City skills champion awarded MBE in King’s Birthday Honours

Plymouth is celebrating an outstanding local leader as Emma Hewitt, the City Council’s Skills Lead, is named in His Majesty The King’s Birthday Honours list for her transformative work connecting people and businesses with opportunity.

Emma will receive an MBE in recognition of her exceptional contribution to skills in Plymouth – championing innovative, collaborative approaches that have helped thousands of residents access training, education, careers and jobs, while strengthening the city’s workforce for the future.

Councillor Tudor Evans, Leader of Plymouth City Council, said: “This is a richly deserved honour for Emma and a proud moment for Plymouth. Her leadership, energy and passion have transformed the way our city connects people with opportunity. Emma’s work has not only supported individuals into jobs and careers, but has strengthened our economy and ensured businesses have the talent they need to thrive. She embodies the very best of public service and partnership working.”

Tracey Lee, Chief Executive of Plymouth City Council, said: “Emma’s recognition is testament to the extraordinary impact she has made over the past decade. She has an exceptional ability to bring people together, turning ambition into action and creating partnerships that deliver real results for our communities. Her work has helped shape a truly joined-up skills system for Plymouth, and this honour reflects the difference she has made to so many lives across our city.”

In 2015 Emma joined the Council with a strong background in higher education, to lead the establishment of the multi award-winning sector skills partnership Building Plymouth, which in 2025 celebrated ten years of delivering impact working with the local construction and built environment industry.

In 2020, Emma played a pivotal role in shaping Plymouth’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the creation of Skills Launchpad Plymouth. Originally developed as an emergency virtual service, it has since evolved into being nationally recognised for delivering better outcomes through coordination of a strong city-wide partnership bringing together more than 85 organisations as a single skills system to help support residents transition into employment, and helping employers to recruit, retain and upskill their workforce.

Emma has also been instrumental in leading the development of more sector skills partnerships aligned to Plymouth’s economic growth, using the Building Plymouth blueprint over recent years to establish Caring Plymouth focused on building a skilled and sustainable health and social care workforce, as well as setting up Welcoming Plymouth, which aims to deliver the skills needed for the city’s growing visitor economy.

Beyond her day-to-day role, Emma is widely recognised for her passion for Plymouth and her ability to bring people together to inspire collective action to help local communities. A huge champion for driving social impact, she has led major voluntary initiatives, including the Road to Mayflower project, launching Mission Mammoth designed to offer the children an exciting experience of hands-on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) activities, she supported the development of Shekinah’s community facilities, and spearheaded the Keyham garden recovery response after discovery of the Second World War bomb – bringing together local businesses to provide vital and in-kind support. She has also supported Plymouth City Council in achieving Gold Employer Recognition – the highest accolade for organisations demonstrating outstanding commitment to supporting the Armed Forces community.

Emma’s influence extends across both professional and community networks. Her inspirational leadership has created a lasting impact and legacy across Plymouth’s economy and communities, and her passion and determination are widely recognised by those who have worked closely with her.

Emma said: “I am absolutely thrilled and deeply humbled to be awarded an MBE, such a wonderful surprise to be recognised through the King’s Birthday Honours. This recognition truly reflects the strength of partnership working across Plymouth, with so many individuals and organisations working hard together to ‘join the dots’ across the skills and employment landscape. This honour also belongs to the incredible team I have worked with over the past ten years who are the best I have ever worked with in my career. I feel privileged doing my job and super passionate about working on behalf of my city, this recognition puts a well-deserved spotlight on the impact, value and importance of delivering Skills for Plymouth.”