Tennis ace Jamie Murray among distinguished honorary graduands to be recognised by University of Stirling

Tennis champion Jamie Murray, equality and environmental campaigner Margot Wallström, and entrepreneur Stanley Morrice will receive honorary degrees from the University of Stirling next week.

A seven-time Grand Slam doubles champion, Davis Cup winner and former doubles world number one, Jamie will be awarded an Honorary Doctorate in recognition of his contribution to Scottish and UK tennis.

Jamie grew up close to the University, in Dunblane, where he was coached by his mother Judy. Judy and Jamie’s brother Andy are both honorary graduates of the University of Stirling – Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence and home to the Scottish National Tennis Centre.

The Scottish National Tennis Centre, where Jamie and Andy both trained, will be transformed to serve as the graduation hall for the winter ceremonies.

Margot Wallström, former Minister for Foreign Affairs and former acting Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden, is a women’s rights advocate who, in 2014, made history as the world’s first foreign minister to adopt a feminist foreign policy. She will receive an Honorary Doctorate in recognition of her outstanding contribution to protecting the environment and for championing the rights of women worldwide.

Retail and wholesale veteran Stanley Morrice is best known as being one of Scotland’s most prolific serial entrepreneurs. Stanley, from Fraserburgh, will be awarded an Honorary Doctorate for services to Scottish food, drink and agriculture, as well as to the University of Stirling. Stanley is a member of Stirling Management School’s International Business Advisory Board.

Jamie, Margot and Stanley will be celebrated, along with more than 1,000 graduating students, at the University’s winter graduation ceremonies, which take place on Thursday and Friday next week (21-22 November).

Professor Sir Gerry McCormac, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Stirling, said: “Graduation is always a special occasion for the University – a time to celebrate with our graduates and their families and friends, and an opportunity to recognise the hard work and academic achievements of our students.

“We are proud to welcome three distinguished honorary graduates to our alumni community. Jamie, Margot and Stanley have each made a lasting impact on their sectors, and society. As such, they are excellent role models for our graduating students.”

Jamie Murray OBE

Professional tennis player Jamie Murray is a seven-time Grand Slam doubles champion, a Davis Cup winner, and a former doubles world number one.

Born in Glasgow, he later attended Dunblane Primary School and Dunblane High School. As a young player, Murray was coached by his mother Judy, and by the age of 12 was one of the top three players in Europe alongside Rafael Nadal and Richard Gasquet. He was a GB Junior Internationalist from the age of 10-17 and National 18 & Under Boys Doubles Champion in 2002. 

In 2006, Jamie made the decision to concentrate on doubles as a career. The following year, at the age of 21, he won his first Grand Slam title in the mixed doubles at Wimbledon with Jelena Jankovic, becoming the first Briton to win a senior title at the tournament for 20 years. Murray captured two men’s Grand Slam doubles titles, at the Australian Open and the US Open in 2016 with 
Bruno Soares. He picked up another two mixed doubles Grand Slam titles in 2017 with Martina Hingis at Wimbledon and the US Open, and more recently partnered Bethanie Mattek-Sands at the 2018 and 2019 US Open, his 7th Grand Slam victory. 

Jamie has claimed 32 ATP Tour doubles titles and was a key member of the GB team which won the Davis Cup in 2015 - the nation’s first victory in the tournament for 79 years. The Davis Cup team was awarded the 2015 BBC Sports Personality Team of the Year Award.

He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to tennis and charity, receiving his award from Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. In 2020, he organised the ‘Battle of the Brits’ indoor tennis tournament, raising £120,000 for NHS Charities Together.

In 2023, Jamie was named tournament director of the 2024 cinch Championships at the Queen’s Club and featured in the Lawn Tennis Association’s film series ‘From champion to Tournament Director’ which gave a behind-the-scenes look at his first year in charge.

Jamie lives in Wimbledon, London, with his wife Alejandra, whom he married in 2010 at Cromlix House near Dunblane. In 2022, they welcomed their daughter. 

Away from tennis, Jamie enjoys golf (right-handed), playing off a handicap of 4 and is a member of Wentworth Club. When not competing, he is a regular commentator on the BBC, Eurosport and Sky Sports. 

Margot Wallström

Margot Wallström was the Minister for Foreign Affairs and acting Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden from October 2014 to September 2019. Throughout her political and diplomatic career, she has been a long-time advocate of the rights and needs of women. In 2014, she made history as the world’s first foreign minister to adopt a feminist foreign policy. 

