Jon Tibbs Receives Queen's Honor

Statement from Jon Tibbs and Associates

JTA is honoured and delighted that its Chairman Jon Tibbs has been awarded an OBE by HM The Queen in the 2017 New Year's Honours list for his services to International Trade and the Sports Sector.

In particular, Jon was cited for his outstanding contribution to UK Trade & Investment's success in securing a £14bn international business economic legacy from the hosting of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and which, during his chairmanship of UKTI's Government Global Sports Projects Sector Advisory Group, has seen a significant rise in export business secured with future hosts of major sporting events.

Jon has made a significant contribution to a number of bilateral trade initiatives helping to shape export strategies and in promoting UK excellence overseas in the major sports events sector. As Chair of the UKTI Sports Advisory Group for the last 7 years and a board member since 2003, Jon has made his wide experience, knowledge and contacts (both international and domestic) in the sports event sector available to government as well as connecting individual companies to opportunities. He has transformed the sector’s promotion and has become the Department for International Trade’s public face in this area.

Commenting on his award Jon Tibbs said, "I am thrilled and deeply honoured to receive this award but would also like to thank my colleagues in the British Government and the Department for International Tradein helping British companies succeed in the very tough export market. Britain excels at sport and hosting sporting events and I am proud to help ensure that we also succeed in exporting in the sports sector."

Jon has led a number of high profile trade missions and chaired conferences which have helped develop a strong recognition overseas of UK company expertise and capability. His leadership has encouraged a more joined-up approach with other government departments/agencies, including the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, UK Sport and the British Olympic Association, to support UK companies seeking export opportunities from major world sporting events.

Jon Tibbs is Chairman and founder of JTA (Jon Tibbs Associates Limited), a leading international relations and communications agency specialising in the area of international sport and particularly overseas clients linked to the Olympic Movement. Founded in March 2008, JTA works with International Sports Federations, National Olympic and Paralympic Committees, sponsors, athletes, event organisers and many other stakeholders in global sport to ensure that they achieve their individual goals. This included helping to secure the 2017 IAAF World Championships in Athletics for London.

In 2014, JTA was awarded a Queen's Award for Enterprise in International Trade after increasing its turnover to £2.5 million (increased exports as a percentage of turnover from 47 per cent to 68 per cent over the previous three years), most of it coming from overseas clients.