HER Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, has appointed Ty Francis, a former Saundersfoot resident and pupil at Greenhill School, Tenby, as a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2017 Birthday Honours List. This honour was in recognition of services to promoting business in Wales.

“This is a huge honour for my family and I, and we can’t wait to head to Buckingham Palace to meet the Queen in the coming months. I’m very proud of the work I do, to promote Wales as a premier place to invest, and post-Brexit, the message that Wales is open for business has never been more important.”

In 2014, Mr. Francis was appointed as a special business advocate to the United States for The Right Honorable Carwyn Jones AM, First Minister of Wales, in the USA, to further Welsh culture, business and promote it as a premium place to invest.

Mr. Francis had initially been introduced to the Welsh Government in New York City by his wife, Alayna, in 2012, a PR and communications specialist for Mercer. Ms. Francis, a native New Yorker, holds an MBA in finance and marketing.

Mr. Francis is currently executive vice-president of Global Progams at the Ethisphere Institute, the global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices. In his current role, Mr. Francis has responsibility for the long-term strategy and revenue for the company, globally.

Previous to his current role, Mr. Francis served as vice-president of NYSE Governance Services, a division of the New York Stock Exchange in Manhattan.

Mr. Francis has lived in New York for the past 10 years, with his wife Alayna and his two children, Seren and Henry.