VisitEngland chairman gets CBE
VisitEngland chairman Lady Cobham has been awarded a CBE for services to tourism.
She joined VisitEngland in 2009, when the tourist board was first set up.
"I’m delighted to receive my CBE from HRH The Prince of Wales," she said.
"The experience has been unforgettable. I’ve had many roles in tourism over the past 37 years and I’ve genuinely enjoyed every second of them. I am committed to working with VisitEngland in the future to drive forward the growth of an industry that I believe is critical to our economy."
Lady Cobham’s career began when she opened her private home, Hagley Hall, in the West Midlands to the general public in 1979.
In 1987 she became deputy chairman of the Heart of England and, as a result, was asked to sit on the board of the English Tourist Board.
Between 1989 and 1990 she sat on the boards of English Heritage, the Countryside Commission and Historic Royal Palaces.
In 1992 she became special advisor at the Department of National Heritage, later to become The Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS).
In 1993 Lady Cobham became a trustee at the V&A, a position that lasted for 10 years, and joined the board of the British Waterways and the London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) with direct responsibility for tourism.
Also in 1993 she joined the board of VisitBritain and became deputy chairman in 2005. She is still a VisitBritain board member.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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