Four new Deputy Lieutenants have been commissioned in honour of their service to the local community by the Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire, Mike Kapur OBE CStJ.
The new Deputy Lieutenants are:
Mrs Anita Elizabeth Darlison MBE
Ms Rachel Tidmarsh
Mr Ian Mattioli MBE
Mr Graham Smith
The Lord-Lieutenant is the official representative of His Majesty The King for the City and County of Leicester. The office of Lord-Lieutenant is military in origin and can be traced back to the mid 16th Century. The Lieutenancy has evolved since the days of raising local militia and today, through the appointment of Deputy Lieutenants, represents the diverse communities of Leicester and Leicestershire.
Deputy Lieutenants undertake a wide range of duties and engagements including representing the Lord-Lieutenant and participating in Citizenship Ceremonies, attending remembrance services and parades, and helping to assess local organisations nominated for awards and honours.
Appointing the four new Deputy Lieutenants, Mr Kapur said:
"The Lieutenancy has enjoyed longstanding links with the uniformed services and with local community and voluntary organisations of Leicester and Leicestershire. These links are further enhanced following the appointments of these very deserving candidates."
About the new Deputy Lieutenants:
Graham Smith
Graham was born and raised in Leicestershire and attended Uppingham School before studying at Aberystwyth University, and then joining the family business of Kirby & West.
Graham has been a trustee on a number of local charities including Hope Against Cancer, and the National Forest Charitable Trust.
Currently he is Chair of Trustees for AgeUK Leicester Shire & Rutland and for Scholars Academy Trust, as well as being a trustee of LOROS.
He is a keen runner and has completed six marathons, and is a UK Athletics qualified official.
He is married to Sharon, with a son Henry.
Liz Darlison MBE
Liz has enjoyed 40 years of clinical practice at the University Hospitals of Leicester (UHL). After brief spells in vascular surgery and coronary care, she spent a decade in UHL’s respiratory unit. This led to an interest in service developments, research and lung cancer which became the focus for the last 24 years of her clinical practice.
In response to patient need in 2004, Liz established the National Macmillan Mesothelioma Resource Centre which resulted in her being the founder of Mesothelioma UK, a national charity for mesothelioma.
Liz continues to practice as a Consultant Nurse at UHL and is also CEO at Mesothelioma UK. Liz has honorary university positions in both Leicester and Sheffield, is very research active, keenly promotes nursing as a career and engages in education and training on many levels.
Liz is a founder member of the International Thoracic Oncology Nurses Forum, a past chair, and now lifetime honorary member, of Lung Cancer Nursing UK, a long-serving previous board member of theBritish Thoracic Oncology Group and a current, first nurse member of the International Mesothelioma Interest Group board.
Liz was awarded the Nursing Times Cancer Nurse Leader of the year in 2007, received a ten-year Achievement Award in 2012 from the British Thoracic Oncology Group and in the 2019 Queen Elizabeth’s Birthday honours list, Liz was awarded an MBE in recognition of her services to patients and cancer research.
Rachel Tidmarsh
Rachel was born in Sutton Coldfield and studied Geographical Information Systems at Kingston University. She began her working life at the National Remote Sensing Centre in Leicestershire. As an early entrepreneur, she founded Wildgoose Publications Ltd aged 23 later re-named BlueSky International Ltd, headquartered in Ashby.
Today, BlueSky is the UK Government’s supplier of choice for aerial photography and elevation maps.
In 2014 Rachel won Leicestershire’s Business Executive of the Year and is a member of Leicestershire’s Innovation Board as well as Director and founding member of the European Association of Aerial Surveying Industries.
She is a proud mother to daughter Amelia and is a keen sports person and traveller, interests she shares with her partner Simon.
Ian Mattioli MBE
Ian Mattioli MBE is the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Mattioli Woods plc. Ian has over 35 years’ experience in financial services, wealth management and property businesses and is the founder of Custodian REIT plc.
In 2017 Ian was awarded an MBE for services to business and the community and in 2008 won the LSE AIM Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Ian was awarded the CEO of the Year Award at the City of London Wealth Management Awards in 2018 and was awarded an Honorary Degree (Doctorate of Laws) from the University of Leicester in 2022.
Ian was appointed the High Sheriff of Leicestershire for 2021-22 and is a Director of Amati Global Investors and a Director of Maven Capital Partners.
Through his Trust, the Ian and Clare Mattioli Charitable Trust, Ian and his family have helped families with the purchase of specialist equipment, built water wells and homes in Malawi, supported the Leicester Riders with helping them to build a new multiple and inclusive set of indoor courts, and it has helped Leicester Cathedral build its new cultural centre.
The charitable trust has provided financial donations to both Leicester University and De Montfort University to help students who need financial and social support.