Tony Fernandes, Team Principal of Team Lotus and Group CEO of the low cost airline AirAsia received a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) from the Queen this morning, in recognition of his services to promote commercial and educational links between the UK and Malaysia.
At the ceremony conducted at Buckingham Palace, Fernandes was joined by his daughter.
“I am extremely humbled to have received this award today and I would like to thank Her Majesty The Queen for bestowing such an honour upon me. More than a personal honour, it will serve as a catalyst to further enhance relations between the UK and Malaysia, particularly in the areas of business, culture and education,” says Tony Fernandes CBE.
He adds: “I receive this award today not on my behalf, but on behalf of all the incredible people I work with, wherever they may be around the world. It is their dedication, passion, enthusiasm and hard work that drives me on every single day and it is also my great honour to have the privilege of working with them.”
Tony’s personal credo is “Dream the Impossible, Believe the Unbelievable and Never Take No for an Answer” and he believes deeply in providing opportunities throughout his businesses for talent to flourish, for meritocracy to reign and for helping people realise their dreams. “I realised mine, and I am determined to help others realise theirs too,” sums up Tony’s approach to his work and personal life.
The CBE is the second major award conferred on Fernandes in Europe. In 2010, the French government conferred upon him the title of Officier of the Legion d’honneur, the highest award for a non-French national, for his outstanding contributions to the aviation industry.
Fernandes was also recently named “Asia Businessman of the Year 2010” by the international magazine Forbes, and has gathered a slew of other top awards from private bodies and media organisations for his innovative approaches to business.
Today also marks Day 11 of the ‘Lotus vs. Lotus’ trial at the High Court in London between 1Malaysia Racing and Group Lotus over the use of the Lotus name in F1. This season Fernandes’ 1Malaysia Racing team is racing under the ‘Team Lotus’ name, whilst Group Lotus in partnership with Renault have entered the championship as ‘Lotus Renault GP’.
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