Apple’s Jonathan Ive awarded knighthood

Recognising his services to design and enterprise, Apple’s Jonathan Ive has been awarded a knighthood in the New Year Honours list. Originally from London, Ive has worked at Apple since 1992 where he currently holds the title of senior vice president of industrial design.

He described the honour as thrilling:

“I am keenly aware that I benefit from a wonderful tradition in the UK of designing and making,” he said. “To be recognized with this honour is absolutely thrilling and I am both humbled and sincerely grateful.”

The award, which makes Ive a Knight Commander of the British Empire (KBE), and gives him the right to style himself Sir Jonathan, is his second appearance on the New Year Honours list – back in 2005 he was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE).

Described by Steve Jobs as his ‘spiritual partner’ in Walter Isaacson’s recent biography of the Apple co-founder, Ive has been instrumental in the design and development of hugely successful products such as the iMac, iPhone and iPad.

Previous KBE recipients from the world of technology include former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, and Tim Berners-Lee – inventor of the World Wide Web.

[Via BBC News]