FRIDAY, 4th December, 2026
6:00 P.M.
THE HONOURABLE SOCIETY OF LINCOLN’S INN
THE PATRONS
Sir Lenny Henry
Co-Patron
Baroness Floella Benjamin
Co-Patron
Dr. Shirley J. Thompson
Co-Patron
Honourees
2026
Sir Willard White
Sir Willard was born in Jamaica, where he commenced his musical training at the Jamaican School of Music and then went on to the Juilliard School in New York. In 1989, Sir Willard performed the role of Othello in Trevor Nunn’s production for the Royal Shakespeare Company, alongside Sir Ian McKellen as Iago and Imogen Stubbs as Desdemona. Sir Willard holds the Order of Merit of Jamaica, was awarded the CBE in 1995 and was knighted in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2004. He was named Chevalier de la Legion D’honneur in France in 2023 for his contributions to opera, both on the French and international stages across a distinguished fifty-year career.
Ansel Wong, CBE
Ansel migrated, on a plane, from Trinidad to the UK in 1965 to earn, learn and then return. He earned, learnt but did not return.
Living in London for the past 61 years, he has been prominent in promoting the arts & culture of the Caribbean & this was recognised in 2012 with the Trinidad & Tobago London High Commission’s 50th Anniversary Award, a Time Out feature in October 2018 that adjudged Ansel as one of 50 Great Londoners & the CBE in October 2020 in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to art & culture.
He led a team in getting October designated as Black History Month UK and championed recognition of London’s Indo-Caribbean community. He served on Government committees: Advising on managing outdoor festivals during COVID, curating the erection of the Windrush Monument in Waterloo Station, advising the Foreign & Commonwealth Office on the Caribbean. He chaired several health agencies, from the London Health Commission to the Brent & Harrow Health Authority. As Associate Editor of Hansib Publications Ltd, he edited manuscripts and wrote articles for publication.
For 40+ years, Ansel played pivotal roles in prompting, developing, managing and lecturing on Carnivals in the UK. He founded the Elimu Mas Academy, toured China for 11+ years, served on the governing body of other Carnival organisations & pioneered the introduction of Tassa, Moko Jumbies and other musical genres on the road.
Under his creative leadership, Elimu challenged the orthodoxy of the Carnival band and the cultural ecology of Carnival and championed the engagement with London’s Cosplay, Trans and LGBT+ communities and was the first Carnival band to ‘play Mas’ at Glastonbury, on the Great Wall of China and in London Pride in 2022.
Chain of Hope
Since 1996, Chain of Hope has been providing life-saving cardiac treatment for children from war-torn and developing countries who would otherwise find it almost impossible to receive the treatment they deserve.
The charity treats these children in two ways; by conducting teaching and training missions at cardiac units around the world, as well as provide emergency treatment by transporting children to leading centres in the UK, Europe, India and Egypt.
These missions have two aims: to treat children suffering from life-threatening heart diseases and to provide onsite expertise and teaching for local cardiac teams. Since our inauguration by Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub, FRS, OM we have worked with 43 countries to save the lives of children in need.
During the last financial year, the charity enabled 384 complex cardiac procedures for children across the world suffering from heart disease.
Chain of Hope is funded entirely on donations and does not receive support from the government. Each child’s life that is saved is thanks to the kindness of our donors and supporters.
Professor Kingsley Abbott Bio
Professor Kingsley Abbott is an experienced international criminal and human rights lawyer with nearly 25 years’ experience in international non-governmental organisations, the United Nations, academic institutions and domestic legal practice.
He is currently Professor of International Legal Practice and Director of the Institute for Commonwealth Studies at the University of London. The Institute sits at the crossroads of research, policy, human rights practice and international relations. Its aim is to lead impactful research, education and collaboration on challenges to strengthen democracy, human rights, and the rule of law in the modern Commonwealth and globally.
Prior to that, he spent over nine years in Thailand where he served the International Commission of Jurists as the Director of Global Accountability and International Justice. During this time, he developed and led numerous human rights and rule of law initiatives in Asia and around the world. He has also worked as a Senior Legal Adviser at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal in Cambodia and as Trial Counsel in the Office of the Prosecutor at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in the Hague. He started his career in his home country of Aotearoa New Zealand, where he mainly practised as a criminal barrister under a leading King’s Counsel, appearing in the District Court, High Court and Court of Appeal on numerous matters for both the defence and prosecution.
