Kam Kothia, who co-founded seoBusiness in 1998, has been awarded an OBE in recognition of his services to education.
The honour, part of the Queen’s 70th jubilee celebrations, recognises Kam’s time as chair of governors at Tauheedul Girls’ High School in Blackburn, and more recently his role as chair of the board of trustees at Star Academies.
During his tenure at Tauheedul, from 1999 to 2018, the school was rated as outstanding by OFSTED on three consecutive inspections and was ranked as the overall top performer of 3,000 state-funded schools in the county.
TIGHS is part of the wider Star Academies network, which Kam helped create in 2010. Over the following 12 years, Star has grown to a diverse network of 31 primary and secondary schools across the UK, and is one of the UK’s leading multi-academy trusts.
Star Academies has consistently been one of the highest-performing multi-academy trusts in England over recent years, running some of the country’s top-performing schools. In the government’s most recent performance tables (2019), Star schools secured first, second and third places in the national rankings, with five in total in the top 15.
Star was established to improve the life chances of young people in areas of social and economic deprivation to help them succeed at the highest levels of education and employment.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Kam led Star’s efforts to support its pupils, their families and the local community. This included creating Star Family Hubs in 13 towns and cities which provided foodbanks, hot meals, hygiene products and PPE to local families, charities and health workers. In 2022, the organisation formed a landmark partnership with Eton College to set up sixth form colleges in deprived communities in the Midlands and North of England which will fast-track young people, often from deprived communities, to the best UK universities.
Kam said: “It is a great privilege and an honour to have been awarded an OBE, especially in the year of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. This honour is further recognition of the achievements of Star Academies and the positive impact the trust and its schools have on the lives of young people nationwide.
“It is truly humbling to be part of such a talented and dedicated team, and I am proud of what we have collectively achieved – especially during the most challenging and extraordinary times over the past couple of years.
“This honour is a tribute to everyone involved in the success of Star Academies – from our inspirational school leaders to our amazing teachers and support staff, our hard-working young people and supportive parents. I wish to give special thanks to my fellow trustees, members and school governors who collectively volunteer thousands of hours of their valuable time each year to selflessly serve our schools – this honour is a tribute to each of them for the vital roles they play in improving the lives of so many children and young people.”
In addition to his role as chief executive of seoBusiness and his work with Star Academies, Kam is also the founder of ecommerce enterprise Time2 Technology, which supplies smart home and lifestyle products direct to consumers worldwide.
He also serves on the board of the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership (LEP) where he is leading the development of an inclusive digital sector strategy for Lancashire, designed to capitalise on the county’s unique strengths in emerging technologies and leverage the once in a generation opportunities presented by the £5bn investment in the National Cyber Force HQ and North West Cyber Corridor.
Kam is also a regimental council member of the Duke of Lancaster Regiment, the Infantry Regiment of the North West of England, and serves as a deputy lieutenant of Lancashire assisting the Lord-Lieutenant of Lancashire in carrying out his public duties as representative of Her Majesty the Queen.
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