The President of the French Republic, newly-elected President, Emmanuel Macron, has officially decided by a decree dated 10 May 2017, to bestow upon Professor Kevin Thompson the title and rank of Knight of the National Order of Legion of Honour (Chevalier de l'Ordre National de la Légion d’honneur),
Established by Napoléon Bonaparte in 1802, the Légion d’honneur is the highest French Order of Merit and one of the most coveted.
Prof Thompson, Master of University of Macau (UM) Moon Chun Memorial College (MCMC) was made Knight Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, in 2012, by Frédéric Mitterrand.
The Légion d’honneur is awarded to individuals with 'outstanding merit acquired in the service of France in a civilian or military capacity.’
Former recipients of the Légion d’honneur include: tenor Plácido Domingo; writers Graham Greene and JK Rowling; actress Kristin Scott Thomas; film director Wong Kar-Wai; and Nobel Laureates: Ang San Suu Kyi, Joseph Stiglitz, and Seamus Heaney.