Jubilee honours for Lancashire leaders

By Tim Aldred

02 Jun 2022

The Platinum Jubilee has brought prestigious honours for Miranda Barker, Kam Kothia and Dame Sue Ion.

Miranda Barker has earned an OBE for services to business and the community in Lancashire. Miranda was appointed as chief executive of the East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce in 2017 following more than 20 years as a board member, president, council and assembly member, bidding partner and policy adviser with various chambers in the North West.

Her business experience includes establishing an SME in environmental consulting which she ran for 15 years before selling it and becoming a director of a plc for four years. She has worked with business clients across sectors as wide-ranging as food, chemicals, pharma, energy, waste, farming, manufacturing, FMCG, engineering, automotive and aerospace, with clients across the UK, northern, western and eastern Europe, Brazil, USA and China.

Today, she is an active member of a wide variety of business support organisations, as an SME champion within the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership, a director of Hive and Growth Lancashire, a member of Burnley Bondholders, Pendle Vision, Amazing Accrington and chair of Ribble Valley Business Leaders and Rossendale Business Leaders. She is also chair of the North West’s Regional Manufacturing Forum and sits on the ESIF committee.

Kam Kothia has earned an OBE for his outstanding services to education. He is the co-founder and chair of Star Acadamies which has grown from operating a single school in Blackburn to a national network of 31 primary and secondary schools. In the government’s most recent performance tables (2019), Star schools secured first, second and third places in the national rankings, with five in total in the top 15. 

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Kam oversaw the implementation of community initiatives, including the creation of Star Family Hubs in 13 towns and cities which provided foodbanks, hot meals, hygiene products and PPE to local families, charities and health workers. More recently, Star has entered into a landmark partnership with Eton College to open three selective sixth form colleges to fast-track young people, often from deprived communities, to the most academic UK universities.

Kam was previously chair of governors at Tauheedul Islam Girls’ High School and Sixth Form College (TIGHS) where, during 15 years, he led the school’s transformation from a small independent school to the best-performing state school in the country, which secured three consecutive ‘outstanding’ Ofsted inspection ratings.

He is also chief executive of web development firm eBusiness UK, founder of multi-million pound ecommerce enterprise Time2 Technology, serves on the board of the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership as lead for the digital sector strategy, is a regimental council member of the Duke of Lancaster Regiment and serves as a deputy lieutenant of Lancashire assisting the Lord-Lieutenant of Lancashire in carrying out his public duties as representative of Her Majesty the Queen.

Kam said: "It is a great privilege and an honour to have been awarded an OBE, especially in the year of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. It is truly humbling to be part of such a talented and dedicated team, and I am proud of what we have collectively achieved – especially during the most challenging and extraordinary times over the past couple of years."

The grand cross, the highest honour, has been awarded to Dame Sue Ion for services to engineering. The former Penwortham Girls Grammar School and current Leyland resident has spent a distinguished career in the nuclear field, chairing the UK Nuclear Innovation Research Advisory Board, representing the UK as chair of the Euratom Science and Technology Committee and serving as the only non US member of the US Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy Advisory Committee.

Dame Sue spent 27 years with BNFL rising to the position of chief technology officer in 1992, a post she held until 2006 when she assumed a number of mainly voluntary roles in science and engineering, including membership of the UK Council for Science and Technology. She was vice president of the Royal Academy of Engineering from 2002 to 2008.

In 2019 she was conferred with an Honorary Fellowship by the Institute of Physics, an honour also earned by Professor Stephen Hawking, Professor Peter Higgs and Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell.

Enjoyed this? Read more from Tim Aldred

Latest news

1

New India branch campus on the horizon for Lancaster University Keir Starmer meets Indian PM and included Prof Simon Guy Lancaster University. Pic Simon Dawson

New India branch campus on the horizon for Lancaster University

09 Oct 2025

2

Best events and talented students complete finalists list for Lancashire Tourism Awards 2026 Best Events and Talented students on Lancashire Tourism Awards finalist list

Best events and talented students complete finalists list for Lancashire Tourism Awards 2026

09 Oct 2025

3

East Lancashire Learning Group named UK digital transformation leader in CIO 100 Awards Andrew Dewhurst with the award win

East Lancashire Learning Group named UK digital transformation leader in CIO 100 Awards

09 Oct 2025

4

PHX Training appoints new business leader in Blackpool Jason Davenport PHX Training

PHX Training appoints new business leader in Blackpool

09 Oct 2025

5

Velocity seals Airbus extension worth up to $54m Velocity Composites Has Announced Its Entry Into The Us Market

Velocity seals Airbus extension worth up to $54m

08 Oct 2025

Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Leverage Lancashire Business View platforms

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Build your network
Improve your SEO
Gain coverage in the magazine
Sign-up
Events
CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course

Preston Campus, Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 17:00

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course

Preston Campus, Preston, PR1 2HE

08:00 - 17:00

Help to grow management course
Help to grow - barriers to growth.png.png
LBV Hub Seminars
26 Sep 2025 - 16 Dec 2025

Help to grow management course

Preston Campus , Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 15:00

Advantage: AI – A Workshop for Business Leaders – Oct 10th
Ai 10.10.png.png
LBV Hub Seminars
10 Oct 2025 - 10 Oct 2025

Advantage: AI – A Workshop for Business Leaders – Oct 10th

Door4 Office, Burnley Wharf, Burnley, BB11 1JG

09:00 - 12:00

Unlocking major project opportunities in the North West
Lancs-cham-logo.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
15 Oct 2025 - 15 Oct 2025

Unlocking major project opportunities in the North West

Strathmore Hotel, Morecambe, LA4 5AP

08:00 - 10:00

The New Employee Rights Landscape: Day One Compliance Essentials
EventBrite NORi - 15th Oct 2025 Webinar.png.png
LBV Hub Webinar
15 Oct 2025 - 15 Oct 2025

The New Employee Rights Landscape: Day One Compliance Essentials

Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Teams, PR253XH

13:30 - 15:00

October Freelancer Meet-Up
LBV Hub Networking
16 Oct 2025 - 16 Oct 2025

October Freelancer Meet-Up

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

10:00 - 11:30

The Autumn Re set - pour me a wine
LBV Advert_Autumn Reset 1200 x 630px.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
16 Oct 2025 - 16 Oct 2025

The Autumn Re set - pour me a wine

The Artistry House , Preston , PR1 3JJ

17:30 - 19:30

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire
LBV Header (26).png.png
LBV Hub Networking
16 Oct 2025 - 16 Oct 2025

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire

Stanley House, Blackburn, BB2 7NP

11:30 - 14:15

Women scaling up Blackpool Fylde and Wyre
LBV Hub Seminars
22 Oct 2025 - 09 Jan 2026

Women scaling up Blackpool Fylde and Wyre

The Small Business Academy, Blackpool, FY4 5JX

09:30 - 15:30

HR Essentials for pubs, bars and licensed venues
EventBrite NORi - 22nd Oct Webinar.png.png
LBV Hub Webinar
22 Oct 2025 - 22 Oct 2025

HR Essentials for pubs, bars and licensed venues

Online - Teams, Leyland, PR253XH

13:30 - 15:00

RISE - Lancashire's unique leadership programme for women
thumbnail_Emma Weston Illustration WENDY BOWERS RISE Illustrstion.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
22 Oct 2025 - 18 Mar 2026

RISE - Lancashire's unique leadership programme for women

East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, Clayton le Moors, BB5 5JR

09:30 - 15:30

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more LBV124 Online Graphic
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin