Honorary graduates 2018
Michael Caines
Michael is one of the UK’s most celebrated and acclaimed chefs. Born in Exeter, Michael has helped revolutionise cuisine in Britain and his dedication to the craft saw him hold two Michelin stars for 18 consecutive years.
Michael’s abilities in the kitchen soon saw him find his way on to the TV screens of the nation, with numerous appearances on Saturday Kitchen and Masterchef, to name just a few. The former protégé of Raymond Blanc also now has numerous business interests and is involved heavily in community and charity work.
Among his many personal accolades, Michael was awarded an MBE in 2006 for services to the hospitality industry and can also count the AA’s ‘Chef of the Year’ award in 2007 as one of his career highlights.
The renowned chef and hotelier has long championed the South West as a hub of the food industry, and has been one of the driving forces behind the Exeter Festival of South West food since it began in 2003.
Michael currently spends his time running the contemporary country house hotel Lympstone Manor while also managing the Michael Caines Foundation to support local charities and worthwhile causes.
Richard Stevens
Richard is the Managing Director of Plymouth Citybus and a stalwart of the South West’s travel industry. Having started as a bus driver in 1990, Richard worked his way through the ranks and now helms Plymouth Citybus, a company which transports over 17 million passengers a year.
Richard is a name synonymous with travel links in the South West, having previously worked as Operations Director for First Devon and Cornwall and then held the same position for Stagecoach South West.
Under Richard’s management, Plymouth Citybus won 2017’s Medium Bus Operator of the Year award at routeone’s ceremony at the Hilton Metropole in Birmingham and he continues to strive for excellence with one of the most recognisable travel brands in Devon.
Richard is also Chair of the Devon Chamber of Commerce, Director of Destination Plymouth and holds many other influential positions for travel links in the South West.
Bob Brown
Bob has made national headlines on numerous occasions for his extreme endurance event exploits. Hailing from Cornwall, Bob’s greatest achievement was becoming the first Briton to win the Trans-USA running race from Los Angeles to New York; a distance that would take seven days to complete… by car. The 3,100-mile race saw Bob go through five pairs of trainers as he ran 50 miles a day for two months.
The primary school teacher has taken part in numerous endurance events and has competed in a range of disciplines, including; triathlons, cycling and long distance running events. The City of London graduate also once held the record time for cycling from Land’s End to John O’ Groats and back; completing the distance in 6 days and 20 hours. Other records set include the World Record for running across Europe and the World Record time in the longest triathlon, the Deca-Ironman, which is a 24 mile swim, 1120 mile bike ride and 262 mile run.
Bob completed his PGCE teacher training at Marjon and now uses his passion for sport to inspire hundreds of pupils. Bob started the country’s first ever Primary School Triathlon Academy and has coached individuals and teams to Cornwall County titles in eight different sports.
Five successive Hawaii Ironman finishes and two second place finishes in the World Triple Ironman Championships tops off an impressive list of honours for the man who was the first person in history to have both run and cycled across Australia.
Mark Ormrod
Mark is an inspirational former Royal Marines Commando who is now a motivational speaker, award-winning writer and peak performance coach.
Mark was the first triple amputee to survive the conflict in Afghanistan after he stepped on and triggered an Improvised Explosive Device while on foot patrol in the Helmand Province. Mark’s determination to succeed shone through during his recovery as time and again he defied the doctors to do things no one thought possible.
The Invictus Games played host to one of Mark’s grandest accomplishments, as he claimed the silver medal for Team UK in the indoor rowing event in 2017 and picked up multiple medals in the 2018 competition.
Today, Mark offers keynote speeches to hundreds of people and coaches amputees wishing to regain their physical fitness at an elite level. He is also an ambassador for the Royal Marines Association and takes to his charitable work with the same determination as shown throughout his life.