He was admitted to the New Zealand Bar in 2002 and holds a conjoint degree in law and philosophy from the University of Auckland, New Zealand.
Clary Salandy
Clary is a Carnival/theatre designer, lecturer and three dimensional design tutor. She is known for her award winning Carnival work which has featured in many world class events both nationally and internationally.
She attended the Wimbledon School of Art and has taught at the Prince of Wales’s institute of Architecture, Central Saint Martin’s School of art, Bournemouth and Nottingham Trent Universities and abroad at Iowa and Ohio Universities.
She was the Associate Artistic Director at the UK Centre for Carnival Arts from 2014 till 2023 with lead responsibility for curating the Luton Carnival.
In the 1990’s Clary designed several shows for Temba theatre company, Carib Theatre Company and the Black theatre season.
As the Artistic Director of Mahogany Carnival Design, since 1989, she creates opportunities for young people to access the arts through carnival arts within prestigious events.
Her design work includes performances in UNESCO, the opening and closing ceremonies of the first Afro Asian games in Hyderabad, India 2003, Cirque Surreal, Bollywood film awards ceremonies, the grand finale to the Millennium celebrations in Singapore and the opening ceremony for the Millennium Dome in London 2000.
Clary’s costumes for the musical “Carnival Messiah” won the Cacique award for outstanding costume design in 2003. This is a National drama award of Trinidad and Tobago.
On a local level Clary has over 30 years’ experience of creating award winning costumes for the Notting Hill Carnival with her local community.
She was the Artistic director for the Carnival segment of the Queens Golden Jubilee parade 2002 and for the creative performance of the opening ceremony for the Special Olympics in Leicester 2009.
Her work featured in the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics and she designed and produced costumes for 2 cultural Olympiad projects ‘Follow the light’ and ‘Games Time’ which toured in the East Midlands.
David Flint
Born in the 1960s, David grew up in Tottenham during a time of racial tension. Despite the challenges, his parents’ discipline, Caribbean roots and a ‘do better and succeed’ attitude shaped his early life. His passion for football, which began in childhood, led him to play semi-professionally in the Conference League for 14 years, primarily with Enfield FC.
David’s relentless pursuit of success first led him to a role with a Russian shipping company, followed by a pivotal opportunity at Howden Shipping. Although initially seeking a shipping role, he was
instead offered a position in their insurance division, marking the beginning of his distinguished career in insurance. By the time he left Alexander Howden in 1984, David had risen to the rank of Senior Broker in Property and Casualty. His career trajectory continued to ascend at Lowndes Lambert, where he became an Assistant Director of P&C and later a Name at Lloyd’s in 1988. David’s remarkable journey includes a leadership role at Jardine Insurance Brokers and his entrepreneurial ventures in insurance include advisory roles working in the C-Suite of a number of Brokers, MGAs and Re-Insurance companies globally.
David’s efforts in establishing the Cultural Awareness Committee at Lloyd’s FC and contributing to the creation of the Lloyd’s
Women FC side in 2021 underscore his commitment to promoting inclusivity in all areas of his life. Despite his busy schedule, he remains active in the Essex Veterans League, showcasing his ongoing passion for football.
As the insurance sector evolves towards a more inclusive and diverse environment, David’s role as a trailblazer is increasingly significant. His extensive international experience and expertise in advising
Underwriters, Brokers, Re-insurers, and others in the Lloyd’s, London, and International Reinsurance markets make him an invaluable asset.
His leadership in providing capacity for Re-insurers, Brokers, and MGAs across various classes, including Special Risks and Reinsurance, positions him as a key figure in shaping the future of the insurance industry. Blue Mountain Capacity’s growth and development under David’s guidance offer a compelling platform for high achievers to contribute to its impressive production capabilities and skill sets.
Michael "Speedy" Ramdeen
Michael “Speedy” Ramdeen is a Trinidadian-born structural engineer who serves as the technical mastermind behind the legendary carnival engineering company Mahogany Carnival Design.
He co-founded the London-based company in 1989 alongside his wife, renowned carnival costume designer Clary Salandy. Together, they are famous for revolutionizing “Mas Making” (masquerade) by designing large-scale, kinetic sculptures and groundbreaking costumes that utilize human body motion.
