Two Harpenden residents have been sworn in as Deputy Lieutenants for Herts.

The Lord-Lieutenant of Hertfordshire Robert Voss was welcoming seven new DLs at a ceremony at Moor Park Golf Club,

New DLs are chosen by the Lord-Lieutenant to assist him with a raft of duties representing HM The Queen all over the county, and represent the diverse population of Herts.

They will serve on the active list until their 75th birthday, and then “retire” to the Supplemental List.

Robert Voss said “I am delighted to welcome these outstanding people from all over Hertfordshire who join a hard working group of DLs and I look forward to working with them in the coming years.”

Harpenden resident Dr John Howie is chief executive and co-founder of Herts business Lintbells Ltd, the UK’s leading nutritional supplement manufacturer for dogs, cats and horses.

Having started his career in science with a biological sciences degree from Oxford and a Ph.D. in molecular genetics, John quickly moved into the commercial world, managing various enterprises focusing on European food raw material and health , ultimately leading to him to set up the company in 2006.

As well as supporting the health of over 1.5 million pets, the Lintbells business has received several Queen’s Awards for Enterprise, and also supports pet charities and rescue centres at a local, national and international level.

John believes strongly in using business as a force for good, and with a strong interest in the environment, is setting his company on a path to become carbon negative within three years.

He is joined by David Williams, who was the leader of Herts county council from 2017 to 2021.

Having been first elected as the member for Harpenden North East in 2013, he previously held the Cabinet portfolios of resources, property and the economy and enterprise, education and skills.

He also served as chairman of the Hertfordshire Local Government Pension Committee which had assets under management of £4.5bn.

David also chaired Hertfordshire Forward, the Hertfordshire Public Sector Leaders Steering Group, the COVID-19 Local Member Outbreak Board and co-chaired the Hertfordshire Emergency Services Collaboration Board.

He established and chaired the Hertfordshire Growth Board, sat on the board of the Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership, the Stevenage Development Board and was a deputy chairman of the UK Innovation Corridor.