The pioneering approach centres on integrating the rights, resources, and representation of women within foreign policy, pursuing the global emancipation and empowerment of women and girls in a people-centred approach to security and peace. Championing the approach, Wallström said: “In a worsening climate where human rights and women’s and girls’ rights are increasingly questioned and threatened, and in a world of shrinking democratic space, a feminist foreign policy is needed more than ever.” More than 15 states have since adopted similar approaches.

Born in 1954, in Skellefteå, Sweden, Margot went on to become a household name in Sweden. A member of the Swedish Social Democratic Party, she first entered the Swedish Parliament in 1979 aged just 25, before holding a series of ministerial posts, beginning in the late 1980s. In 1999, she became European Commissioner for the Environment, later serving as the first ever Vice President of the European Commission between 2004-2010. In this role, and since, she actively championed the participation of women in peace and security-related issues, most notably the injustice and violence faced by women during armed conflict.

Wallström played an important leadership role, raising awareness about the urgency to implement United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 (2000), which reaffirms the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, peace negotiations, humanitarian response and post-conflict rebuilding, and also resolution 1820 (2008), which recognises sexual violence as a weapon and tactic of war. She went on to be appointed, in 2010, as the first United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, recommending new ways to strengthen the status of women in war and peace following an investigation in the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

Since 2007, Wallström has served as Chair of the Council of Women World Leaders Ministerial Initiative, where she promoted the appointment of women to positions of responsibility. She has received several honorary doctorates and awards for her work on sustainable development and climate change, has worked extensively to endorse an EU-Africa partnership on renewable energy, and to champion equal opportunities. Wallström was also co-founder of the European Union inter-institutional group of women and a key supporter of the 50-50 Campaign for Democracy by the European Women’s Lobby, where she worked to promote a more gender-balanced European Union.

Her distinctions include being voted “Commissioner of the Year” by the European Voice newspaper in 2002, the Monismanien Award for Freedom of Speech (2009) and the Göteborg Award on Sustainable Development (2018). She was also presented with France’s highest distinction – the Commander of the Legion of Honor – in recognition of her passionate defence of the cause of women.

Stanley Morrice

Perhaps best known for being one of Scotland’s most prolific serial entrepreneurs, Stanley Morrice’s career trajectory has encompassed family-owned enterprises and large publicly listed companies. 

As a child, he wanted to follow in his family’s tradition and become a fisherman, however a serious car accident at the age of 14, which left doctors battling to save his sight, changed his path. He entered the food and drink sector as a school leaver. In 1993 he joined Aberdeen-based convenience stores Aberness Foods, which had 36 shops trading as Mace between Inverness and Aberdeen. By 1994, he was Sales Director and went on to boost sales by 50%, tripling profits. As Managing Director, he successfully led the business through a strategic sale to supermarket giant Somerfield PLC. 

Throughout his stellar career, he has set up, led, managed and sold over 100 companies ranging from retail, wholesale, property, coaching and mentoring. His leadership experience extends internationally, as he has chaired companies such as Van Hulle Ship Supply (Belgium), maritime sector supplier Den Helder Stores (Netherlands) and ship provisioners Garrets Ltd (UK, Denmark, and Singapore). He has also held senior positions at industry giants like Watson & Philip, Martin McColl Retail Group and Wrist Group. 

Beyond his corporate roles, Morrice has owned and operated multiple property and advisory businesses in the UK. He chairs the food, drink and agriculture board at Opportunity North East (ONE), which encourages private sector growth across the region, and is leading the delivery of Seedpod, a £27 million food and drink industry growth hub, which will open in late 2024 to create an innovation hub for manufacturing and production in North East Scotland.

Stanley’s commitment to education and mentorship is exemplified by his honorary professorships at the University of Aberdeen, the University of Dundee and at the University of Stirling – where he uses his passion for mentoring the next generation of global business leaders and seeks to develop the talent needed to diversify Scotland’s economy. He is also Chair of the Stirling Management School’s International Advisory Board.

As an MBA graduate in retailing and wholesaling from the University of Stirling, he remains a passionate advocate for growth, innovation, and excellence in his sectors. His work to support sustainable food and drink production in the north-east of Scotland was formally recognised with an MBE award in the special Jubilee Queen’s Birthday Honours list in 2022.