JN Bank
The Jamaica National Group represents one of Jamaica’s pre-eminent and most recognisable brands with over 150 years of history and service in Jamaica and overseas. Founded in 1874 in the aftermath of slavery, it provided the means for empowering and extending property ownership to the peasant population in Jamaica. Today, it is regarded as one of the largest creators of wealth in Jamaica through the provision of financial services to Jamaicans.
With mutuality and membership as the ethos of its operations, The Jamaica National Group acts as a social enterprise by ensuring the Group remains a leading performer among mixed conglomerates in the Caribbean Region; and its performance positively impacts the lives of the people and communities that its subsidiaries serve. It also retains its rich tradition of being a part of the journey of Jamaicans, with offices and locations serving its members and customers in Jamaica and primary Jamaican Diaspora communities in the United Kingdom (UK), Canada, the Cayman Islands and the United States of America.
Over the years it has expanded its reach by establishing and acquiring subsidiary companies that supports the mission of “helping people to find a way” financially through an array of banking, life insurance, technology, real estate management and motor vehicle fleet management services.
Through its corporate social responsibility arm, the JN Foundation, the Group is committed to the success and growth of its members while using business as a force for good to improve the outcome of Jamaicans wherever they may reside globally. Driven by a strong value system to be Dependable, Authentic, Respectful and Transparent in its engagements, the Group is focused on using innovative products and services to unleash the potential of its members while thriving to ensure that its vision of being a globally respected brand – boldly finding ways to enrich lives and build communities – is being actualized daily.
2025
Ms. Sonita Alleyne, OBE
In May 2019, Sonita Alleyne was elected the Master of Jesus College. After attending Cambridge, reading philosophy, Alleyne followed her passion for music, joining Jazz FM before setting up a media production company, Somethin’ Else. It grew from a five-hundred-pound start-up to one of the UK’s major cross-media production houses and the BBC’s biggest multi-platform supplier.
She is currently: a Non-Exec on FTSE 250 Wickes PLC, a board member of the Screen Academy Foundation, which raises money from the film industry to support the London Screen Academy and East London Arts and Music, Chair of Kettles Yard Gallery and Museum, Chair of the Cambridge Centre for Music Performance, Chair of the Cambridge University Careers Syndicate and Co-Chairs the Cambridge University Black Advisory Hub.
Alleyne has had an impressive and varied career, covering education, employment, and the arts. She has sat on the board of an extensive list of organisations including the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the National Employment Panel and the London Skills and Employment Board, The Local radio Company, The Cultural Capital Fund and Archant newspaper Group. She also served on the BBC Trust for five years and was the Chair of the British Board of Film Classification. Alleyne was governor at the Museum of London and sat on the board of the London Legacy Development Corporation, regenerating the Olympic Park post 2012, and the Main Advisory Committee of the arts focused Freelands Foundation.
Sir Trevor McDonald, OBE
Sir Trevor McDonald, OBE, was born and educated in Trinidad in the West Indies, where his career in the media began, first as a radio reporter, news presenter and sports journalist. He came to London in August 1969 to work for the BBC WORLD Service and has held leading roles at ITN and Channel Four News.
His awards include the Richard Dimbleby Award for Outstanding Contribution to Television from BAFTA, the Royal Television Society Gold Medal for his Outstanding Contribution to Television News (1998), the National Television Award for Outstanding Commitment to Television (2003) presented to him on live television by the then Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and the Royal Television Society’s Judges’ Award (2005). He was named Newscaster of the year in 1993, 1997 and 1999 and has regularly topped the polls as the most authoritative and trustworthy news presenter. McDonald has received Honorary Degrees from at least eight Universities.
VM Group
The establishment of the VM Group is the latest chapter in the storied history of the organisation that first opened its doors in 1878 as Victoria Mutual Building Society (VMBS). Led by the Reverend G.W. Downer, the Rector of the Kingston Parish Church, a group of clergymen formed VMBS with a mission to, through the power of mutuality, empower economically marginalised Jamaicans to pool their resources to save and to acquire homes.
Today, VM Group Limited is a global financial institution with offices in Jamaica, the wider Caribbean, the United States and the United Kingdom.
