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The Magnificent Four: New Year Honours for School's esteemed colleagues

Published

2025 Honours have been awarded to Dr Paul Chapman, a leading member of our faculty, and three business leaders with links to Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.

Paul Chapman, a Senior Fellow in Operations Management at Oxford Saïd, has been appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to Project Delivery in 2025 New Year’s Honours list.

Paul has worked at Oxford Saïd since 2007 and is a leading expert on the learning and development of executives, especially those responsible for leading the delivery of major programmes/major projects typically valued at more than $1billion. He is also Academy Director for the UK Government's Major Project Leadership Academy, MPLA, a one-year, part-time programme for the Major Project Leaders responsible for delivering the UK Central Government's portfolio strategic projects valued at over £440bn. In this role he designed and directs the Sponsoring Major Projects programme for UK Government Ministers.

This honour is wonderful news for our esteemed colleague and friend Paul Chapman. It is well-deserved recognition for Paul’s excellent work leading in project delivery and management at Oxford Saïd, and globally.

Professor Soumitra Dutta

Peter Moores Dean, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.

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Paul said: ‘Over the past decade the importance of the project delivery profession has come to be recognised in the UK and internationally. I am delighted therefore that this award acknowledges the contribution of a community of researchers, educators, professionals and practitioners in improving our collective ability to deliver social and economic benefits through effective project delivery. All we have achieved results from this inspiring teamwork.’

He added: 'On a personal note, I wish to thank my family, friends and colleagues throughout my career for their generous and unwavering support and beg their continued indulgence for what lies ahead.’

Paul's research takes concepts at the heart of operations management, especially engineering and production, and blends these with other insights. This includes developing an approach to reducing new product development lead times that enabled organisations to improve market sensitivity and return on capital.

Another strand of research brings together operations management with criminology to address product loss through theft and errors. The outputs from this work have been adopted internationally, saving retailers in Europe and the Americas over $2bn (£1.6 million) in recent years.

Before joining Oxford Saïd, Paul was a Senior Research Fellow at Cranfield School of Management and previously was a member of the Warwick Manufacturing Group at the University of Warwick. Paul took his BEng, MSc and Engineering Doctorate at the University of Warwick.

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Also, in the New Year list:

A knighthood for Warren East,  Oxford Saïd Executive in Residence and former CEO of Rolls-Royce. He retired from the engine manufacturer in 2022 and joined fusion energy firm Tokamak Energy as Non-Executive Director in May 2023.  He has been knighted for services to the economy and net zero. He was awarded a CBE in 2014.

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An OBE for Dana Denis-Smith, a member of our oNetwork of entrepreneurs, who provide support for students and alumni. Dana has been awarded her OBE for services to women in the legal profession.

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An MBE for Oxford Saïd entrepreneur expert and businesswoman Bolaji Sofoluwe. Bolaji was named in the New Year’s Honours list for her outstanding contributions to sustainable business growth, female entrepreneurship, and international trade. This term she will also deliver some teaching for us on the Entrepreneurship Project module.