CBE for one of Yorkshire’s best-connected business people
One of Yorkshire’s most well-connected business figures over the last generation, Ed Anderson, has been recognised with a CBE.
The Lord-Lieutenant of West Yorkshire said it was “an incredible honour and very unexpected” to be included in the 2022 New Year Honours.
“I have been incredibly fortunate and privileged to do a lot of interesting roles and they have all been an honour in themselves,” he said.
Anderson has been the Lord-Lieutenant of West Yorkshire for the past three years, and has a number of other roles in the county including Deputy Pro-Chancellor at the University of Leeds, a board member at Opera North, and deputy chair of the Ryedale Festival.
He is also the chairman of National Savings and Investments, which is reflected in his CBE citation which is for services to the financial sector and public life in Yorkshire.
Anderson was an executive director of Leeds City Council before leading Leeds Bradford Airport for 10 years as chief executive. He was then chairman of the Yorkshire Building Society for eight years, taking the mutual through the global financial crisis.
Although he admitted to being “really uncomfortable talking about myself”, Anderson did say he was “very proud of my work at Yorkshre Building Society because it was right through the years of the global financial crisis, and it is a privilege to be chair of National Savings”.
The Lord-Lieutenant has a role in promoting national honours, including individual honours and Queens Awards for businesses and organisations, although it is the Cabinet Office which co-ordinates nominations for the New Year and Birthday Honours.
“As Lord-Lieutenant the best news is that we have got 28 MBEs and 5 British Empire Medals in West Yorkshire,” he added. “It’s really heartwarming to see that.”
Anderson is looking forward to the 2022 Queens Awards for Voluntary Service, as part of “shining a light on what is excellent in the county”. 28 West Yorkshire organisations have been nominated, which follows from 19 receiving the award in 2021.
