Oliver Excell (Bee's 1995) has been made an OBE, a British honour two ranks below a knighthood or damehood, for his involvement in the Vaccines Taskforce programme. The Queen awards such honours to those who make a great impact in their line of work.

Since July 2020, Oliver has been central to the UK's Vaccine Taskforce (VTF) – a body that sits within the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). The VTF has three key objectives:

• Secure access to promising vaccines for the UK population.
• Make provision for international distribution of vaccines.
• Support industrial strategy by establishing a long-term vaccine strategy plan to prepare the UK for future pandemics.

In his role, Oliver worked closely with global pharmaceutical companies to lead the procurement and supply of vaccines, including the Pfizer vaccine. Oliver and the wider team were involved in developing the business cases for funding, supporting commercial discussions, supporting the regulatory approvals process as well as managing the vaccine supply chain, to support the UK's successful vaccination campaign.

The Pfizer vaccine was the first vaccine given out in England in December 2020, followed by Astra Zeneca, Moderna and now Janssen. Since then the vaccines have been rolled out widely across the country and over 60m people have received their first dose.

Commenting on being made an OBE, Oliver said: "The Vaccines Task Force, in collaboration with industry, academia, and the NHS has achieved what many thought was impossible at the start of the pandemic – developing and deploying a COVID-19 vaccine in less than 12 months. This is a testament to the incredible vision and leadership of the VTF, and a fantastic 'rainbow' team of highly talented people. Therefore this award is gratefully received on behalf of the wider VTF."

Mark Brett, Head of PA Consulting’s Public Services practice said: “Oliver played a pivotal role in the Vaccine Taskforce. He demonstrated ingenuity at its greatest – going against all odds to deliver in the most challenging of times. I’m incredibly pleased to see his hard work has been recognised.”

Congratulations Oliver.