Paralympian athlete, media commentator and successful businesswoman, Elizabeth Johnson, has been awarded an Honorary Fellowship by Cardiff Metropolitan University this week.
Elizabeth, who is a British swimmer, has won gold medals at the Paralympic Games, International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Championships and European championships.
Since retiring as an athlete, Elizabeth has gone on to have a successful career as a media commentator – working as a presenter for the 2024 Paris Paralympics and a sport commentator for the BBC and Channel 4.
Elizabeth is also a board member for Disability Sport Wales and an athlete mentor for the Youth Sport Trust and Dame Kelly Holmes Trust.
Originally from Newport, Elizabeth is now managing director and client ambassador of The Ability People – a specialist employment company that aims to encourage employment for people with disabilities. She co-founded the organisation in 2018 after discovering that the UK disability employment gap stood at 30%. Since then, her work has supported leading businesses, including the AA, HSBC and Heathrow Airport, in creating more accessible and equitable workplaces.
On receiving the Honorary Fellowship, Elizabeth said: “It always feels really special to receive an award where someone has selected, picked or recognised you and your successes and so it’s a great honour to be here today. Cardiff is also home, so it is always good to come back.”
Alongside her work in media commentary and charity initiatives, Elizabeth is a speaker at corporate events. Living with cerebral palsy, she shares her inspirational personal journey, offering insight into how the challenges she’s faced have shaped her resilience and drive. Elizabeth illustrates how life’s obstacles, rather than holding us back, can become powerful catalysts for personal and professional success.
Dr Cecilia Hannigan-Davies, Acting Dean of Cardiff School of Education and Social Policy said: “The work Elizabeth does perfectly aligns with our values at Cardiff Met, especially in the areas connected to compassionate and thoughtful leadership, cultural diplomacy, innovation, inclusivity and courage. Elizabeth is also an excellent role model for our students, demonstrating how you can be an elite level disabled athlete, complete a degree and set up a successful business.
“It is a great honour to present Elizabeth with an Honorary Fellowship and we look forward to working together in the future.”s
During the graduation ceremony at Wales Millennium Centre, Elizabeth gave advice to students from the School of Education and Social Policy: “It is a long time since I graduated from my undergraduate experience but I think my advice to those graduating today would be that this really is the start of the next chapter. Up to this point you have sort of followed a very formalised process of education but now you are in charge of your own destiny. There will be obstacles along the way, but these obstacles always create opportunities, and it is about making sure that you stay true to yourself and surround yourself with the best people to support you at any given time throughout your life.”
Prior to founding The Ability People, which led to Elizabeth being named one of the BBC’s 100 Women in 2018, Elizabeth was also an executive producer for Whisper, a leading media company based in Cardiff.
