ARM, Ofcom and Tech City chiefs make New Year Honours List

Some of the UK tech scene's biggest names have been named on the Queen's New Year Honours list, including Tech City UK CEO Joanna Shields and former ARM boss Warren East.

They were among the 1,1,95 people to receive awards in this list, many of whom were rewarded for making an outstanding contribution to their communities through paid or volunteering roles.

This year's list also marked the first time since the order of the British Empire was founded in 1917 that there were more women on the list than men, with 51 per cent of the awards going to females.

Shields was awarded an OBE for services to the digital industries and voluntary service to young people, while recently-retired East received a CBE in recognition of his services to the technology industry.

Over the years, he's been credited with helping the Cambridge-based firm become one of the world's top tech manufacturers, as its processors are used to power PCs, smartphones and servers made by the likes of Samsung, LG, HP and AMD.

Meanwhile, Ofcom chair Dr Mary Bowe bagged a DBE for services to media and communications.

Other notable inclusions were Iain Gray, CEO of the Government-backed Technology Strategy Board, who was awarded a CBE, as was Mike Bracken, executive director of the Government Digital Service.

The achievements of Dr. Jenifer Tennison, technical director at the Open Data Institute, in the field of technology were also recognised with an OBE.

In the more consumer-focused technology world, Dr. Hamid Mughal, director of global manufacturing for Rolls Royce was given an OBE for his services to the technology, innovation and manufacturing sectors.

Meanwhile, Michael Acton Smith, CEO and founder of Moshi Monsters' maker Mind Candy received an OBE too for services to the creative industries.