Joint managing director of Le Mark Group and Smart Manufacturing Alliance Advisory Board member, Stuart Gibbons, has been awarded an OBE in the Queen’s 2021 Honours List for Services to International Trade.

He received the OBE on October 26 from HRH The Princess Royal at a Windsor Castle investiture.

This was not the first time Stuart had met this particular member of the royal family. Le Mark was chosen to host Princess Anne in 2018 during a visit to Cambridgeshire where Stuart had the honour to escort her as she toured the Huntingdon-based company, which he says remains a highlight of his personal and business career.

Le Mark designs, manufactures and distributes a wide range of products, including self-adhesive tapes, workwear and heavy-duty tapes and labels, along with performance floors for the arts and entertainment industries.

“I first heard that my name had been put forward early in December 2020, and was utterly shocked!’ said Stuart. ‘I never expected any sort of acknowledgement for what I consider to be a personal passion of mine – let alone an OBE.

“I’ve been privileged to work on successful projects with talented people at Le Mark and around the world. I’ll continue to support British exporting companies wherever and whenever I can.”

Founded in Huntingdon in 1983, Le Mark now operates a network of 150 wholesalers, distributors and local stockists in more than 70 countries.

In 2018, Stuart was appointed a Department for International Trade Export Champion, and now spends a significant amount of time encouraging regional companies in the UK to become involved in exporting.

As an Export Champion, he works with the DIT on regional and online events; his particular expertise being exporting to the Russian Federation, USA and central Europe. Stuart also conducts in-house training for exporters and visited St Petersburg and Moscow as part of an export initiative.

Stuart’s previous voluntary positions include vice-chairman of the Global Trade Network and inaugural chairman of the Huntingdon Manufacturing Association. He was inaugural chairman of the GCGP Business Advisory Panel and current chairman of the Cambridge & Peterborough Apprentice Ambassador Network.