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Rugby referee Nigel Owens and transgender Army officer Captain Hannah Winterbourne are among those who will receive an Honorary Fellowship from Cardiff University this week.

After becoming the most experienced international referee in the history of rugby and refereeing the Rugby World Cup final last year between the All Blacks and Australia, Welsh ref Owens will receive the award in recognition of his glittering career.

He has appeared in three successive Rugby World Cups and is the most capped referee in European competition, taking charge of a record six finals.

Joining him to receive an Honorary Fellowship are LGBT role model Captain Winterbourne, award-winning Welsh novelist Dr Sarah Waters and global banking expert Stephen Bird.

Captain Winterbourne became the highest ranking transgender soldier within the British Army in 2013 and is a prominent campaigner promoting transgender inclusion in sport. She will be honoured for her efforts as a role model in the transgender community.

Dr Waters shot to fame after publishing her first novel, Tipping the Velvet, and will be recognised for her significant contribution to the arts.

Cardiff University alumni and Chief Executive Officer of the Global Consumer Bank at Citi, Mr Bird, who leads a team of more than 100,000 employees in 19 countries, serving more than 100 million customers, will also be honoured.

He is one of four university alumni returning for this year’s ceremony, along with Professor Julia Downing, Professor Emerita Dame Teresa Rees and Terry Smith.

Six other eminent figures from fields including research, banking, journalism and nursing will receive Honorary Fellowships.

These include palliative care nurse and researcher Professor Julia Dowling, Wesley Clover Chief Executive Professor Simon J. Gibson, Chairman of Imanova John Jeans CBE, journalist and critically acclaimed author Thomas Kielinger OBE, social science researcher Professor Emerita Dame Teresa Rees and investment banking expert and author Terry Smith.

Professor the Lord Darzi of Denham, a world-leading surgeon and researcher, will receive an Honorary Degree.

He is the current Paul Hamlyn Chair of Surgery at Imperial College London, the Royal Marsden Hospital and the Institute of Cancer Research and will be recognised for his services to medicine and surgery.

More than 6,000 students will graduate in this year’s ceremonies, becoming part of a 145,000-strong alumni network in more than 180 countries.

Around 30,000 people will be welcomed to Cardiff for the celebrations and the ceremonies will be broadcast live in the Hayes area of Cardiff, as well as streamed on the University’s website.