David Quysner, who left Bolton School in the mid-Sixties, has been awarded a CBE in the Queen's New Year's Honours list and Sir Ian McKellen has joined the exclusive Order of the Companion of Honour.  They will both go to Buckingham Palace to receive their awards.

David Quysner has spent 40 years in venture capital, initially with 3i and subsequently with Abingworth, of which he is currently non-executive Chairman.  He has wide experience of making and managing investments in technology companies in both the USA and the UK. He served on the Stock Exchange Smaller Companies Working Party, which led to the creation of London's AIM market and subsequently sat on the AIM Advisory Committee.

More recently, he was a member of the Treasury Working Party on the Financing of High Technology Companies. He was Chairman of the British Venture Capital Association in 1996/97. He is non-executive Chairman of Comino plc, Finsbury Technology Trust plc and Quester VCT3 plc, and a Director of a number of other public companies.

David commented: "I am absolutely delighted.  I went straight into the venture capital industry from university and I have worked in it for 40 years.  This CBE is a recognition of the importance of the industry."

Another Old Boy, Sir Ian McKellen joins the exclusive Order of the Companion of Honour, which is restricted to 65 members, including the Queen.