To those outside of wound care he is a son, husband, father, grandfather, friend or neighbour. To most of us involved in wound care, Keith Harding needs no introduction and his achievements are legendary. However, whether you personally know or know of Keith, you are certainly aware of his passion and commitment to wound care and its ultimate evolution into a true clinical specialty. Indeed he has devoted the majority of his professional career to this goal and coined the phrase ‘woundologist’ of which he is a prime example. In recognition of his effort and passion, Her Majesty the Queen has conferred Professor Harding with a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the New Year's Honours List 2013, for his services to healthcare. This is recognition of an outstanding career, promoting the clinical specialty of wound care, benefiting those who suffer from both acute and chronic wounds not only in Wales but from other regions of the UK. Professor Harding will be invited to the Buckingham Palace in the next 6 months to receive his CBE from a member of the Royal Family at an investiture ceremony. The following is an abbreviated recap of the career of a professional wound care giver: Professor Keith Harding CBE MB ChB MRCGP FRCP FRCS has had a longstanding interest in wound healing. He has undergone training in both general surgery and general practice. He was appointed as the first Director of the Wound Healing Research Unit in 1991. From 2002 to 2005 he was also the Head of the University Department of Surgery and is currently the Director of the TIME Institute, School of Medicine, Cardiff University; Head of the Wound Healing Research Unit, Cardiff University; and Clinical Director of Wound Healing in the Cardiff & Vale NHS Trust. His clinical practice is exclusively focused on treating patients with wound healing problems having a wide range of aetiologies. He has authored over 300 publications in the field of wound healing and has written a number of chapters and books in this area, including the ABC of Wound Healing published in the British Medical Journal in 2006 which is to be updated in 2013. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Wound Journal published by Wiley-Blackwell. He was the First President of the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel, First Recorder of the European Wound Management Association and is a Past President of the European Tissue Repair Society. He was Chair of the International Working Group on Wound Healing in Diabetic Foot Disease in 2003, Chair of the Expert Working Group that produced the World Union of Wound Healing Societies (WUWHS) Consensus Document in 2004 on minimising pain during wound dressing related procedures. He was Chair of the WUWHS Expert Working Groups on Exudate in 2007 and on Compression, VAC therapy and Wound Diagnostics in 2008. He was also Chair of International Consensus Document on wound infection in 2008. He chaired an International Working Group on Pressure Ulcer Prevention, Prevalence and Evidence in Context, which was published in 2009. He has obtained funding of over £30 million from a range of academic, commercial and clinical sources since the Wound Healing Research Unit was created in 1991. Much has been achieved over the past three decades but being awarded this high honour is recognition of true dedication and lifetime achievement in a field close to the hearts of our readership. Please join me in congratulating Keith on this fine achievement, which I know he will say he is accepting on behalf of his team, as nothing is really achieved without a true professional multi-disciplinary approach.