Honorary Doctor of Enterprise and Innovation
In March of 2026 The University of Kent wrote a letter to Mayas Community Support Centre advising that Maya Amangeldiyeva had been put forward and accepted by the University for an Honorary Doctorate of Enterprise and Innovation. The news came as a shock and welcome surprise and didn’t really sink in until months later when Professor Kathy Kotiadis visited Maya at the Freeshop to go through her oration of Maya’s work.
The ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral on the 29th July 2026 was a very special and momentous occasion for Maya and her family and volunteers who joined her. The University made everyone feel very welcome and it hit home just what an honour this recognition is.
Honoris causa - For the Sake of honor
Oration: Honorary Doctorate for Maya Amangeldiyeva
University of Kent orator: Professor Kathy Kotiadis, Kent Business School, University of Kent 29th of July 2026
Most honourable vice-chancellor, graduates, graduands, colleagues, families and friends.
“A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”
Proverbs 11:25
Within these ancient walls of Canterbury Cathedral, where people have gathered for centuries to reflect on faith, hope and service to others, these words remain as powerful today as they were many years ago.
They remind us that greatness is not measured by what we possess, but by what we give.
We live in an age that celebrates innovation, entrepreneurship and technological advancement. We applaud those who build successful businesses, create wealth and change the way we live.
But every generation is fortunate enough to encounter people who remind us that success can be measured differently.
Sometimes the greatest innovation is kindness.
Sometimes the greatest entrepreneur is the one who builds not a company, but a community.
Today we celebrate one such person.
Maya Amangeldiyeva came to the United Kingdom from Turkmenistan as a student. Like many who begin a new life in a different country, her journey was not straightforward. She experienced hardship, survived domestic abuse and had every reason to retreat from the world.
Instead, she chose to change it.
What began in 2022 as a single rail of donated clothes for Ukrainian families outside a community café grew into something remarkable. Within months, that small act of compassion became a dedicated Free Shop in Herne Bay.
Today it has grown into a thriving community organisation supporting thousands of people through free clothing, food redistribution, practical assistance and opportunities that restore confidence, dignity and hope.
But perhaps what is most extraordinary is that Maya never planned any of this.
She saw a need and responded.
She didn’t begin with a business plan. She began with compassion.
Then another need emerged, and she responded again. And then again….
Her work has grown organically because every step has been guided by one simple question: “How can I help?”
Her charity now supports families experiencing hardship, rough sleepers, people fleeing domestic abuse, those rebuilding their lives after crisis and many others who simply need someone to believe in them.
Yet Maya has never wanted people to feel like recipients of charity.
She has created places where people are welcomed with dignity, where they choose what they need, where there is no judgement, only compassion.
She often says that what she enjoys most is not sitting in meetings but being in the Free Shop, talking to people, hugging people and working alongside them.
That tells us everything about her leadership.
She leads not from behind a desk, but alongside her community.
Real transformation happens when we empower others.
Today, more than one hundred volunteers give their time to her organisation, with more than two hundred people involved across the wider network she has inspired. Many are women whose confidence and leadership have flourished, through her encouragement. Through Maya’s training academy, she is enabling other women to establish Free Shops in communities across the country, ensuring that generosity is multiplied.
Her work also reminds us that sustainability is about people as much as it is about the planet. By giving unwanted goods a second life before they are recycled, reduces waste, strengthens communities and creates opportunities for others.
Maya demonstrates that environmental sustainability, social justice and economic resilience are not competing ambitions. They reinforce one another.
Today, the University recognises not only Maya’s achievements, but the values that underpin them, by awarding her the degree of Doctor of Enterprise & Innovation.
It is a fitting honour. Not because she set out to build an organisation. Not because she founded a charity.
But because she has redefined what entrepreneurship can be. She has shown us that innovation is not only about new technologies. It is about finding new ways to care. New ways to empower. New ways to build communities where everyone belongs.
I will leave you with these words,
“The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.”
Proverbs 22:9
Maya, through your compassion, courage and extraordinary leadership, you have refreshed the lives of countless people.
Most honourable Chancellor, to you and to the whole university I present Maya Amangelduyeva to be admitted to the degree of Doctor of Enterprise and Innovation, honoris causa
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