Heather Stevens, one of the founding team behind Admiral, Wales’s only FTSE 100 company, has been appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the King’s Birthday Honours List for her services to the environment, young people and philanthropy in Wales.
The 68-year-old, who lives in the Vale of Glamorgan, was a founder member of the Cardiff-based motor insurance business when it launched in 1993, playing a key role in marketing what was then a nascent venture. Admiral has since grown into a global operation with a market capitalisation of more than £10.54bn, employing 13,000 people worldwide – over 7,000 of them in South Wales.
Alongside her husband David Stevens – a co-founder of Admiral who later became its chief executive – Dame Heather established the Waterloo Foundation in 2007 with a personal contribution of £99m into an endowment fund. From that initial investment, the Cardiff-based charity has awarded roughly 4,300 grants worth more than £170m, drawn entirely from the couple’s personal wealth. The foundation has set a target of reaching £200m in total grants over the next few years.
The Waterloo Foundation supports projects in child development, health, education and environmental protection. While it has an international reach, a significant proportion of its grants have been directed towards good causes in Wales. Dame Heather has also co-founded the initiative Size of Wales, which aims to protect rainforests, and serves on the boards of Global Fishing Watch and Greenpeace UK Oceans. She is an honorary fellow and honorary visiting professor at Cardiff University, where she has also held the position of pro chancellor.
She received a CBE in 2010 for charitable services and served as High Sheriff of South Glamorgan in 2015.
Roger Lewis awarded MBE for service to veterans
Former Welsh Rugby Union group chief executive Roger Lewis has been awarded an MBE in the same honours list, in recognition of his support to service personnel and veterans. Mr Lewis, who was born in Cefn Cribwr and now lives in Penarth, is the founding chair of the Churchill Lines Foundation, a military charity he established in 2014 to support members of the armed forces community. The King became a patron of the foundation in March 2026, a significant milestone for the charity.
Commenting on the award, Mr Lewis said: “It is a great honour to support the extraordinary men and women who serve our country. They protect and defend our freedom. I dedicate this award to them and share it with my fellow trustees and friends of the Churchill Lines Foundation.”
His career spans more than three decades in London, where he held senior roles including head of music at BBC Radio 1, managing director of EMI Records, classical division president of Decca Records, and managing director and programme controller of Classic FM. He returned to Wales in 2004 as managing director of ITV Wales, before serving as group chief executive of the Welsh Rugby Union and the Millennium Stadium from 2006 to 2015. He is also a former chairman of Cardiff Airport and the Cardiff Capital Region.
Steve Hughson receives MBE for agriculture, tourism and events
Steve Hughson, a Mid Wales-based leader in farming, tourism and events, has been awarded an MBE for service to agriculture, tourism and events in Wales. Mr Hughson, 63, from Newbridge-on-Wye, was born in Builth Wells and raised on the family beef and sheep farm. He attended the town’s grammar school before joining the Metropolitan Police in London in 1983. He returned to Wales in 1992, transferring to Dyfed Powys Police, and retired after 30 years’ service as chief superintendent and head of territorial policing.
He later became chief executive of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society (RWAS), where he helped revitalise, modernise and enhance the society’s financial stability and engage with the Welsh Government and key external partners. Recognising the strong link between events and tourism, he has chaired the Mid Wales Tourism Forum for ten years and sits on the Welsh Government Visitor Economy Forum, which he also represents on the Regional Skills Partnership Board. During the pandemic he became a voice for tourism and events in weekly meetings with the Welsh Government and was appointed chair of the newly created Event Wales Industry Advisory Group.
Mr Hughson also served two four-year terms on the Welsh Government’s Agricultural Advisory Panel. His keen interest in youth development led to his election as chair of the Wales Young Farmers Clubs board of trustees in 2024. He has volunteered as Nantmel Show outdoor secretary for more than 15 years, is an active supporter of Brecon Mountain Rescue Team, and is a member of both Builth and District Running Club and the Old Stagers drama production group, which comprises ex-YFC members.
“I am very proud and humbled to receive this huge honour which is a tribute not only to me but also to all the people I have worked with over the years in agriculture, tourism and events,” he said. “When I was chief executive of the RWAS, I always checked the honours list to see if anybody from the field of agriculture in Wales had been recognised, so that we could celebrate their achievement. To now be honoured myself and by the King is the icing on the cake.”
Other Welsh recipients in the King’s Birthday Honours
A number of other individuals from Wales have been recognised. Glynne David Jones, a former director in the Wales Office who already holds a CBE, receives a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) for public service. Victoria Winkler, former director of the Merthyr-based think-tank the Bevan Foundation, receives a CBE for public service. Martin Dafydd Brown, director of retirement services at the Department for Work and Pensions, also receives a CBE for public service.
An OBE is awarded to Claire Jane Bennett, director of climate change and environmental sustainability at the Welsh Government, for services to vulnerable people, children and community cohesion. A former Commonwealth Games fencing gold medallist, she has been recognised for her work in these areas. Geraint Wyn Jowers, deputy director of security consultancy services at HM Revenue and Customs, receives an OBE for public service. Professor David Austin is awarded an OBE for services to the heritage of Wales, economic regeneration and young people.
Hywel Thomas Baker, managing director of Sierra Nevada Corporation, Mission Systems UK, receives an OBE for services to defence industry investment, regional economic development, veterans support and national security. Andrew Charles Bowden receives an OBE for services to housing and the community in Wales. He is the founding and long-serving chief executive of Cartrefi Conwy, a social housing association in North Wales that manages more than 4,000 properties and has developed a community interest company, Creating Enterprise, which prioritises employing tenants.
