A group of tireless campaigners who fought for justice for subpostmasters and mistresses caught up in the Post Office Horizon scandal have been recognised in the 2025 New Year Honours list. Among the honourees are Seema Misra, Lee Castleton, Josephine Hamilton, and Christopher Head, each named Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for their unwavering commitment to justice.
The honours spotlight their pivotal roles in exposing the flawed Horizon IT system, which led to wrongful convictions of hundreds of subpostmasters for financial discrepancies. Also recognised was Dr Kay Linnell, a forensic accountant and expert witness whose advisory work with the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance was instrumental in achieving restitution.
The Horizon scandal, one of the UK’s most significant miscarriages of justice, saw subpostmasters falsely accused of theft and fraud due to errors in the Post Office’s IT system.
Jo Hamilton and cast and crew accept the Impact Award for “Mr Bates vs The Post Office” on stage during the NTAs 2024 at The O2 Arena on September 11, 2024 in London, England.Photo by Lia Toby/Getty Images for the NTA's
Last month, Asian Traderconferred them with the Ramniklal Solanki Editor’s Award at the 2024 Asian Trader Awards, with Seema Misra attending the event, representing the postmasters.
Misra told Asian Trader the OBE was not just for her, but for every single campaigner who has fought for justice and that it gives them all the determination to continue to fight to see those responsible face criminal investigations.
“This is definitely a collective award - each and every single postmaster played a part, and the general public, too, for the support they have and continue to give us,” said Misra.
“The fight is not over – this award will keep the story alive.”
Misra, 48, was wrongly imprisoned in 2010 after being accused of stealing £75,000 from her Post Office branch in Surrey, where she was the subpostmistress. Her conviction finally overturned in 2021.
She was two months pregnant when she was jailed and said had she not been expecting her second child, she would have ended her own life “for sure”.
Now her son is 13 years old and Misra said it will be a “beautiful moment” when he accompanies her to Buckingham Palace to receive her award.
"He's very excited. He’s already asking if it happened during the weekday, if he will get time off school to attend.”
The previous Conservative government unveiled legislation in March to exonerate those wrongly prosecuted and compensate them after ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office renewed focus on their plight.
Retail and consumer sector leadership
Leena Nair, the global chief executive of Chanel, was awarded the CBE for her services to the retail and consumer sector – with Chanel being the biggest investor in the UK cultural landscape under her leadership and commitment.
The British Indian business executive is the first female chief executive of the French luxury brand.
Prior to that, she was the first female and youngest-ever chief human resources officer of Unilever - a position she resigned from to join the iconic group in January 2022.
“I am deeply grateful for this profound honour. This recognition reinforces our commitment as a business to have a positive impact in the world,” Nair said.
“I am thankful to my passionate and dedicated teams whose support makes all this possible. It inspires me to continue striving for excellence and contributing to wider society. I hope it encourages others to break barriers and follow their dreams.”
Leena Nair attends TIME100 Women's Leadership Forum at Chelsea Piers, Studio 59 on September 10, 2024 in New York CityPhoto by Shannon Finney/Getty Images for TIME
Tarsem Singh Dhaliwal, chief executive of Iceland Foods, received an OBE for his contributions to the Welsh economy, retail, and charity.
Born in India in 1963, Dhaliwal moved with his family to the UK in 1966. He grew up in Warrington where he was educated at Woolston comprehensive school and gained his initial retail experience helping his father to run a market stall.
His connection with Iceland dates back 40 years; he joined the company as a trainee accountant in 1985, shortly after college. Dhaliwal worked at Iceland until 2001, leaving after the company was acquired by Big Food Group, which brought in new management. However, he soon returned, teaming up with founder Malcolm Walker and other investors to buy back Iceland when it struggled under the new leadership.
Since rejoining in 2005, Dhaliwal and his colleagues have revitalised Iceland Foods, transforming it into a profitable venture. The company, which runs around 1,000 stores and employs 30,000 people, reported a 24 per cent increase in underlying profit to £315.7m in its 2024 financial year, with sales growing 6.6 per cent to £4.3 billion.
