The Lloyds Bank National Business Awards is pleased to announce pilot and astronaut Major Tim Peake as its headline speaker. This is an exciting opportunity to hear a fascinating, awe-inspiring story, which is sure to add to the glamour and prestige of the occasion. Like many of the business people in attendance, Tim is a unique individual with the kind of passion, drive and energy that characterises our finalists.

Unlike our businesspeople, however, Tim is part of an exclusive club: he is one of only seven Brits to have been to space, being best known for his 185-day mission aboard the International Space Station in 2015 and 2016.

This mission, which made him an unlikely national hero, made him only the second Brit to fly wearing the Union Flag on his shoulder patch. And in January 2016, he recorded another milestone when he performed the first spacewalk outside the ISS by a British astronaut.

Although modest and mild-mannered, Tim became an icon in the United Kingdom. He was referred to affectionately by the British press – perhaps predictably – as Major Tim, received messages of support from the Queen and Elton John, and had his personal New Year's message broadcast on the BBC.

His trip took him on approximately 3000 orbits of the Earth – a distance of 125 million kilometres. Since his mission, he has published three books, been appointed ambassador for the Scout Association in the UK, and named a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in the 2016 Birthday Honours.

The Lloyds Bank National Business Awards always seeks to inspire and entertain its guests with exciting headline speakers, and Tim's experience as an astronaut makes him a truly unique choice.

We are delighted to welcome Tim aboard this year to take the National Business Awards where no one has gone before.