/ News / LEP Board Members Recognised In Queen's Jubilee Birthday Honours List

Two of the LEP’s board members - Miranda Barker and Kam Kothia – have been recognised in The Queen's Jubilee Birthday Honours List.

Miranda Barker, who is Chief Executive of the East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, has been awarded an OBE for services to business and the community in Lancashire.

In addition to her work for the Chamber, Miranda leads the LEP’s Energy & Low Carbon Sector Group and is the LEP’s SME champion.

She is also a director of Hive and Growth Lancashire and chair of Ribble Valley Business Leaders and Rossendale Business Leaders. Other duties include being a member of Burnley Bondholders, Pendle Vision and Amazing Accrington, chairing the North West’s Regional Manufacturing Forum, and sitting on the Lancashire ESIF committee.

Kam Kothia, who received an OBE for outstanding services to education, is the Chief Executive of web development firm eBusiness UK, and the founder of the multi-million pound ecommerce enterprise Time2 Technology.

He is also the Co-Founder and Chair of Star Academies, a national network of over 30 primary and secondary schools, many of which top the UK’s national education rankings. Star Academies recently brokered a landmark partnership with Eton College to create three selective Sixth Form colleges which will help fast-track young people – many from deprived communities – to the UK’s leading universities.

Kam, who is also a regimental council member of the Duke of Lancaster Regiment and serves as a Deputy Lieutenant of Lancashire, is the LEP’s strategic lead for Lancashire’s technology industries, and chairs the LEP’s Digital Sector Group.

Debbie Francis OBE, Chair of the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership, said: “It’s fantastic that through these Queen’s Jubilee honours Miranda and Kam have been publicly recognised for the incredible work they do to support people, communities and businesses in Lancashire. They also contribute massively to the work of the LEP, both in terms of our overarching economic plan for the county and through our sector specific strategies.

“Further, the commercial insights which people like Miranda and Kam bring to the table, combined with their passion and commitment to make Lancashire a better, more prosperous and fairer place to live and work, is what gives the LEP such a unique and valuable private sector perspective on the county.”

To read full biographies of Miranda, Kam and other LEP board members click here.

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