Royal Holloway has awarded four Honorary Fellowships to those who have achieved distinction and made an outstanding contribution to the life and work of the University.
Back row L-R: Prof Tracy Bhamra, Prof Giuliana Pieri, Prof Ruth Livesey, Prof Christos Tsinopoulos Front row L-R: Shahid Azeem DL, Dr Ann Ewing, Gerry O'Hagan, Jarmila Yu
Shahid Azeem, Ann Ewing, Gerry O’Hagan and Jarmila Yu were all recognised as new Honorary Fellows at this year’s ceremony, which was held at the University on Wednesday 10 June.
The ceremony was hosted by Ian Wilson, Chair of Council, and Professor Julie Sanders, Vice-Chancellor and Principal, with an audience including students, staff, honorary fellows and members of Royal Holloway’s wider community.
Shahid Azeem has combined success in international business with public and charitable service. Raised in Guildford and now living in Woking, he has consistently supported community causes across Surrey and strengthened ties between British and Pakistani communities.
As Managing Director of Folio3 UK, Shahid leads the UK and Europe operations of the California-based business transformation firm. He was commissioned as Deputy Lieutenant of Surrey in 2009 and served as High Sheriff of Surrey between 2020 and 2021, and again in 2024-25, during which he was a particular advocate of interfaith dialogue in the county.
Elsewhere, he led the consortium that rescued Aldershot Town Football Club in 2013 and later oversaw the club’s Wembley victory in the 2024–25 FA Trophy as Chairman.
Ann Ewing studied History at Royal Holloway, before completing a PhD at Trinity College Cambridge.
Her career has spanned senior leadership roles at BP and HSBC, alongside extensive work in education and charitable organisations. Ann later joined children’s charity Ark, supporting programmes focused on maternal and child health and education in Zimbabwe, South Africa and Uganda. She was also involved in the early days of the Ark Schools network in the UK.
From 2014 to 2024, she served as a member of Council - and later Vice Chair of Council – at Royal Holloway and continues to support educational organisations across the UK.
Gerry O’Hagan has supported innovation and leadership development throughout his career. Since 2014 he has worked with Innovate UK’s Knowledge Transfer Partnership programme, helping businesses collaborate with UK universities to improve competitiveness and growth.
Before this, Gerry spent much of his career with Diageo, having joined a predecessor company as a graduate trainee in 1977. He held several executive leadership roles at the multinational company, including Operational Excellence Director. Gerry has also contributed significantly to education and charity governance, including serving as a member of Council at Royal Holloway.
Jarmila Yu is a globally ranked Top 100 CMO, Top 50 Business Advisor, Chartered Marketer, and multi award-winning businesswoman and a registered mentor with the Association of Business Mentors. She is regularly invited to speak at events, contribute to industry publications, and chairs four prestigious boards supporting business and marketing.
Jarmila especially enjoys forging strong links between business and education, leading initiatives towards building a better world of work and supporting youth employability.
A Royal Holloway alumna, Jarmila has played a pivotal role in strengthening connections between academia and industry as Chair of the International Advisory Board for the Royal Holloway Business School. She is also a passionate advocate for entrepreneurship, mentoring students and supporting future business leaders through marketing and enterprise initiatives.
