HER Majesty the Queen has appointed John Crabtree OBE as her Lord-Lieutenant for the West Midlands to succeed Paul Sabapathy CBE who retired from the position in 2015.
The appointment is with immediate effect from Tuesday, January 3, 2017.
John Crabtree OBE was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of the West Midlands in August 2005. He also served as High Sheriff of the West Midlands in 2006/2007.
Mr Crabtree has a wide variety of business, community and charitable interests, predominantly in the West Midlands.
Until 2003, he was senior partner of Wragge & Co (now Gowling WLG), the leading Birmingham-based international firm of solicitors.
He has several business interests and is also well known for his support of Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre Trust and the national charity for the deafblind – SENSE.
Mr Crabtree is currently chairman of The Birmingham Independent Improvement Panel overseeing Birmingham City Council’s implementation of the recommendations of the Kerslake review of the governance and organisational capabilities of Birmingham City Council.
A former President of Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry, he also served as a director of Advantage West Midlands, the former regional development agency, for seven years until its abolition in 2012.
In 2003, Mr Crabtree was voted West Midlands Businessman of the Year and in 2004, voted UK Lawyer of the Year. He lives at Crowle with his wife, Diana and has three sons and three daughters.