It is the mutual holding company of VM Financial Group Limited and VM Innovations Limited, which offer a transformational suite of products and services via the VM Building Society; VM Investments; VM Wealth Management; VM Property Services; VM Money Transfer Services; VM Pensions Management; and VM Finance (UK). VM Foundation is the Group’s philanthropic arm and British Caribbean Insurance Company (BCIC) and Carilend are affiliate companies.
Baroness Patricia Scotland, PC, KC
Patricia Janet Scotland, Baroness Scotland of Asthal, PC, KC, is a Dominican-British barrister and politician who served as the sixth secretary-general of the Commonwealth of Nations from 2016 to 2025. She was the first woman to hold that post.
After working as a barrister in London, she was appointed as a life peer in 1997 and, as a British Labour Party politician, served in ministerial positions within the UK Government, most notably as Attorney General for England and Wales and as Advocate General for Northern Ireland. She is a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and Dominica, where she was born.
Scotland was decreed and invested by Prince Carlo, Duke of Castro, as a Dame of Merit with Star of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George in 2003. In 2014, she was appointed to the Council of the British and Irish Delegation of the Constantinian Order and promoted in rank to Dame Grand Cross of Merit.
Scotland has been voted Peer of the Year by Channel 4, The House magazine, Parliamentarian of the Year by the Spectator and the Political Studies Association, and received a number of other awards for her contribution to law reform in the UK and abroad. Scotland was awarded an honorary degree from the University of East London in 2005. Powerlist ranked her as the most influential Black Briton in 2010, 2007 and 2008. On 1 January 2014, she was appointed chancellor of the University of Greenwich.
Ambassador Theresa Roberts
Theresa Roberts is an art collector, philanthropist, and the founder of The Jamaica Patty Co. (est. 2013), a Jamaican restaurant with four sites in London. She was born in in Black River, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, and lived there until the age of 8. Roberts later moved to the UK and grew up in London and entered the business world. From 1999, she began to travel back to Jamaica more frequently and started to collect Jamaican art. She became friends with the important British-Jamaican writer and art historian, Edward Lucie-Smith. Lucie-Smith supported Roberts’s art collection and provided advice, and she has now amassed an art collection of Jamaican art of international quality. She is married to businessman, Andrew Roberts.
Robert’s charitable roles include sitting on the board of historic Devon House, Kingston, the Friends of the Edna Manley Arts Foundation, Kingston, and supporting Prince Charles by providing a residency at her Jamaican home, Hanover Grange, for his Royal Drawing School. The residencies are funded and provide two artists each with two-week residencies annually. She was also involved in the establishment of the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool in 2007. Roberts also founded the Black Circle Gallery, which is her international art collection. Here, she promotes international artists.
Her activities to promote Jamaican culture were recognised formally in 2023, when she was appointed as Ambassador and Special Envoy for Culture and the Arts by the Jamaican government.
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow has been changing the world since 1451. We are a world top 100 university and a member of the prestigious Russell Group of leading UK research universities. Our people have always been at the forefront of innovation, including eight Nobel Laureates, two UK Prime Ministers, three First Ministers of Scotland, 10 Fellows of the Royal Society and 11 Fellows of the British Academy. Our past achievements inspire our current world changers.
As a globally connected university, we work in partnership with others across the world to advance global solutions to real world problems. We are proud to be a founding member of the university networks Universitas 21 and The Guild of European Research Intensive Universities.
We are committed to tackling the most pressing global challenges facing humanity and the natural world. We are delivering against the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and have pledged to be carbon neutral by 2030.
We believe that everyone should have fair access to education. We are proud of our long tradition of helping talented people to fulfil their ambitions, regardless of their background or circumstances. Our University of Sanctuary status recognises the safe and welcoming environment we provide for refugees and asylum seekers.
2024
Baroness Floella Benjamin
Baroness Floella Karen Yunies Benjamin, OM, DBE, DL, is a Trinidadian-British actress, singer, presenter, author and politician. She is known as presenter of children’s programmes such as Play School, Play Away, Jamboree and Fast Forward. On 28 June 2010, Lady Benjamin was introduced to the House of Lords as a life peer nominated by the Liberal Democrats. In 2024, she was honoured with the BAFTA Fellowship award for her services to television.
