ON and current Norwich School Governor Greg Smith (65-75) has received an honorary doctorate of civil law from the University of East Anglia at the Easton and Otley College graduation ceremony.

Greg is the current chief executive of the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association (RNAA), the organisation behind the hugely popular annual Royal Norfolk Show. He is passionate about the role of land-based education in East Anglia and is a leading champion of the Norfolk agricultural industry.

At the ceremony, Easton and Otley College principal Jane Townsend said: "Greg has been a prominent friend of the college and he is passionate about educating the next generation of the food and farming industry. We feel very fortunate to have someone of his calibre working with us and we are delighted to be honouring him in this way."

Greg thanked his friends, family and colleagues in his acceptance speech and paid a special tribute to his wife Rebecca. He advised the graduates: "trust yourself, don't be afraid to make mistakes, but learn from them and move on” and “don’t be afraid to be successful and sprinkle success wherever you go, be kind and have fun." He concluded by thanking UEA and Easton and Otley College for "bestowing me this honour", adding: "I feel deeply privileged and very humbled. This means so very much to me."

Before taking up his current position with the RNAA, Greg has enjoyed a wide number of different roles throughout a varied career. Upon leaving Norwich School, Greg first began a career in market research, working with a number of well-known companies before becoming managing director of Ipsos MORI until 2009. He was also a member of the Territorial Army, becoming the most senior reservist of the British Armed Forces and later the Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff for the Ministry of Defence. In addition to his work for the RNAA, he is also chairman of Active Norfolk, a member of the Norfolk and Suffolk Agri-Food Industry Council and has taken up a position at Norwich School as a governor this year.

Many congratulations to Greg on this well-deserved honour!