King honours four people from Brighton in birthday list

The King has recognised three people from Brighton in the Birthday Honours List published today (Saturday 15 June).

David Tibble, 72, has been made an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) for services to education and philanthropy.

Mr Tibble was the finance director of recruitment business Hays and chief executive of consultants WNS as well as a founding partner of the private equity investment firm Somerton Capital.

He was a founding trustee of the Inspiration Trust and serves as vice-chair of the board of trustees at the multi-academy trust which has a chain of primary and secondary schools in Norfolk.

He has also served on the advisory board of the University of East Anglia (UEA).

Victoria Brownlie becomes an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) for services to the hair and beauty industry.

Mrs Brownlie, who now lives in Lancing, is the chief policy and sustainability officer at the British Beauty Council.

She previously spent four years as a political assistant to the Conservatives on Brighton and Hove City Council from 2015 to 2019.

Mrs Brownlie was a pupil at Blatchington Mill School from 1996 to 2003 – as Victoria Brown – where she passed 10 GCSEs and four A levels.

Deborah Roberts, the artistic director and co-founder of the Brighton Early Music Festival charity, has become a Medallist of the Order of the British Empire (BEM).

Ms Roberts, from Rottingdean, has been honoured for charitable services to the community in Brighton, Sussex and the south east.

She is an expert in renaissance and baroque music and co-founded the Brighton Early Music Festival with a fellow singer Clare Norburn in 2002.

Ms Roberts told one interviewer: “If I were to sum up the festival in one word, it would be ‘fun!’”

After the honours list was published, she said: “I am of course extremely grateful for this recognition but would like to make clear that I have always worked for Brighton Early Music Festival as part of an outstanding team of committed people, from the core executive team via the trustees, festival donors and volunteers to our wonderful artists and loyal audiences and therefore feel that this honour is owing to everyone who is part of the BREMF family.

“I want to make especial mention of Clare Norburn, who founded the festival with me in 2002 and with whom I worked side by side as co-artistic director for many years.

“We shared the vision for the festival’s role in the new millennium as making a thousand years of ancient music relevant to all people as part of our shared human legacy.”