Sir Brian Souter receives knighthood at Buckingham Palace Investiture

Stagecoach Group co-founder and Chief Executive Sir Brian Souter today (18 November 2011) received his knighthood at an Investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

Sir Brian (57) was awarded a knighthood in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in June 2011 for services to transport and the voluntary sector.

One of the UK’s foremost entrepreneurs, Sir Brian is a significant supporter of charitable causes and the country’s leading public transport innovator. He co-founded Stagecoach with his sister, Ann Gloag, in 1980 with just two buses and has developed the company into a leading international transport group in the UK and North America with 35,000 employees and an annual turnover of more than £2billion.

The ceremony was conducted on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen by the Prince of Wales, who invested Sir Brian with the Insignia of his award.

Following the Investiture, Sir Brian said:

This is a proud day, not just for myself, my wife, Betty, and my family, but for all of the unsung people who have supported me in my business ventures and charitable work. I feel very fortunate to have worked with so many talented individuals, particularly over the past 30 years at Stagecoach.

I started my career in public transport as a young bus conductor and it was my late father who inspired me to start out in business. Entrepreneurship, new ideas and a sense of community have never been more important than today. More than anything, I hope this honour sparks the drive in others to start their own business and help other people.