HUDDERSFIELD University has conferred a doctorate on local businessman Ken Davy.
He was given the award of Honorary Doctor of Business Administration in a ceremony at the Town Hall.
Mr Davy is chairman of SimplyBiz, a Huddersfield-based company he launched in November, 2002, to provide support services for the country’s directly-regulated independent financial advisers (IFAs).
The SimplyBiz Group is the UK’s fastest-growing IFA support company. It serves some 2,000 member firms with over 4,500 individual advisers
Mr Davy is considered one of the financial service sector’s foremost strategic thinkers. In the 1980s he created the network concept for IFAs. This played a major part in the growth of the IFA market share from under 30% to about 60% within 10 years.
He took his previous company, DBS, from inception in 1983 to a full listing on the London Stock Exchange in 1997 before its sale in 2001.
Mr Davy is active in public and commercial life. He is a Huddersfield Ambassador and was a Conservative member of Huddersfield Borough Council from 1968 to 1974.
He was a founding director of the Association of Independent Financial Advisers, a board member of the Personal Investment Authority, deputy chairman of IFA Promotion and president of the Life Insurance Association.
In recognition of his contribution to financial services he was recently awarded an honorary fellowship of the Chartered Insurance Institute and a Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 1996 he became chairman of Huddersfield Giants Rugby League Club. During his chairmanship the Giants have moved from the lower reaches of the professional game to become established in Super League.
Mr Davy is also Chairman of Huddersfield Town, having rescued it from administration in August, 2003. The football club has made steady progress, rebuilding the infrastructure and achieving promotion to League One.
His next objective for Town is promotion to the Championship League.
