The King's Birthday Honours for 2023 have been announced and include a number of business leaders from the West Country.
Former chief executive of Dorset’s Merlin Entertainments, Nicholas Varney, and professor Iain Gilmour Gray CBE, director of Aerospace, Cranfield University, have both been awarded knighthoods.
Professor Melanie Welham, executive chair of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, has been made a Dame.
Mr Varney stepped down from the role of Merlin's chief executive officer in 2022, having held the role since 1999. He built Merlin Entertainments into a global leader in location-based, family entertainment, operating over 140 attractions, including Alton Towers and Lego Land, 23 hotels and six holiday villages in 24 countries across four continents.
Mr Varney told BusinessLive: “I’m incredibly humbled and proud to have been awarded this accolade. Having worked in the tourism and leisure industry for over 30 years, I have had the privilege of helping to build Merlin from a small British business to the global company it is today. This enormous honour is shared with all those at Merlin both past and present, who were part of that amazing journey.
Read more: Pret A Manger digital head joins Legoland and Alton Towers owner Merlin Entertainments
“Following the difficulties the hospitality and tourism industry experienced during the pandemic, this knighthood reinforces the importance of our sector to the UK, one which contributes more than £130bn each year to the British economy. I’m proud to have played my part in that and will continue to champion and support this amazing industry.”
Mr Varney is among a large number of business figures in the West of England who have been recognised in the 2023 list. Here, we take a look at some of the leaders who have been given a prestigious accolade.
Bristol
MBE
Iain Patrick Wentworth Boyd. Lately Chair and Trustee, Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. For services to Heritage. (Bristol, City of Bristol)
Professor Rachid Hourizi. Director, Institute of Coding. For services to the Digital Sector. (Bristol, City of Bristol)
Professor Hourizi told BusinessLive: "I’m very grateful for the award but entirely conscious that it celebrates the work of colleagues at the Institute of Coding, the University of Bath and our friends and partners across the country. The need for digital skills is more pressing than ever and the employers, universities and charities that have done the hard work here are more important than ever."
CBE
Ann Elizabeth Underwood. Deputy Finance Director, Defence Equipment and Support, Ministry of Defence. For services to Defence. (Bristol, City of Bristol)
Dorset
MBE
Marie Boyce. Customer Services Manager, Department for Work and Pensions. For services to Business Transformation (Poole)
OBE
Michael Straughan. For services to the British Automotive Industry. (Poole)
Knighthood
Nicholas John Varney. Chief Executive, Merlin Entertainments. For services to the Visitor Economy. (Poole)
In a statement Merlin Entertainments said: “Nick played a vital role in building Merlin Entertainments into the incredible global success story it is today. Our family of 30,000 staff around the world feel proud that our founder has been recognised for his amazing achievement - not just for our company, but the wider industry sector.”
Gloucestershire
MBE
Susan Penelope Hewson-Lowe. Founder and Director, Bodywise UK. For services to Women's Health and to the Environment. (South Gloucestershire)
OBE
Denis Edmond Woulfe MBE. Co-Chair, Leaders as Change Agent Board. For services to Business and to Equality. (Cheltenham)
CBE
Phillip Mark Hayes O'Dell. Lately Director of Flight Operations and Chief Test Pilot, Rolls-Royce. For services to UK Aviation. (Stroud)
CB
Adrian Duncan Baguley. Deputy Chief Executive and Director General Strategic Enablers, Defence Equipment and Support. For services to Defence. (Filton)
Knighthood
Professor Steven George West CBE DL. President, Universities UK and Vice-Chancellor, University of the West of England. For services to Health and to Education. (South Gloucestershire)
Professor Iain Gilmour Gray CBE FRSE FREng. Director of Aerospace, Cranfield University. For services to aerospace. (South Gloucestershire)
Prof Gray acted as a catalyst in developing the UK’s capacity to design, build and manufacture aircraft. Appointed director of aerospace at Cranfield University, he came with a distinguished pedigree as an industry leader and the first CEO of Innovate UK. He drove creation of the £35m Aerospace Integration Research Centre with Rolls-Royce and Airbus, enabling them to collaborate in an unprecedented way. As Chair of Trustees for the Bristol Aero Collection Trust (Aerospace Bristol, a registered charity) he has led the establishment of the Museum (£16m since 2014) which not only created a key regional aerospace hub and provides a key focus for STEM outreach.
Devon
MBE
Julia Elizabeth Adamson. Managing Director, Education and Public Benefit, BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT. For services to Education. (Cullompton)
Professor Pascale Véronique Aebischer. Professor, Shakespeare and Early Modern Performance Studies, University of Exeter. For services to Economic and Societal Resilience during Covid-19. (Exeter)
Ms Aebischer said: "I’m thrilled to have this recognition of work that is often overlooked. The arts and humanities researchers I had the privilege to work with pulled out all the stops as they used their expertise and creativity to tackle COVID-19 not just as a medical crisis, but as a complex human crisis that affected all different parts of society in ways that could not be tackled by vaccines and cures alone. This group of researchers has demonstrated how Arts and Humanities can make a big difference to societal and economic resilience at a time of crisis and how important it is to include their skills as we shape the UK’s recovery from the pandemic and prepare for future crises."
Cornwall
MBE
Deborah Jane Boden. World Heritage Site Coordinator, Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site. For services to Heritage. (Fowey)
Lindsey Victoria Hall. Chief Executive Officer, Real Ideas Organisation. For services to Social Enterprise and to the community in Cornwall and Plymouth. (Downderry)
Ms Hall commented: "I am honoured and grateful to receive this MBE. It is a recognition not just of my own achievements, but of the hard work and dedication of everyone at Real Ideas and in the organisations and communities I have had the privilege to work with over the years. This honour is a testament to the power of the social enterprise movement and to what can be achieved through collaboration and creativity. Huge thanks to everyone who has supported me on my journey, from family and friends to colleagues and mentors. I am proud to be part of a community of social entrepreneurs, change-makers and innovators and look forward to continuing this work."
OBE
Dr Carol Lee Tozer. Lately Director, Adult Social Services, Isle of Wight Council and Trustee, Association of Directors of Adult Social Services. For services to Social Care. (Bodmin)
Somerset
CBE
Mark David Ducker OBE. Lately Chief Executive, STEP Academy Trust, Thornton Heath, London Borough of Croydon. For services to Education. (Bath)
Wiltshire
MBE
Richard James Symonds. Security Incident Policy and Investigation Team Leader, Ministry of Defence. For services to Defence. (Wiltshire)
OBE
Julia Elizabeth Nolan. Lately Deputy Director, International Climate Strategy, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. For services to International Climate Diplomacy (Swindon)
Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE)
Professor Melanie Joanne Welham. Executive Chair, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. For services to Bioscience.
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