Allan Robert Willett, CVO, CMG, KStJ (born 1936) is an English former soldier and businessman. He is also a former Lord Lieutenant of Kent.
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Born in India in 1936, his family subsequently returned to Kent where Willett's father was a tea planter and farmer on the Isle of Thanet. His mother's family were artists with connections to the military and Kent cricket.[1]
Willett was educated at Eastbourne College and was later commissioned during his National Service in the Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment). He was later seconded to the King's African Rifles in Kenya during the Mau Mau Uprising.[1]
On leaving the military Willett started his own business in 1962, importing machinery for the manufacturer of packaging and plastics. The resulting business known as Willett International Limited became a market leader in electronic labelling processes and won two Queen's Awards.[2] In 2003 Willet International was sold to a competitor. He lives with his wife Anne in Chilham near Canterbury in Kent.[1][2]
Willett was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 1997 Birthday Honours for services to export. On 5 January 2002 he succeeded Robin Leigh-Pemberton, Baron Kingsdown as Lord Lieutenant of Kent. Willett was made a Knight of Justice in the Order of St. John in 2003. He is also the former Chairman of the Canterbury Cathedral Trust Fund (of which he remains trustee), and was Honorary Colonel of the 3rd Battalion Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (a Territorial Army reserve battalion based at Canterbury) 2005-10, and Ambassador for Kent.[1][3] He was appointed Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in the 2011 Birthday Honours for his service as lord-lieutenant.[4]
In January 2004 Willett created a charitable foundation whose principal beneficiaries are persons or organisations living, working or studying in Kent. He has also been involved in various public sector roles including, among others, the chairman of the Industrial Development Board for London and the South East and the East Kent Enterprise Agency. In 1998 Willett helped the government establish the Regional Development Agency for the South East of England (South East England Development Agency).[1][2]
| Honorary titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by The Lord Kingsdown |
Lord Lieutenant of Kent 2002–2011 |
Succeeded by Viscount De L’Isle |