Sir John Major, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and present Chairman of the National Bank of Kuwait’s (NBK) International Advisory Board (IAB), was recently awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun from His Majesty the Emperor of Japan.

This honor, that is the highest that can be awarded to foreign nationals, comes in recognition of his invaluable contribution to Anglo-Japanese relations through his work not only in the political and economic arena but also in promoting mutual understanding.

Sir John Major was elected UK Prime Minister on November 28, 1990 and held office until May 1997.  In the General Election of April 1992, he led the Conservative party to an unprecedented fourth term in office. 

As a Prime Minister, Sir John Major focused his efforts upon securing peace in Northern Ireland and upholding Britain's position in the world community as a political, social and economic leader. He was Prime Minister throughout the Gulf War and, at home, instigated long-term reforms in education, health and public services.  On 1 May, 1997, he handed over the strongest economy any incoming Government had inherited.  On New Year's Day 1999, The Queen appointed him a Companion of Honour in recognition of his initiation of the Northern Ireland Peace Process. On St George's Day 2005, he was appointed a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter and is a Vice-President of The Friends of St George’s Chapel.

Sir John Major chairs NBK’s International Advisory Board since its establishment in 2007. NBK is the only Arab bank to form an International Advisory Board. The 21 member board includes world recognized political leaders, businessmen, bankers and economists including [note this is obvious since he is chairman] HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal Al Saud, Emeritus Senior Minister and Former Prime Minister of Singapore Goh Chok Tong, World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab, PIMCO CEO and co-CIO Mohamed El Erian, Senior Advisor and Former Senior Vice Chairman of Citigroup Bill Rhodes, and Reliance Industries Limited Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani.