Focus SB Chairman, Gary Stevens receives an MBE

St Leonards-on-Sea based luxury electrical accessories manufacturer Focus SB Chairman receives an MBE. East Sussex, United Kingdom, 2026-06-12

Focus SB Chairman, Gary Stevens is made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in The King’s Birthday 2026 Honours List For Services to Manufacturing, International Trade and Apprenticeships.

Mr Stevens, who was formerly Managing Director at the St Leonards-on-Sea based premium electrical accessories manufacturer for 10 years before he accepted the role of Chairman in January of this year, is delighted to be recognised for this outstanding achievement.

Stevens comments: ‘I’d firstly like to thank those who nominated me to receive this prestigious award. When I received a letter on the 1st May in an envelope marked ‘On His Majesty's Service - Urgent & Personal’, my immediate thoughts were "what have I done wrong?"! Imagine my shock when I opened it and read that I was being recommended to His Majesty The King for the honour of Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) For Services to Manufacturing, International Trade and Apprenticeships in The King's Birthday 2026 Honours List.

‘I always thought this type of accolade was usually given to people from a different background to me. I was brought up in a working class family, living in council houses in Birmingham, and in a one-parent family environment from the ages of 7 to 12 due to the premature death of my father at 35. 

‘I didn't excel at school and other than sport I didn't take education that seriously. Being from Birmingham and the industrial heartland of the UK, the obvious career path for me when I left school at 16 with 4 GCEs was an Engineering apprenticeship. I applied to the plethora of household-name manufacturing companies like British Leyland, Lucas (who my father and grandfather worked for as tool setters) and GKN Aerospace. I had several offers and chose to join Midland Electric Manufacturing Company Limited on a 5-year Technical apprenticeship. 

‘I have been involved with manufacturing for my whole career of 47 years. I have attained engineering qualifications (HNC), Marketing qualifications (MCIM Diploma) and a Masters Degree (MBA), all whilst working, earning, raising a family with my wife and climbing the corporate ladder to MD of two SMEs with multi-million pound turnovers. Apart from the years I spent serving my apprenticeship, I have always worked for companies that are well over 100 miles from home. 

‘I have spent the last 10 years as Managing Director of Focus SB in St Leonards-on-Sea, near Hastings, before accepting a new role as Chairman in January of this year. I have commuted or stayed near the factories which are nearly 200 miles from home. I think conservatively I have travelled nearly 1.5 million miles for work, which is 60 times around the world, so it has not been without personal sacrifice which makes it even sweeter receiving this honour.

‘During my time as MD I introduced an apprenticeship scheme that has seen more than one young person join Focus SB per year. Apprenticeships, manufacturing and UK Plc have always been very close to my heart. 

‘I truly believe that apart from being personally proud to receive this honour, that this recognition is for UK manufacturing, championing young people in our industry and British manufacturing in overseas markets. I hope that my story motivates more young people from ordinary backgrounds to follow the same path and keep British manufacturing at the forefront for many years to come.’

Ends

Editors notes

Focus SB® is an award winning innovative British manufacturer renowned for the design, development and specialist hand finishing of premium electrical wiring accessories, blending traditional artisan techniques with the latest technology; specified for world class hospitality and leisure resorts, prime residential developments, heritage buildings, royal residences, superyachts and commercial projects both domestically and internationally.

The King's Awards for Enterprise winner for excellence in International Trade in 2023, Focus SB made history in its industry in 2017 when the company became the first and only British and European manufacturer to gain CQC factory accreditation to supply and sell wiring accessories directly from Europe to China, also gaining full CCC licence for all of its products for the Chinese marketplace.

The company’s specialist capabilities include electrical accessory design, development and testing; bespoke metal plate design and manufacture; specialist metal finishing and complex supply chain project management. Focus SB commenced trading in 1979 and exports to Asia, the Middle East, Malta and West Africa. Projects include Aspen at Consort Place, Twenty Grosvenor Square, Belmond Cadogan Hotel, Corinthia London, Royal Lancaster London, Chelsea Barracks, No.1 Grosvenor Square, The Glebe, Hampton Court Palace, Windsor Castle, The Londoner Macao and Pudong Airport Satellite Terminal VIP lounges.

Focus SB is committed to reducing its carbon footprint by taking all appropriate measures to minimise any impact on the environment throughout the business from operational to manufacturing processes. The company's green energy investment plans have included solar panel, LED lighting and electric car charging points installation. Laser marking technology enables Focus SB to offer a standard alternative to screen printing, for improved fine detail quality and to significantly limit the use of environmentally damaging consumables and reduce waste.

Focus SB is a Disability Confident Employer since 2017 and is committed to creating equal opportunities and a diverse and inclusive workforce, seeing the company work closely with local charity Little Gate Supported Employment for over four years.

UK press contact: Suzi Baker, SB PR Consultancy suzi@suzibaker.com