Merton alumna awarded British Empire Medal
Rebecca Jeffree, a Merton alumna, and her colleague Rebecca Baldwin have both been awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) in the 2015 New Year Honours for services to gender equality in the workplace.
Reintroduced in 2012, the BEM rewards sustained local contribution or innovative high-impact work.
Both civil servants in central government, Rebecca and Rebecca created a network of 150 members for women in the Department of Energy and Climate Change, running it for two years with a vibrant community of volunteers. They drove an evidence-based approach to the department's diversity strategy, advising on approaches to breaking down barriers to promotion, increasing support for maternity and paternity leavers, increasing access to development opportunities, and promoting strong female role models.
Commenting on the award, they said:
"Being awarded the BEM sends a strong message that people can be positively recognised for active feminism and grassroots activity in the Civil Service. Even if you're advocating quite complex system change and sometimes completely different ways to work, it doesn't go unnoticed. The last few years have been particularly good years for the number of women receiving Honours and we think it's very encouraging to see that a more diverse range of people are getting through."
Rebecca Jeffree read Biological Sciences at Merton from 2001-2004 and received a Masters degree from Imperial College London in 2006. She now works in Defra. Rebecca Baldwin has a Masters degree in International Studies and Diplomacy from SOAS and now works in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. They are both looking forward to taking on future gender equality challenges inside and outside work.
Other Mertonians honoured were:
- Peter Truesdale (1976), former leader of Lambeth Council - and a member of our victorious 1980 University Challenge team! - awarded an OBE for public and political services.
- David Cook (1981), second parliamentary counsel in the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, made a Companion of the Order of the Bath for services to the preparation of legislation.
- Fiona Murray (1987), Professor of Entrepreneurship at MIT Sloan School of Management, awarded a CBE for services to entrepreneurship and innovation.
- Alan Davey (1983), former Arts Council England Chief Executive and now controller of BBC Radio 3, awarded a CBE for services to the arts.
The awards will be presented in 2015.
