Our Chair Ursula Lidbetter received an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in June.

The businesswoman who has led the Greater Lincolnshire LEP since its formation received an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in June.

Ursula Lidbetter, who is also Chief Executive of the Lincolnshire Co-op, was honoured with an OBE for her services to the local economy.

Ursula joined the Lincolnshire Co-op in 1985 as a graduate trainee and became became Chief Executive in 2004. She became the first Chair of the Greater Lincolnshire LEP in 2010 and for the past nine years she has continued to steer the public / private sector partnership.

“I’m proud to accept this honour for my work leading these two organisations,” said Ursula. “Lincolnshire Co-op and the LEP are about people coming together to make life better in our communities, whether that’s through providing valued services or driving economic development.

“Leading the LEP has been rewarding as we enable Greater Lincolnshire to work in a coherent way to help the economy thrive.

“Experts from a range of different sectors share their knowledge and expertise to unblock obstacles that might prevent our area from succeeding. We work across sectors and we come together to deliver.”

Ruth Carver, Chief Executive of the Greater Lincolnshire LEP, added: “Ursula is one of the hardest working and most prominent business figures in Greater Lincolnshire, and the success of the LEP is down to her passion and determination to succeed.

“On behalf of the board I’d like to say that this award is richly deserved and everyone at the LEP congratulates Ursula on being recognised in this way.”