Hertfordshire welcomes new Lord-Lieutenant

The Queen has appointed Robert Voss CBE as Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of the County of Hertfordshire, succeeding the Countess of Verulam, who stepped down on July 31 .

Mr Voss has recently retired after a long and distinguished career in the metal industry, having also chaired the European Federation in Brussels for 16 years.

He has a special interest in young entrepreneurs, through his involvement with Hertfordshire Young Enterprise, as a venture partner investing in a number of young companies and as a trustee of the Young Person of the Year Charity. He also established a Young Entrepreneurs Challenge.

He is a governor of The University of Hertfordshire and a member of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation survivors’ testimony committee.

He was awarded the CBE in 2014 for services to British Industry and voluntary work in the UK.

Mr Voss lives in Loudwater with his wife, Celia. They have two sons, a daughter and two grandsons.

Mr Voss said: “I am incredibly honoured to have been appointed Lord-Lieutenant of Hertfordshire by Her Majesty the Queen.

“We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the Countess of Verulam, who has worked tirelessly over the last decade and served the county and Her Majesty with great integrity and total commitment.

“I am especially proud and humbled as the son of two refugees who escaped Nazi Germany in 1939 who, within 12 months of being given refuge, enlisted into the British Army and fought for the country they proudly called home for the rest of their lives.

“It is the greatest honour to be able to serve the country that literally gave me life.”