Clare Marchant, vice-chancellor of the University of Gloucestershire has received a damehood in The King's Birthday Honours List this year.
The honour is one of the highest awarded in the UK and recognises the significant contributions made in a specific field.
Clare's honour is awarded for her services to the higher education sector, in which she has worked since 2017.
Her career began in the public sector, where she worked for the department of health and then a county council, before moving to head up university admissions charity UCAS in Cheltenham as its chief executive in 2017.
In 2023, Clare was announced as the University of Gloucestershire's new vice-chancellor.
On receiving the news of her damehood, Clare said: 'I am hugely humbled to have received this honour. My six years leading UCAS were challenging but hugely satisfying, driving through parity of apprenticeships, trebling the numbers of students using our information and advice services to navigate choices and using data to bring transparency in making those choices.
'I would like to express my sincere thanks to what was a brilliant team of UCAS trustees, leaders and staff for making that possible.
'I am privileged to have taken this passion for working with students into my role as vice-chancellor at University of Gloucestershire where we support over 9,000 students and apprentices on their educational journey, delivering high-quality learning opportunities, creating great careers and connections that last a lifetime, and driving skills development in Gloucestershire and beyond.'
The investiture at either Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle will be confirmed later in the year.
