Former Dragons’ Den investor among entrepreneurs and business leaders recognised in 2026 New Year Honours

By
Dan Martin
-
0
19
Piers Linney

Several figures from the world of business have been recognised in the 2026 New Year Honours. 

Among the entrepreneurs rewarded is Piers Linney, a former investor on BBC TV’s Dragons’ Den, who receives an MBE.

Linney was previously non-executive at the British Business Bank during the pandemic and a trustee of innovation agency Nesta. He is also co-founder and executive chair of Implement AI which helps companies use AI agents.

Receiving a knighthood is Richard Harpin, who grow HomeServe into a business he sold for £4 billion, and Peter Higgins, co-founder of Charles Tyrwhitt Shirts has been awarded an OBE.

Another recipient of an MBE is Benjamin Towers, founder of employee benefit platform Happl, who started his first business at 11-years-old, while Lady Demetra Pinsent, CEO of beauty brand Charlotte Tilbury; Peter Higgins, co-founder of Charles Tyrwhitt Shirts, and Akin Onal, founder and chief executive officer of polling company MORI get OBEs.

Entrepreneurs and business leaders in the 2026 New Year Honours

Knighthood

  • Richard Harpin, founder, HomeServe. For services to politics.

Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)

  • Simon Roberts, chief executive officer, Sainsbury’s. For services to the retail industry.
  • Mark Reynolds, group executive chair, Mace and co-chair, Construction Leadership Council. For services to business and the construction industry.

Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)

  • Peter Higgins, co-founder, Charles Tyrwhitt Shirts. For services to commerce, to entrepreneurship and to education.
  • Akin Onal, founder and chief executive officer, MORI. For services to entrepreneurship.
  • Christopher Adelsbach, managing partner, Outrun Ventures. For services to entrepreneurship.
  • Shah Ruhul Amin, co-founder and chief architect, Onfido. For services to fintech and artificial intelligence.
  • Simon Boyd, managing director, John Reid and Sons Limited, REIDSteel. For services to British steel manufacturing and to small and medium-sized enterprises.
  • Professor Gurpreet Singh Jagpal. For services to enterprise, entrepreneurship, education and policy.
  • Pamela Maynard, chief AI transformation officer, Microsoft. For services to business and technology
  • Lady Demetra Pinsent, chief executive officer, Charlotte Tilbury. For services to business and to the beauty industry.
  • Dr Aderonke Savage, chief executive officer and founder, Jomas Associates. For services to young people, to business and to the construction industry.

Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)

  • Piers Linney, executive chair, Implement AI. For services to small business, to entrepreneurs, to investors, to banking and to diversity and social mobility.
  • Richard Marshall, founder and chief executive officer, Pall Mall Barbers. For services to international trade, mentoring and to people with dyslexia.
  • Safaraz Ali, chief executive officer, Pathway Group. For services to diversity and inclusion in business.
  • Benjamin Towers, founder and chief executive officer, Happl. For services to the start-up business community, excellence in innovation and enterprise.
  • Richard Clothier, managing director, Wyke Farms. For services to sustainable agriculture and food production.
  • Teresa Colaianni, founder and chair, WiHTL and Diversity in Retail. For services to inclusion in the hospitality, travel, leisure and retail sectors.
  • William Crawford, director and co-founder, Concrete Canvas. For services to engineering materials innovation and to export
  • Alain Dilworth, programme manager, Made Smarter Adoption Programme, The Growth Company. For services to business growth and digitalisation.
  • Andrew Fishburn, managing director, Virgin StartUp. For services to small businesses and entrepreneurship.
  • Funmi Lawal, founder and chief executive officer, Clip-Knix. For services to disability, entrepreneurship and to volunteering.
  • Gail McManus, founder and director, Private Equity Recruitment. For services to private equity and venture capital.
  • Clement Ogbonnaya, chief executive officer, We Are The Village People. For services to hospitality and to business
  • John Spiers, chief executive officer, The EQ Foundation and Chair, EQ Investors. For services to business and to charity.
  • James Whiting, chief executive officer, The Skinny Food Company. For services to the food industry.