The Queen has approved the appointment of Allan Willett, from Chilham, near Canterbury, as the new Lord Lieutenant of Kent. He will succeed Lord Kingsdown who retires on January 5 after almost two decades in the post.

In recent years, Mr Willett has successfully combined his career as an international businessman with a life in public service, latterly as the first chairman of the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA).

He said of his appointment: "I am delighted. My wife Anne and I are intensely proud of our families' connections with Kent where we were both brought up and it's a great privilege to be invited to serve the county as Lord Lieutenant, particularly following Lord Kingsdown, who has carried out the role with such distinction for 19 years."

He added: "My recent work with SEEDA has allowed me to build a strong relationship with both Kent and Medway and to gain a greater understanding of the challenges, particularly the economic, and urban and rural regeneration issues, facing our residents in the coming years.

"We have so much to celebrate in Kent - our proud role in the nation's history, our heritage, cities, towns, villages, countryside and coastline, and I am very much looking forward to getting to know the whole of the county even better than I do now."

Lord Kingsdown said: "I am so glad to hear of Allan's appointment. He is a Man of Kent through and through, has served in the county regiment and has taken a leading part in developing the county's economy."