Catz Alumni Recognised in 2025 King’s Birthday Honours

St Catherine’s College is pleased to announce that two of our alumni have already been recognised in the 2025 King’s Birthday Honours.

Ashleigh Ainsley MBE (2011, Geography) has been appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to Diversity and Inclusion in Technology. Ashleigh is the co-founder of Colorintech, a non-profit organisation which aims to increase access, awareness, and opportunities for ethnic minorities to enter the tech industry. Ashleigh has been recognised in a number of media outlets for his work, including Financial Times, Forbes 30 under 30, and BBC 1Xtra’s Rising Stars. In 2023, Politico named him one of the 20 Most Influential People in UK Tech.

Dr Peter Mayer BEM (1961, Medicine) has been awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to the NHS, with a particular emphasis on long-term community contribution. Besides Oxford, Peter trained in London and Birmingham. In 1977, he was appointed Geriatrician and Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer at Selly Oak and the Birmingham Community Hospitals. In 1988, he received a Churchill Fellowship to practice geriatric services in Australia; he has remained a Fellow of the Churchill Trust ever since. Upon his retirement in 2007, Peter was a Consultant Physician in Geriatric Medicine & Stroke Medicine at the Selly Oak and Moseley Hall Hospitals, as well as the Director of Research and Development for South Birmingham PCT. Since his professional retirement, Peter has continued to serve his community in a number of ways. He was Chair of the West Midlands Stroke Research Network, retiring in 2016; and he also spent a decade as a Fitness to Practice Assessor for the General Medical Council. His publications include Quality Care for Elderly People (Dickinson, Mayer, Sandler: 1997).

We extend a very warm congratulations to both of them.

News of further Honours will follow in the coming weeks.