ENU Colleague Health & Wellbeing Lead Claire Biggar has been recognised for her services to education
The Public Engagement Lead for Edinburgh Napier University’s Centre of Military Research, Education & Public Engagement (CMREPE), Claire Biggar, has been made an MBE in the New Year Honours list.
Having first joined ENU in 2007 as Executive Assistant to the Principal, Claire is now Colleague Health & Wellbeing Lead at the University, alongside her role with CMREPE. She has been named among those being recognised by the King in 2025 for her services to education.
Claire was instrumental in the decision to sign Edinburgh Napier up to the Armed Forces Covenant in 2016, which signalled its commitment to supporting services personnel and veterans. Three years later, ENU became the first Scottish University to receive the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award.
This work led to Claire being highly commended in the Advocate of the Year category at the 2023 Scottish Ex-Forces in Business Awards.
Claire is also well known throughout the University for her work with the Wellbeing & Inclusion Team, promoting positive colleague health and a culture where employees feel supported and confident.
Reacting to the announcement, Claire Biggar MBE said: “I am deeply honoured and humbled to receive this MBE.
“It is a recognition not just of my work but also of the incredible support of colleagues within the Centre of Military Research, Education and Public engagement and the collaboration of so many others who have been part of this journey from within the university and external partnerships.
“This recognition gives me confidence that others and I are making a positive difference, and we will continue to do so.”
This accolade adds to Edinburgh Napier University’s close links to the armed forces, dating back to the military hospital based at its Craiglockhart campus during the First World War.
Today it houses the War Poets Collection to pay homage to the place where poets Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon met in 1917.
ENU continues to lead trailblazing research into life for military personnel and veterans, and recently held the first conference to be centred around the role of the armed forces in Scottish society.