Air Astana President receives Order of British Empire

President of Kazakhstan’s national airlines Air Astana Peter Foster has been awarded the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Tengrinews reports citing Guardian. The British newspaper published the list of the awarded persons on New Year’s Eve.

The award was given to Peter Foster for his services to the British aviation in Kazakhstan.

Peter Foster, 55, has been working in the airline industry since his graduation from Cambridge University in 1982. He began his career as a management trainee of John Swire and Sons (HK), the owners of Cathay Pacific Airways.

In the period from 1982 to 1992, Foster held various managerial positions in Cathay Pacific Airways in Hong Kong, Asia, Australia and Europe. At the same time, he also took a business management training course at graduate business school INSEAD in France.

Peter Foster then left Cathay Pacific Airways to lead the rehabilitation team at Philippine Airlines in 1999. Subsequently, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Royal Brunei Airlines from 2002 to 2005 until he was appointed as Air Astana’s President on October 1, 2005.

The award Peter Foster was given belongs to the class of Officers, the fourth out of five classes.

The Order of the British Empire was established in 1917 by King George V, when he recognized the need for award that could be given to a large number of people helping the country in war time both as combatants and as civilians on the home front.

Today it is awarded to persons that provide valuable service in a wide range of areas to the UK and British people. The honorary award is given not only to the UK citizens, but also to citizens of other countries. There are now more than 100,000 members of the Order throughout the world.

By Assel Satubaldina