HUUB founder Dean Jackson, whose wetsuit tech has helped some of the world’s greatest Olympians win gold, is picking up a gong of his own after being awarded an MBE in the King’s birthday honours list.
Products from triathlon and cycling brand HUUB have been worn by athletes including the Brownlee Brothers, Sir Jason Kenney and David Weir as well as thousands of amateur age group athletes.
Jackson, who left Noel Baker School in Derby, UK, with just two O-Levels, will be heading to Buckingham Palace later in the year to pick up an MBE for his services to business and innovation.
He admits to suffering from imposter syndrome, initially believing the letter informing him of the honour to be an elaborate hoax or a tax bill.
He said “I found myself checking the phone number on the letter, I even sniffed the paper it was written on, because I couldn’t actually believe it could be true.
“I am incredibly proud, humbled and excited. I’m just a normal bloke from Derby who is working in his passion and loves making athletes faster and better. This is recognition for the amazingly smart people I get to work with every day, who help me create some exciting products.
“I have always wanted to make my family and parents proud, and I know this will have surpassed all their expectations. My mother passed away last October, and I hope she’s looking down as gobsmacked as I am.”
The HUUB brand takes its name from human movement and biomechanics specialist, Professor Huub Toussaint. Dean Jackson launched HUUB from his kitchen table after a 2011 meeting with Toussaint at Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands. The company has gone on to create pioneering technology to measure active drag, and to create performance-enhancing products for swimmers, runners and cyclists.
The company, which has a Queen’s Award for innovation and two patents for its technology, has collaborated with a number of experts and elite athletes to create products for sporting participants of all ages and abilities.
Jackson has also worked closely with an array of athletes including Olympic gold medallists Alex Yee, Georgia Taylor Brown and Jess Learmonth, two-time triathlon world champion Helen Jenkins, and has supported world record attempts by ultracyclist Leigh Timmis.
Throughout his career with HUUB, Jackson has been a champion of Derby in central England, helping to bring events to the city such as the Jenson Button Trust Triathlon and the annual Brownlee Foundation Triathlon which is enjoyed by 1,200 key stage two school pupils in the area.
He also launched Derby City Cycling – the city’s first road cycling team – and the HUUB Wattbike squad made up of multiple national and world champions, world tour riders and UCI World Cup winners. Along with the rest of the HUUB team in Derby he has supported the Derby 10k as well as a host of comic and sport relief events.
Jackson added “It’s not bad for a lad from Alvaston – who probably had a collection of neurodiversities that allowed him to see the world in a more creative way.
“My younger self wouldn’t believe I’m getting an MBE and going to Buckingham Palace. I’d love to put my arm round that young lad and tell him that while he may not have a string of qualifications it’s how he sees and interprets the world that will make him shine.
“My family are the greatest believers in me, and my customers are my greatest supporters. Thank you to my family and especially my wife Angela and the amazing team of people at HUUB – none of this would have been possible without them.”
