Simon Vincent, Hilton's Executive Vice President and President Europe, Middle East and Africa since 2007, was appointed Commander of the British Empire for services to the tourism industry on the King's birthday.

In this role, Simon Vincent is responsible for over 1,000 hotels across 13 brands in 69 countries. He was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to the hotel industry in 2015.

With this Commander of the British Empire award, Simon Vincent is recognized for his work as co-chair of the Tourism Industry Council and as a member of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media's Post-Pandemic Cultural Renewal Taskforce.

He is also a board member of Jigsaw School, an independent day school for children with autism spectrum disorders.

"It has been my great privilege to lead Hilton's operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa for the past 16 years. I'm also proud to have represented the hospitality sector as co-chair of the Tourism Industry Council, alongside the Minister of Tourism, and on the government's Cultural Renewal Taskforce, set up to support the sector's recovery from the pandemic.

I am honored to be appointed CBE in recognition of these contributions, which underline the importance of hospitality and tourism to the UK economy."

Simon Vincent, Executive Vice President and President for Europe, Middle East and Africa, Hilton