for us at the University, and this year promises to be extra special with Keele celebrating its 75th anniversary. This year’s honorary graduates have all made a real difference to the world in their respective fields and will be excellent, inspirational role models for our students and graduates.

“I’m delighted we are also awarding a posthumous honorary degree to Professor Fumiko Yonezawa, who came to Keele in the 1960s and went on to become the first female President of the Physical Society of Japan. Fumiko is a real inspiration for the whole community of female scientists, and a symbol of the ongoing connection and friendship between Japan, Keele and the UK.”

Honorary degree recipients – Summer 2024

Jason McCue – Doctor of Laws  

Jason McCue is the Senior Partner of McCue Jury & Partners LLP and is internationally acknowledged as a leading expert within several legal sectors (litigation, human rights, counterterrorism, conflict resolution, transitional justice, international criminal law, reputation management, and victim class action litigation). He has been accredited as a leading expert by both of the UK’s leading law directories (Chambers and Legal 500) for over two decades and placed in the Legal 500 Hall of Fame.

He was awarded UK lawyer of the year 2009/10 by the Law Society of England and Wales, and shortlisted as Human Rights Solicitor of the Year and The Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021 for his work on counterterrorism, terrorism victims’ rights, and his human rights and conflict resolution work in Africa. Jason is well known for his pursuit of terrorists and rogue regimes through the civil and criminal courts (his work was originally dubbed “law-fare” by the media) and for the tracing and recovery of their assets. He pioneered the development of domestic and international law through civil class actions/private criminal prosecutions on behalf of victims of terrorism.  

Rick Parry – Doctor of the University  

Rick Parry is the Chair of the English Football League and a Vice-Chair of the Football Association. Graduating in Mathematics at the University of Liverpool, Rick trained as a Chartered Accountant. Having experienced a number of finance roles in the leisure industry, he joined Ernst & Young as a management consultant in Manchester. He was seconded to work on Manchester’s bid for the 1996 Olympic Games and in 1990 was approached by The Football Association to advise on the creation of the FA Premier League. He became the league’s first Chief Executive and negotiated the groundbreaking TV deal with Sky.

In 1997 Rick joined the football club he had supported all his life, Liverpool, as Chief Executive - a post he retained for twelve years. On leaving Liverpool, Rick advised the government on sports betting integrity and football governance projects and conducted a variety of football consultancy projects in the Middle East and North America. In 2016 Rick was invited to join the Investigatory Chamber of UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body which oversees its Financial Fair Play regulations. In 2019 he was approached to chair the English Football League. Much of his time has been spent leading the league’s input to the Fan Led Review and the subsequent creation of the Independent Football Regulator - arguably the biggest change in English football since the creation of the Premier League.  

Pia Sinha – Doctor of the University  

Pia joined the Prison Service in 1999 as a Higher Psychologist at HMP & YOI Holloway. After joining HMP Wandsworth as a Senior Psychologist, she took up the post of Head of Safer Prisons, followed by Head of Reducing Re-offending at HMP Wormwood Scrubs. She then took up her first Deputy Governor role at HMP Send, and subsequently Downview and Liverpool.

In 2013 Pia was appointed to her first Governing role at HMP & YOI Thorn Cross, going on to govern at both Risley and Liverpool. In 2020 she became Acting Deputy Director of the Probation Reform Programme, then the Workforce Programme, before becoming Director of Women in November 2021. Pia’s vision for the Women’s Directorate was to enable safe, compassionate and individualised care for women. In April 2023 Pia became the CEO of the Prison Reform Trust.  

Professor Sir Richard Catlow – Doctor of Science 

Richard began his career at Oxford University, and has been a Professor at University College London, Keele University, the University of Cardiff, and was Director of the Davy-Faraday Laboratory at the Royal Institution in London. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society and a member of the German National Science Academy, the Leopoldina, of the Academia Europaea and of the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS). He served as Foreign Secretary of the Royal Society from 2016 -2021 and was co-President of the Inter Academy Partnership (IAP) – a global alliance of more than 140 academies of science, engineering and medicine from 2021-22.

He was knighted in 2020 for Services to Leadership in Science and Research. His research programme is based on the development and application of computational techniques used in direct conjunction with experiment in probing the properties of complex materials. He has played a leading role in developing the field both in the UK and internationally. He has published extensively with over 1200 research articles, reviews and book chapters. Richard was Professor of Physical chemistry at Keele from 1985 to 1989, where he worked jointly between the University and the Daresbury laboratory where his role was to assist the development of the diffraction programme on the Synchrotron Radiation Source. 

Professor Fumiko Yonezawa (posthumous) - Doctor of Science  

Professor Fumiko Yonezawa became the first Japanese student at Keele when she studied at the University from 1963-64, and went on to become the first female President of the Physical Society of Japan. She arrived in Keele as a research student at the end of September 1963, and started her study in theoretical chemistry and physics – regularly studying in the campus library until the early hours of the morning. A distinguished scientist, Fumiko received the L'Oreal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science for her pioneering theory and computer simulations on amorphous semiconductors and liquid metals in 2005. She passed away in 2019, aged 80.  

College of Fellows 

Manali Lukha 

Working for ITV, Manali Lukha plays a key role in their News operation, leading their Millbank Studios in Westminster. These studios are central to ITV's broadcasts, handling both political coverage and weather forecasting. As head of the studios, Manali manages a team of skilled personnel – political correspondents, weather presenters, and broadcast engineers – ensuring everything runs smoothly.

Before joining ITV, Manali built her expertise at the Met Office, the UK's national weather service. Her time at the Met Office was a journey of developing expertise, starting as a software programmer and transitioning to business development.

Manali's academic background demonstrates a diverse skill set. She graduated from Keele University in 1996 with a degree in Geography and Geology, followed by a Master's degree in Information Technology in 1997.

Manali remains active beyond her role in news. She chairs ITV's International Ambassador Network, sits on the council of the Royal Meteorological Society, and is involved with the Climate Ambassadors steering group.