mallowstreet co-founder Dawid Konotey-Ahulu has been made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to diversity and inclusion, as has pensions ombudsman Anthony Arter. 

 

Konotey-Ahulu, who also co-founded investment consultancy Redington, was listed for the King’s award after setting up the 10,000 Black Interns scheme with Michael Barrington-Hibbert, Wol Kolade and Jonathan Sorrell. 

 

He said: “It’s a huge honour to receive a CBE. Our mission is to get people a seat at the table; to provide better educational and employment opportunities for all those being left behind. To be recognised for that is tremendous and a powerful tribute to the many others involved.” 

 

Konotey-Ahulu, who sits on the boards of three charities to promote this goal, added: “The next 12 months are going to be transformative as we reimagine, and take steps to change, companies and organisations. There are so many young people with great unrealised potential who just need self-belief and an opportunity to show what they can do. I have been around a long time, but I honestly cannot remember ever being more excited about the future.” 

 

The businessman has been outspoken about the struggles minority ethnic people face, describing the hurdles that he encountered himself at the start of his career as “kinks in the hosepipe”. 

   

    

The 10,000 Black Interns scheme he co-founded aims to give students work experience in some of the UK’s top companies. The scheme started as a 100 Black Interns scheme focussed specifically on the finance sector, before it expanded to cover other industries. It is planned that an Able Interns equivalent to the Black Interns scheme will launch next year to help disabled students and graduates get internships, training and development. Konotey-Ahulu, as part of his role on the prime minister’s business council, is also championing T Levels, a new national qualification for over-16s. 

   

   

The pensions space has also seen others recognised, including pensions ombudsman Anthony Arter, who received a CBE for services to the pensions industry and to charity.  

 

Arter is due to be replaced as ombudsman by Dominic Harris from 16 January but will stay on as part-time deputy ombudsman for up to 12 months, to complete the cases for which he has held Pensions Dishonesty Unit oral hearings. The Pensions Dishonesty Unit launched in January 2022. TPO said that with “the continual rise in the number of complaints TPO receives annually, inevitably, the number of investigations requiring Ombudsman involvement has increased”. 

   

   

The former chair of the Investment Association and ex-CEO of Standard Life Aberdeen, Keith Skeoch, was knighted for services to the financial sector. Skeoch also chaired the government's ring-fencing and proprietary trading review.  

 

Who else should be recognised in the next New Year Honours list?