Former Chair of the City of London Corporation’s Police Authority Board, James Thomson, has been awarded a CBE in the New Year Honours for services to policing and inclusion.
A former Special Constable, James joined the Police Authority Board in 2015 and served as Chair from 2020 to 2024. He has campaigned for national reforms to combat fraud and cybercrime, and championed local safety initiatives, including tackling violence against women and girls.
James also served on the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners board and is a Non-Executive Director at the Serious Fraud Office. An advocate for diversity and inclusion, he has been instrumental in ensuring that the City Police is on a clear path to becoming one of the most trusted and inclusive police services in the country.
James Thomson CBE said: “I am truly humbled to be awarded a CBE. It is a privilege to work with so many committed people at a local and national level, in tackling fraud and economic crime which is essential to the UK’s economic security.
“I am also proud to have been recognised for my work in promoting a fairer, safer, more inclusive society, a journey that started for me 30 years ago working with the South African Government of National Unity and which spans my interests in policing, housing, education, and philanthropy.”
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Former Sheriff of the City of London, Liz Green, received an OBE for voluntary service and services to prisoner rehabilitation in London and Hertfordshire.
As Sheriff of the City of London she championed prisoner rehabilitation and charity fundraised significant sums to support that work. As a volunteer for Shannon Trust, she has a standout reputation for the charity, which mentors and trains prisoners with low literacy and numeracy.
As High Sheriff of Hertfordshire she has leveraged her role to convene and champion the need to improve literacy among those in prison, those with lived prison experience, and individuals in local communities. She visited all forty-six libraries in Hertfordshire to champion the importance of literacy, and at the same time raised substantial sums for Hertfordshire Community Foundation.
Liz Green OBE DL MStJ said: “I am deeply honoured to receive this award, and to have had the opportunity to serve both in the City of London and in Hertfordshire.
“Whilst many of us take reading for granted, sitting in court and talking with HM Judges at the Old Bailey taught me a great deal about the practical day-to-day limitations and the reality for those with low literacy.
“Volunteers give of their time, and they also personally gain, both from those they work with and from fellow volunteers, and when visiting prisons, I see first-hand the positive impact that one-to-one help can have for those who struggle.
Basketball Academy Director at the City of London Academy Southwark (CoLA Southwark), Jackson Gibbons, has been awarded a BEM for services to basketball, sport and young people**
CoLA Southwark is a member of the City of London Academies Trust, which runs the City of London Corporation’s ten high-performing sponsored academies.
In 2013, he founded the CoLA Southwark Basketball Academy, now one of the UK’s most successful youth basketball programmes, and has had a transformative impact on basketball coaching in the UK at both a grassroots and elite level.
At the academy, he has developed teams for under-12s, under-14s, under-16s and sixth formers, plus a community club. Jackson has guided his pupils to unprecedented success, with victories in multiple national championships including, in the 2023-24 season alone, U17 Girls National Champions, U19 Girls National Champions, and U19 Boys National Runners-Up. Across the past decade, the Academy has won 33 national titles.
Through his coaching and mentorship, Jackson has supported over 90 students, many from disadvantaged backgrounds, to gain full scholarships to US universities.
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