News

We are incredibly proud to share the news that Mansfield Pollard Chief Executive Officer, Lou Ellis-Frankland, has been awarded an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours for Services to the Manufacturing Sector and to Employee Wellbeing.

This is a very special moment for Lou, for Mansfield Pollard and for everyone who has been part of the journey behind this recognition. It reflects more than 25 years in manufacturing and honours a leadership approach built on ambition, resilience and a deep commitment to people.

Since taking ownership of Mansfield Pollard through a management buyout in February 2020, Lou has led the business through a period of extraordinary change and growth. Under her leadership, the company has expanded its capabilities, invested heavily in its Bradford manufacturing base and continued to strengthen its position in air handling, data centre cooling and acoustic control. Annual turnover has grown to £28 million, while the business has maintained carbon neutral status for five consecutive years.

Just as importantly, Lou has helped shape a culture in which employee wellbeing is treated as a core part of business performance. Her belief in open leadership, long-term investment and giving people the support to thrive has left a lasting mark on the business and on its reputation across British manufacturing.

Commenting on the award, Lou said: “Receiving this recognition is something I never expected, and I feel incredibly honoured and humbled. While it may be given in my name, it reflects a journey that has only ever been possible because of the support, encouragement, loyalty and belief of so many people around me.”

She added: “I have always believed that businesses are at their strongest when they invest properly in their people, and that belief has shaped the way I have tried to lead throughout my career. This recognition means a great deal to me because it reflects not only my passion for manufacturing, but also my belief that successful businesses can make a real difference to the lives of the people within them and the communities around them.”

Lou’s contribution reaches far beyond the business itself. Alongside her role at Mansfield Pollard, she serves as a Justice of the Peace and has devoted time to mentoring young people, supporting schools and colleges, and championing greater visibility for women in manufacturing and engineering. That wider sense of responsibility is also reflected in the way the business operates, with half of Mansfield Pollard’s annual supplier spend placed with businesses in Yorkshire, representing £3 million retained in the local economy each year.

Her leadership has also received wider recognition, with Mansfield Pollard named in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work and Lou included in the LDC Top 50 Most Ambitious Leaders for 2025.

For all of us at Mansfield Pollard, this honour recognises the kind of leader Lou has been throughout her career and the kind of business she has worked hard to build. It also comes at an exciting time for the company, with further product development, growing international opportunities and a clear ambition to reach £75 million by the end of the decade.

Congratulations Lou.

The official full Honours list of King Charles III can be found in The London Gazette here: https://www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists