Honorary Fellows announced ahead of graduation week

High flyers in journalism, medicine and academia are among those to be made Honorary Fellows at Cardiff University’s graduation ceremonies, which take place this week. (July 15-19)

Many of those collecting the awards, which are given to people making a difference in their chosen fields, are former students.

Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff University Professor Wendy Larner said: “Many of our fellows set out on their journeys by coming to Cardiff University to study. It will no doubt be hugely inspirational for this year’s cohort of graduates to celebrate alongside them. I’m looking forward to being present at the week’s ceremonies, the highlight for any student after so many years of hard work.”

This year's Honorary Fellows are:

Asmaa Al-Allak (MBBCh 2000, LLM 2021)

Asmaa Al-Allak is a consultant breast surgeon at the Snowdrop Breast Centre in Pontyclun – a dedicated unit for breast cancer care and support based in the South Wales Valleys. She is also the winner of the BBC’s amateur sewing competition the Great British Sewing Bee 2023. Born in Iraq, Asmaa grew up during a time of war. Out of that hardship grew a determination to become a doctor and make a difference to people’s lives. There she also discovered her love for sewing, learning from her grandmother.

Emma Barnett (PgDip 2007)

The award-winning broadcaster and journalist recently joined the presenting team on Radio 4’s Today programme, the most listened-to breakfast radio news programme in the UK. A former presenter of BBC Woman’s Hour, BBC Newsnight and BBC Radio 5 Live, her agenda-setting interviews have been with prime ministers, pop stars and political prisoners. She hosts a TV series for Bloomberg, writes a newsletter called Trying and has a column for the i newspaper. Emma is a patron of Smartworks, the charity helping economically disadvantaged women back into the workplace.

Leo Cheng (LLM 2006)

Leo Cheng is qualified in dentistry, medicine, surgery and law. He has been a consultant in oral, maxillofacial, and head and neck surgery in London for 24 years, where he also delivers an annual programme of surgical skills and facial soft tissue courses to 90 trainees. He also serves as a volunteer maxillofacial, thyroid and reconstructive surgeon in West Africa. For more than 20 years, he has provided lifesaving and life-transforming surgery on board Mercy Ships – a faith-based international development organisation that deploys hospital ships to some of the poorest countries in the world.

Professor Timothy L. Killeen

A native of Wales, Timothy L. Killeen is the 20th president of the University of Illinois System. Since taking office in 2015, Timothy has championed efforts to expand research discovery to drive progress and job creation. He has supported the creation of the Discovery Partners Institute, a world-class research, technology talent development and business-building centre in Chicago, and the Illinois Innovation Network, a system of satellite hubs that combine research, public-private partnerships, entrepreneurship and workforce training.

Kate Muir (PgDip 1986)

Kate Muir is a women’s health expert, investigative journalist and documentary maker. She created and produced two ground-breaking Channel 4 documentaries on the menopause, presented by Davina McCall. She has written three novels and four non-fiction books. Her latest book, Everything you need to know about the pill (but were too afraid to ask) is an investigation into contraception and follows her Pill Revolution documentary. She is a founder member of The Menopause Charity and a former foreign correspondent for The Times in New York and Washington.

Jayne Sadgrove (BA 1978, MA 1980)

Jayne Sadgrove is from Neath. Her executive career spans sectors including industrial regeneration, consumer affairs, law, criminal justice and higher education. As a non-executive, she held appointments in the Ministry of Justice and the NHS. She is an Independent Member of Health Education and Improvement Wales and a trustee and Vice Chair of the Board of Cardiff University Students’ Union. Jayne campaigned for the Real Living Wage and led two large organisations to accreditation. She received a Living Wage Champion award from the Living Wage Foundation and a Lifelong Achievement award from Cardiff University students for her services as the institution’s Chief Operating Officer.

Sitpah Selvaratnam (LLB 1988)

Sitpah Selvaratnam practiced as an advocate and solicitor in Malaysia for 33 years before becoming an independent arbitrator in 2024. Sitpah specialises in shipping and maritime disputes, international trade and commercial and contractual disputes. She is a Court Member of the ICC International Court of Arbitration based in Paris, and a Member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration located in The Hague. Sitpah holds a LLB (University of Wales), a LLM (University of Cambridge), and was called to the Degree of Utter Barrister by Lincoln’s Inn.

Professor Elizabeth Treasure CBE

Elizabeth Treasure qualified as a dentist at Birmingham University. Following roles in the NHS, she moved to New Zealand to pursue a career as an academic. Her research interests centre around dental epidemiology, health promotion and clinical effectiveness. She returned to the UK in 1995 and joined Cardiff University as a senior lecturer. She was promoted to Professor and led the School of Dentistry before serving as Deputy Vice-Chancellor from 2010. In 2017, she was appointed Vice-Chancellor of Aberystwyth University, where she led on academic developments such as providing its first nursing education programme and the opening of Wales’ only School of Veterinary Science. She was recently made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to higher education.

Dr Gabe Treharne

Raised in South Wales, Gabe Treharne’s professional career was in civil engineering at Arup, where he became a member of its Europe Board with roles on its Infrastructure, Health and Safety, and Human Resources executives. He started as a Geotechnical Engineer in London, designing the foundations for high rise buildings. In 1975, he transferred to Cardiff where he led teams delivering major building and infrastructure projects. He became a member of Cardiff University’s Council in 2007, serving as Vice Chair and Pro-Chancellor and advising on the University’s building programme.