I could not be more honoured to have been awarded an OBE in the Kings’ Birthday Honours List 2024, as announced in the London Gazette on the 15th June.

The award is in recognition of my work supporting “the arts, libraries and museums”. That short sentence captures so much of what I have worked towards over the past 25 years since taking up my first ‘real’ role as the Policy and Comms Assistant at the Museums and Galleries Commission.

I believe passionately in the power of culture, literacy and learning to improve not only our personal lives, but the fabric of our society. It has been an absolute privilege to play a part in securing universal access to these benefits across libraries and museums and most recently in the video games and interactive entertainment industry.

It’s hackneyed to say that it’s not just my award, but it honestly isn’t just my award. I have worked with many remarkable people in my career, and anything I have been able to achieve has largely been down to them. I’d particularly like to thank my friends and colleagues across the library, information and knowledge community and the Wikipedia community for your support and nomination.

Most of all, I’d like to thank my wonderful wife and kids, who have been there for me and enabled me to go out and do the work I do. They are the force that animates my whole world.

I will try and use the OBE title to raise the profile of the causes and issues that I care about!