New year honours awarded to leading figures in grocery

High-profile grocery figures, past and present, have been recognised in the New Year Honours List.

Top of the pile was former Tesco chairman David Reid, knighted for services to business and to charity.

Sir David was an executive director at Tesco for 18 years, his roles including finance director from 1985 to 1997 and chairman from March 2004 until he stepped down in November last year.

Andrew Witty, CEO of GlaxoSmithKline, also received a knighthood for services to the economy and to the UK pharmaceutical industry. Witty has been at the helm of GSK, which makes Lucozade and Ribena, since May 2008.

Property tycoon Gerald Ronson, whose Rontec Investments business snapped up Total UK’s forecourt network in November last year, was awarded a CBE for charitable services. Ronson was jailed in 1990 for his part in the Guinness share trading scandal.

Mary Mead, co-founder of Yeo Valley, received an OBE for services to sustainable dairy farming.

A number of MBEs were also awarded. Jeanette Orrey, school meals policy advisor for the Food for Life Partnership, was awarded an MBE for services to food in schools. Joanne Lonsdale-Frith, a partnership manager for Tesco, received the award for services to disadvantaged people in Greater Manchester, while William Nicholls was recognised for voluntary services to the Sainsbury’s Veterans’ Association.

Bob Watson, chief scientific adviser for Defra, was knighted. Former Defra deputy director Diana Linskey received a CBE.