Member News: Past Member Awarded OBE for Services to Interior Design

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The AIA UK Board of Directors is pleased to report that past AIA UK Chapter member, Diana Yakeley was awarded an OBE – Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire – in the 2016 Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to the interior design profession. Although Diana was an actual member of the Chapter only briefly in the past, she has always been a part of our architectural design community and - as wife of Chapter founder member and long serving Board Director, Stephen Yakeley, AIA RIBA - a frequent attendee of our events and gatherings.

Diana served as President of the British Institute of Interior Design (BIID) for two terms, first in 2005 and again in 2011, and is a fellow of the Chartered Society of Designers (FCSD). As well as being a multi-award winning designer, she has also served her profession by a commitment to training and development and by raising practice standards in the industry.

Following the lead of the AIA, Diana was instrumental in introducing the BIID to the concept of student charrettes as a way of promoting team building in design. From 2011 to 2014, she brought several interior teams from UK universities to join architectural teams at the UK Chapter’s Student Charrettes held at the Roca Galleries. Having achieved their own momentum, the interior teams have now gone their separate way, but the overall value of collaborating with interior designers should be a lasting legacy for all the participating student architects.

We warmly congratulate Diana for her many achievements and her richly deserved recognition.