Tarsem Singh DhaliwalPhoto: Iceland Foods Ltd
Dhaliwal was appointed group CEO in 2018, after a year as group managing director and 12 prior years as group finance director.
He also serves as a trustee of the Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year with a spectacular charity ball in Liverpool.
“I am deeply honoured to have received this award, considering that over 61 years ago, I was born in a small village in India called Bhamipura, which, at the time, had no electricity or running water,” Dhaliwal told Asian Trader.
“I wish my mum and dad were alive to enjoy this recognition with me and the family. However, it will go into the history books that a Dhaliwal from Bhamipura has an OBE.
"A huge thank you to everyone who has helped to make this happen.”
Victoria Robertshaw, founder of Green Street, an organisation that helps to develop greener British high streets, was also named an OBE for her impact on the retail sector.
Richard Price, managing director of clothing & home at Marks and Spencer, and Paul Buchanan, trustee of John Lewis Partnership Foundation have been recognised with MBEs from the retail sector.
Community champions and industry leaders
Hemandra Hindocha and Richard Gresham Haley, postmasters serving their local communities in Epworth, Doncaster and Westcotes, Leicester respectively, received Medals of the Order of the British Empire (BEM).
Better known as “H” by customers, Hindocha has been at the heart of his Westcotes community for nearly 38 years after initially starting his postmaster career in Northampton, for five years.
The 73-year-old has always considered the role of a being a postmaster as a “prestigious position” and maintains that it has been an honour to work for the Post Office.
“I was surprised and delighted to find out I had been named in the New Years’ Honour list. I still love coming to work every day, even on my days off,” Hindocha, said.
Hemandra Hindocha
“I especially enjoy the rapport with my customers and understand the importance of building good relationships with them – they are like extended family. I have got to know several generations of the same family. People I served in my early days, many now have children and grandchildren.
“This is a very multi-cultural area and not everyone speaks English well, so I have trained my staff to be patient, to explain things simply and to help customers with forms. We like to be helpful and word soon spreads and their family and friends come in as they have heard good things about the service they have received.”
Anne Croucher, Community Champion at Tesco, has also won a BEM for services to the community in Dumfries and Galloway.
Younis Chaudhry, founder of Regal Food Products Plc, was honoured with an MBE for his business contributions and community work in Bradford.
Founded in 2001, Regal Foods is a manufacturer and distributor of a vast range of world food products as well as producers of a large selection of mainstream confectionery products. The business started by supplying a small selection of bakery products to grocery shops within the local area, initially to meet the growing needs of the South Asian consumers.
Younis ChaudhryPhoto: Regal Foods Products Group
The business (home of Regal Bakery, Regal Foods, Yorkshire Baking Company, Just Desserts Yorkshire and Love Handmade Cakes) now has a portfolio of over 400 products within the world food, bakery, and confectionary categories, which span over multiple brands. Besides distributing to the UK retail, it also exports products to over 40 countries around the world.
“When I started in business over twenty years ago, nothing would have prepared me for the journey I have been on, both in business and in life. The community in where I live and where I have built my business is everything to me and I am humbled to be a part of it,” Younis Chaudhry commented on winning the honour.
“Whilst I feel it is my duty to give back, I feel truly honoured to have received such recognition. I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it wasn’t for my family, I would personally like to thank my parents for their prayers and blessings and for the guidance they have given me in life. A heartfelt thanks also goes to my wife, children, and brothers for the support they continue to give.
“I am honoured to work with around 300 people who make up my brilliant team at Regal Food Products Group, I thank each and every one of them for joining me in my Regal journey and for working with me in building the great food group you see today.”
Dr William Bain Lumsden, director of distilling, whisky creation and whisky stocks at The Glenmorangie Company, whose main product is the range of Glenmorangie single malt whisky, and Duncan Farrington, founder of Farrington Oils, Northamptonshire-based producers of Mellow Yellow Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil have also won MBEs in the food and drink sector.
