A former regional daily editor has received an OBE for his work in the field of education since leaving the newspaper industry.

Rob Lawson picked up his honour from Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, on Wednesday.

Rob, pictured, ran the Sunderland Echo for a decade before leaving the newspaper in 2012.

He later went on to work with Education Partnership North East, which incorporates Sunderland College, Northumberland College and Hartlepool Sixth Form, serving as its chair of governers.

Rob left EPNE in December after taking on a governor role with RNN Group, which runs a number of colleges in Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire.

He has also served as a national leader in governance for the Department of Education, working with other further education colleges across the country to improve their governance, and has also been a reviewer for the DfE’s new governance pilot programme.

Posting on Twitter, Rob described receiving his OBE as a “special day”. He further added Princess Anne was “a joy” to meet.