William Wright, the founder of bus manufacturer Wrights Group, has received a knighthood in the New Year’s Honours list.
Recognised for services to the economy and the bus industry, Dr Wright received an OBE in 2001 for services to industry and the community, and a CBE in 2011 for services to the bus industry. Dr Wright celebrated his 90th birthday in 2017 and still plays a highly active part in the family business, with the key aims of reducing fossil fuel emissions in vehicles across the world in his role as Head of Alternative Driveline Division at Wrightbus.
Originally founded with his father in 1946, Wrightbus became one of the largest employers in Northern Ireland and produces vehicles that are sold all over the world. In 2016 the William Wright Technology Centre was named in his honour as part of a joint venture between the Wrights Group and Queens University in Belfast. The centre promotes research and engineering for the advancement of technologies in the bus industry.
