A memorial service to the life of Allan Willett, the former Lord Lieutenant of Kent, will be held at Canterbury Cathedral in October.

Mr Willett died peacefully at his Chilham home on July 18 after a long illness. He would have been 79 on August 24.

As an entrepreneur, he founded Willett International, which became one of the world’s largest electronic coding and information labelling companies.

The company twice won The Queen’s Award for Export and achieved £80m in annual sales with more than 1,000 employees and operated subsidiaries in 30 countries.

In the public sector, he was the founding chairman of first the Industrial Development Board for London and then the South East England Development Agency.

The sale of Willett International enabled him to create a charitable foundation which donated around £4m to mainly Kentish causes, including more than £2m for Canterbury Cathedral and substantial grants to both the Turner Contemporary in Margate and the new Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury.

From 2002 – 2012 he served as The Queen’s representative in the county and modernised the ancient office. The modernised Kent lieutenancy was said to be a “shining example to all other counties.”

All are welcome to attend the service, at 11.30am on Friday, October 2, but due to numbers likely to attend, entrance to the cathedral will be by ticket only.

To apply, contact the Civic Office, Kent County Council, County Hall, Maidstone, ME14 1XQ, by email to allanwillettmemorial@kent.gov.uk or call 01227 738800.