Lady Cobham awarded CBE by HRH Prince of Wales for her outstanding contribution to English tourism
On 21 November 2014, Chairman of VisitEngland, Lady Cobham, was awarded a CBE for services to Tourism, receiving the honour from HRH The Prince of Wales.
Having joined VisitEngland in 2009 at the time of the tourist board’s inception, she has been instrumental in driving forward objectives to maximise tourism’s contribution to the economy, employment and quality of life in England.
Her career in the tourism industry now spans nearly 40 years, and began when she opened her private home, Hagley Hall, in the West Midlands to the general public in 1979. Creating both a wonderful stately home experience for tourists, and a successful corporate events venue, which she ran herself, her achievements have been consistently outstanding.
In 1987 she became Deputy Chairman of the Heart of England and as a result was then 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, staying for ten years before joining 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 (remaining a Board Member today).
Lady Cobham said: “I’m delighted to receive my CBE from HRH The Prince of Wales today. 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.”
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