What is a High Sheriff?
The Office of High Sheriff is an independent non-political Royal appointment for a single year.
It is the oldest secular Office in the United Kingdom after the Crown and dates back to Saxon times, when the ‘Shire Reeve’ was responsible to the king for the maintenance of law and order within the shire, or county, and for the collection and return of taxes due to the Crown.
Today, there are 55 High Sheriffs serving the counties of England and Wales each year.
Whilst the duties of the role have evolved over time, supporting the Crown and the judiciary remain central elements of the role today.
In addition, High Sheriffs actively lend support and encouragement to crime prevention agencies, the emergency services and to the voluntary sector.
In recent years High Sheriffs in many parts of England and Wales have been particularly active in encouraging crime reduction initiatives, especially amongst young people.
Many High Sheriffs also assist Community Foundations and local charities working with vulnerable and other people both in endorsing and helping to raise the profile of their valuable work.
Ammar Mirza, CBE
High Sheriff of Tyne & Wear 2026/27
Ammar Mirza CBE is a multi-award-winning enterprise, innovation and investment leader whose work has supported the establishment and scale up of more than 17,000 businesses globally. Across three decades he has built a reputation not only as a respected architect of inclusive growth and entrepreneurial ecosystems, but also as a trusted business and community leader with deep expertise in innovation strategy, investment mobilisation, organisational leadership and long-term value creation.
He is Founder and Chairman of Asian Business Connexions ABC, President of the Federation of Asian Business, Chair of the Health and Life Sciences Pledge, and Fellow of the Institute of Leadership, Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs, and the Royal Society of Arts.
In 2014 he was appointed a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) for outstanding services to business and the community. He also serves as Honorary Colonel of 101 Regiment Royal Artillery and is the High Sheriff of Tyne and Wear in 2026-27, reflecting a rare combination of national honour, military leadership and civic responsibility. He has been named British Asian Entrepreneur of the Year, featured in the Maserati Top 100, Williams and Glyn Top 50, and honoured by the Institute of Directors and British Community Honours Awards. He is also Patron of Charlie Bear for Cancer Care and co-host of a long running business programme on Spice FM supporting Asian and wider communities through open, accessible enterprise and innovation guidance.