Benjamin was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2001 New Year Honours for services to broadcasting. At that time she was chairperson of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. She has also won a Special Lifetime Achievement award from BAFTA. She was chairperson of the Women of the Year Lunch for five years and a Millennium Commissioner. She is president of the Elizabeth R Commonwealth Broadcasting Fund and a governor of the National Film and Television School.
Dr. Donette Chin-Loy Chang
Dr. Donette Chin-Loy Chang is a distinguished communications leader, accomplished public affairs strategist, prolific philanthropist and chancellor of Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU).
Chin-Loy Chang has created and managed successful strategies for countless corporate, government, not-for-profit and institutional clients. She and her late husband, G. Raymond Chang, have been dedicated to transforming lives through education, health care, social justice and the arts, in Canada and globally.
She is co-patron of the University of the West Indies Toronto Benefit Awards, a board director for the BlackNorth Initiative and the Toronto International Film Festival, and chairs TMU’s Alumni Council. She also sits on the advisory boards of the Onyx Initiative and TMU’s Anti-Asian Racism Taskforce.
Sir Lenny Henry
Sir Lenworth George Henry, CBE, is a British comedian, actor and writer. He gained success as a stand-up comedian and impressionist in the late 1970s and early 1980s, culminating in The Lenny Henry Show in 1984. He was the most prominent black British comedian of the time and much of his material served to celebrate and parody his African-Caribbean roots.
In 1985, he co-founded the charity Comic Relief with the comedy screenwriter Richard Curtis. He has appeared in numerous other TV programmes, including children’s entertainment show Tiswas, sitcom Chef! and The Magicians for BBC One, and in his later years has transitioned toward acting roles on stage and screen.
Dr. Willard Wigan
Dr. Willard Wigan, MBE, is a British sculptor, the son of Jamaican immigrants, who makes micro miniature sculptures. His sculptures are typically placed in the eye of a needle or on the head of a pin.
Told by his school teachers that he would amount to nothing, he was used as a warning to others what academic failure looked like. Unable to read or write and with his social and academic confidence broken, Willard ran away from school. Whilst hiding at home from the world that taunted him, he discovered his hidden talent and began a new journey to greatness.
Wigan has achieved two Guinness World Records and an Honorary Doctorate from Warwick University. He’s been the subject of an award-winning Channel 4 documentary, the guest of international TV, radio and talk shows and his art has been exhibited across the globe, attracting celebrity collectors.
Lord Simon Woolley
Simon Andrew Woolley, Baron Woolley of Woodford, is a British politician and activist. He is the founder and director of Operation Black Vote (OBV) and Trustee of the charity Police Now, and has been Principal of Homerton College, Cambridge, since October 2021.
Woolley has been included in the Powerlist – which features the 100 most influential people of African or African Caribbean heritage in the United Kingdom – every year since 2012.
Woolley was nominated for a life peerage to sit as a Crossbencher in the House of Lords in 2019. He was created Baron Woolley of Woodford, of Woodford in the London Borough of Redbridge, in October 2019. He was chair of the Government of the United Kingdom Race Disparity Unit Advisory Group until July 2020.
Mr. Peter Cohen
The Edmund Cohen Laboratory for Vascular Research (ECOVAR) laboratory was opened on March 31, 2004, by Edmund Cohen, father of Peter Cohen and past chairman of Courts furniture retailer. The laboratory has since established itself as the leading vascular research centre in the Caribbean under the joint leadership of Professor Clive Landis and Dr. Kim Quimby.
Since the passing of Edmund Cohen in July 2013, the laboratory’s operations have been maintained through the generous support of the Peter D. Cohen Charitable Trust.
Professor Landis says of Peter Cohen: “Like his father Edmund, Peter Cohen is much more than a philanthropist. He has taken a personal interest in the activities of the laboratory and its staff. I have greatly benefited from Peter’s extensive business acumen and mentoring approach, as have other staff in the laboratory who have been hosted by Peter when passing through London.”
bp p.l.c.
BP p.l.c. (formerly The British Petroleum Company p.l.c. and BP Amoco p.l.c.) is a British multinational oil and gas company headquartered in London, England. It is one of the oil and gas “supermajors” and one of the world’s largest companies measured by revenues and profits. It is a vertically integrated company operating in all areas of the oil and gas industry, including exploration and extraction, refining, distribution and marketing, power generation, and trading.
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