LONDON - Dato’ Sri Tony Fernandes received the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) award from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday. The award is attributed to his “services to promote commercial and educational links” between the UK and Malaysia. “I am extremely humbled to have received this award and I would like to thank Her Majesty The Queen for bestowing such an honour upon me. More than a personal honour, it will serve as a catalyst to further enhance relations between the UK and Malaysia, particularly in the areas of business, culture and education,” said Tony Fernandes, CBE. The iconic entrepreneur wears several hats including Team Principal of Team Lotus, Group CEO of low cost airline AirAsia, and founder of the Malaysian-based conglomerate Tune Group. The CBE is the second major award conferred on Fernandes in Europe. In 2010, the French government conferred upon him the title of Officier of the Legion d’Honneur, the highest award for a non-French national, for his outstanding contributions to the aviation industry.