Being a member of the Magic Circle, Peter Phillips is well accustomed to keeping his cards close to his chest. But even he struggled to keep a letter from Her Majesty naming him as an OBE up his sleeve.

"I came home a few months ago to find an innocuous looking letter in the post, and when I opened it, I was completely shocked. The hardest thing was keeping it a secret until it was officially announced," said Mr Phillips, of Turner Drive, Hampstead Garden Suburb.

Mr Phillips was given the Order of the British Empire for his pioneering work in insolvency issues with financial firm Kroll Buchler Phillips. He has specialised in this field for 40 years, tackling major cases such as tracking down the assets of the late media mogul Robert Maxwell.

"I am delighted with the OBE. I understand there weren't that many professionals given the honour this year so it means a lot to me," he said.

When not conjuring people out of financial scrapes, Mr Phillips is a keen magician although he is unlikely to swap bulls and bears for rabbits and hats in the near future.

"I don't think I'll ever become a magician as a full-time job. I am training at the moment to become a RELATE counsellor however, which is very interesting," he said.

Professor Elizabeth Miller has quietly saved thousands of lives. As head of the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre's Immunisation Department at the Health Protection Agency in Colindale, Prof Miller's expertise in vaccination has been hugely influential.

She was named in the New Year's Honours list in recognition for her services to public health medicine.

"I am, of course, delighted to have received this honour, not least because it very much reflects the work done by the whole immunisation team. Our leading role in the establishment of the meningitis vaccine in the UK was a major achievement, which has helped to save hundreds of lives since its introduction.

"We are also actively involved in clinical trials testing new vaccines and new combinations of vaccines for use as part of the UK vaccination programme."

Gail Ronson's work for Golders Green-based charity Jewish Care helped her to be named Dame of the British Empire in the New Year's Honours List.

A Jewish Care spokesperson said: "Everyone at Jewish Care is absolutely delighted that Gail has been awarded this well-deserved honour. She has been a tireless and inspirational worker for so many years. Not only has she been responsible for raising much-needed funds, but she has also given so much of her time, showing so many people Jewish Care's work."

Mrs Ronson was also honoured for her role as a member of the board of trustees at the Royal Opera House and as vice-president of the Association for Research into Stammering in Childhood.

Dr Tom Evans, of Woodward Avenue, Hendon, became the first doctor to receive an honour for work in the St John Ambulance association when he was awarded a Lieutenant of the Victorian Order medal (LVO) in the New Year's Honours list. The medals in the Victorian Order are chosen by the Queen herself rather than the Government.

"I'm honoured and very humble about it," said Dr Evans.

He joined St John in 1952, when he was just six years old. He is now deputy commander after 16 years as medical officer for the London district.

"We do a lot of duties for royal occasions. One of the hardest to organise was Princess Diana's funeral we had less than a week. We provide support for the NHS and I guess we save a lot of people from being transported by London ambulances to hospital and even save people having to go to hospital at all," he said.