CHIEF executive of Rolls-Royce John Rishton has officially opened a meeting room at the Derby Council House dedicated to his illustrious predecessor, Sir Henry Royce.
The Mayor of Derby and the leader of the city council attended yesterday as Mr Rishton opened the Sir Henry Royce Room.
Rolls-Royce has donated a portrait of company founder Sir Henry and a sculpture made from a fan blade of a RB211-535 engine.
The event was designed to help cement the relationship between the city and the firm, which dates back to 1907.
Speaking at the event, council leader Paul Bayliss related an anecdote about his Edwardian forebears at the authority paying Mr Royce's rail fare from Leicester to Derby as part of a campaign to bring the business to the city.
He said: "This is a great opportunity for Derby City Council to meet with the chief executive of Derby's largest and arguably most famous employer and celebrate the partnership between Derby and Rolls-Royce that dates back over a century.
"It is also an opportunity for us to discuss how we can continue to work together for the benefit of both partners in the future."
Mr Rishton unveiled the portrait and was presented with a unique plate made specially by Royal Crown Derby to commemorate the occasion. He said: "The way in which we work with Derby City Council is very important to Rolls-Royce.
"It is not just the people who work at Rolls-Royce that have made the company the success that it is. Many thanks for inviting me and for naming the room after this gentleman."
The Mayor, Councillor Fareed Hussain, said: "Derby is very proud of its historic connection with engineering giant Rolls-Royce.
"Our city is renowned across the globe as a centre of excellence for hi-tech transport manufacturing and our close affiliation with Rolls-Royce is fundamental to maintaining our first-class reputation.
"It is for this reason we are extremely pleased its chief executive, John Rishton, was able to join us to officially open Derby Council House's Sir Henry Royce Room and cement our continued relationship for years to come."
Also present was leader of the Liberal group Hilary Jones and Peter Richardson, chairman of the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership.
