Softcat director and TechUK president included on New Year Honours list

Vin Murria and Jacqueline de Rojas awarded OBE and CBE respectively

Tech sector leaders Vin Murria and Jacqueline de Rojas have been included in the New Year Honours list.

Murria, who is currently a non-executive director on the boards of Softcat and Sophos, has been awarded an OBE; while de Rojas, who is president of TechUK, has been awarded a CBE.

Murria made her name after founding Advanced Computer Software, which was sold to private equity group Vista for £725m in 2014 and reportedly netted Murria over £100m.

As well as sitting on the board at Sophos and Softcat, Murria is a non-executive director at Zoopla, a senior partner at NM Rothschild, and a managing partner at HG Capital.

In a blog post, TechMarketView chairman Richard Holway commended Murria for her contribution to the UK tech sector.

"It may come as a surprise to readers that Vin hadn't been awarded an honour before," he said. "After all, in the view of many - in particular myself - Vin [has been] one of the most successful women in the UK technology arena over the last 20-plus years.

"On top of that, [she is] a role model to all - women and men alike."

Also recognised is de Rojas, who has had spells in senior management at a number of vendors including CA Technologies, Citrix, McAfee, and more recently a stint at Sage.

Speaking of her award on LinkedIn, de Rojas said: "To be included in the New Year Honours list is an amazing endorsement of the progress made in the UK technology industry. We are a digital nation of significance."