Sir Gary Keith Verity, (born July 1964) is a British businessman and sheep farmer. He was Chief Executive of

Welcome to Yorkshire Welcome to Yorkshire (WTY) is the official tourism agency for the traditional county of Yorkshire, the UK's largest county, promoting Yorkshire tourism both nationally and internationally. It was formerly known as the Yorkshire Tourist Board ...

from 2008 until he resigned in March 2019.

Welcome to Yorkshire

From October 2008 to March 2019, Verity was Chief Executive of

. He led the successful campaign for the

Grand Départ Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and commu ...

of the

2014 Tour de France The 2014 Tour de France was the 101st edition of the race, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The race included 21 stages, starting in Leeds, Yorkshire, United Kingdom, on 5 July and finishing on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on 27 July. The race al ...

to be held in Yorkshire. On 22 March 2019, Verity resigned from his post with Welcome To Yorkshire citing health reasons. He also admitted that he had "made errors of judgement regarding his expenses". He voluntarily offered to repay the incorrectly claimed expenses. He was also accused of unacceptable behaviour and bullying, with the former head of communications Dee Marshall suggesting that he had "really hurt people". Allegations were made concerning his behaviour in 2014 and 2016: he was issued with a final written warning and required to attend "behavioural management counselling".

Honours

In July 2014, Verity was awarded an

honorary An honorary position is one given as an honor, with no duties attached, and without payment. Other uses include: * Honorary Academy Award, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, United States * Honorary Aryan, a status in Nazi Germany ...

doctorate by the

University of York , mottoeng = On the threshold of wisdom , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £8.0 million , budget = £403.6 million , chancellor = Heather Melville , vice_chancellor = Charlie Jeffery , students ...

. In the

2015 Queen's Birthday Honours The 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as p ...

, it was announced that he had been appointed a Knight Bachelor "for services to Tourism and the Tour De France Grand Depart 2014". In April 2017, he was made a ''Chevalier'' (knight) of the

National Order of Merit An order of merit is conferred by a state, government or royal family on an individual in recognition of military or civil merit. Order of merit may also refer to: * FIFA Order of Merit, for significant contribution to association football * PDC O ...

by the President of France in recognition of his role in bringing the

of the Tour de France to Yorkshire in 2014 and for creating its spiritual successor, the Tour de Yorkshire. In May 2018, Verity was made a Deputy Lieutenant (DL) to the Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire.

Personal life

Verity was born and raised in Leeds, and attended Leeds Grammar School. An affinity with the Yorkshire Dales led him to buying a sheep farm in Coverdale. He has an 18 year old daughter, Lily (born 2003) with his late wife, Helen.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Verity, Gary 1964 births Living people Businesspeople from Leeds 20th-century British farmers Knights Bachelor Knights of the Ordre national du Mérite People educated at Leeds Grammar School Deputy Lieutenants of West Yorkshire 21st-century British farmers