Gareth Davies MBE: A Lifetime of Service to Healthcare

Gareth Davies (OB 1967-1978) has been awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours List for services to healthcare in the UK and overseas, recognising a career spanning more than three decades in the voluntary sector and on the international stage.

"I have spent most of my career working in the voluntary sector, first nationally and then internationally, across the fields of human rights, homelessness and support for disadvantaged children. Thirty years ago, I was appointed the first Chief Executive Officer of the UK Cleft Lip and Palate Association (CLAPA), a role that resonated deeply with me as I was born with a cleft myself.

During this time, I was also a key member of the UK Government’s advisory committee on cleft care. The committee recommended - and subsequently oversaw - the development of centres of excellence in cleft and craniofacial care across the UK, bringing about lasting improvements in standards of care for patients and families.

In 2007, I co-founded the European Cleft Organisation (ECO), which works to improve the lives of children born with clefts and other disfiguring conditions throughout Europe and beyond. This work took me onto the global stage, collaborating with major international NGOs and health organisations to help drive progress and share best practice internationally.

I now live in France and have been in the process of stepping back from my professional roles, trying to retire and hand over responsibilities to a successor. It was in this context that, in December 2025, I received a call from Sir Thomas Drew, the UK Ambassador to France, informing me that I had been awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours List."

Gareth has spoken of his deep gratitude for the colleagues, clinicians, volunteers and families he has worked alongside throughout his career, emphasising that the honour reflects a collective effort to improve lives. The Brentwood community warmly congratulates him on this richly deserved recognition.