Michael de Giorgio, a business investor, mentor and founder, will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.

After graduating from the University of Bristol with a BSc in Politics in 1979, Michael went on to found and sell Intercontinental Finance and then Portman Consultants, before establishing Greenhouse Sports in 2002.

Greenhouse Sports, a charity that uses sports to inspire disadvantaged young people to fulfil their potential, has helped over 40,000 young people and has raised over £50 million.

Since stepping down as CEO in 2016, Michael has been recognised for his philanthropic work with an OBE in 2017, and a spot in the Evening Standard’s list of the '1000 Most Influential Londoners 2019'.

Professor Ineke Sluiter, a Dutch classicist and Professor of Greek Language and Literature at Leiden University, will receive an honorary Doctor of Letters degree.

She received her PhD from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in 1990. Her research focuses on ancient ideas on language, ancient values and innovation in antiquity.

Among many projects and accolades, she secured €18.8 million in 2017 for a national research programme in Classics, is currently Vice-President and President Elect of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, and in 2010 was awarded the Spinoza Prize, the highest scientific award in the Netherlands.

An honorary degree is a major accolade, awarded in recognition of outstanding achievement and distinction in a field or activity consonant with the University's mission.