Medals of Honour awarded to Mr Yakub Patel and Professor Michael Schmidt
20 Mar 2025
Two outstanding individuals have been recognised with Medals of Honour, one of the University’s highest accolades.
Mr Yakub Patel, a distinguished entrepreneur and philanthropist, and Professor Michael Schmidt, an esteemed poet, publisher, and academic, received their awards at a special Medal of Honour presentation and dinner at Christie’s on Tuesday, 18 March 2025, presided over by Chair of the Board of Governors, Philippa Hird.
Mr Yakub Patel
A Kenyan-born businessman and chartered accountant by training, Yakub Patel co-founded Cohens Chemist in Rochdale with his late brother, Anwer, in 1980. Under their leadership, the business grew from a single pharmacy to a successful nationwide chain.
Beyond his business achievements, Yakub has dedicated himself to educational and community development. His family played a key role in establishing the Essa Foundation in Bolton, transforming a local comprehensive school into the town’s first academy, with a focus on supporting young people in education, youth work, and rehabilitation initiatives.
His commitment to education extends further, having served as Director of Bright Future Education Trust, which oversees 11 diverse schools in Greater Manchester and Blackpool, including Altrincham Grammar School.
Yakub also founded the Independent Pharmacies Association (IPA), formerly AIMp, which represents over 4,000 privately owned pharmacies, advocating for community pharmacy services at national and local levels.
Recognised for his contributions, Yakub holds honorary doctorates from the University of Lancashire and the University of Greater Manchester. His philanthropic work includes serving as a Governor of Bolton Muslim Girls’ School, Trustee of the British Muslim Heritage Centre, and being a key benefactor to The Christie Hospital NHS Trust, funding a research facility in memory of his late brother.
Professor Michael Schmidt
Born in Mexico City in 1947, Professor Michael Schmidt FRSL, OBE, studied at Harvard and Oxford before joining the University of Manchester in 1971.
He is the founder of Carcanet Press Ltd, one of the UK’s leading poetry publishers, and PN Review, an influential literary magazine he co-established with Professor C.B. Cox from the University’s English Department.
Michael’s career spans both academia and the literary world. He has held positions at the University of Glasgow, St John’s College, Cambridge, and returned to the University of Manchester, where Carcanet Press and PN Review are now housed in the University Library. Their archives are preserved at the John Rylands Research Institute and Library.
An acclaimed poet, novelist, and literary historian, his most notable works include Lives of the Poets, The First Poets, The Novel: A Biography, and Gilgamesh: The Life of a Poem. Beyond publishing, he has contributed as a theatre critic and broadcaster and currently serves as Patron of Chetham’s Library, Manchester.