Easyjet's Carolyn McCall and James Dyson on New Year Honours list

The boss of the Easyjet airline, Carolyn McCall, has been made a Dame in the New Year Honours list.

She has been chief executive at the airline since early 2010 and has been given the award for her work in the aviation industry.

The boss of HM Revenue & Customs, Lin Homer, who has faced strong criticism from MPs, receives a CBE.

Sir James Dyson has been awarded the Order of Merit and Ann Summers boss Jacqueline Gold is given a CBE.

He has been made an OM for his achievements in industrial design.

He founded the eponymous Dyson company, best known for it bagless vacuum cleaners and Airblade hand driers.

Only 24 people can be members of the Order at any one time and the decision to confer the award is a personal one by the Queen.

Sir James said he was "thrilled and honoured".

"I have been fortunate to have worked every day with the brightest and most creative of engineers and scientists," he said.

"This honour is as much a recognition of their efforts as of anything which I have managed to achieve."

Easy and affordable'

Before Easyjet, Ms McCall was the chief executive of the Guardian Media Group, and is one of only six female chief executives in the FTSE 100 index.

Ms McCall also said she was delighted to receive her honour.

"It is a recognition of Easyjet putting customers first and making travel for them as easy and affordable as possible," she said.

Her airline's profits have risen for five years in a row since she joined the airline, and in September 2015 it reported record profits of £681m.

That confirmed its position as one of the most profitable airlines in the world.

It is also one of Europe's biggest carriers, measured by the 65 million passengers it flew in the past year.

Other figures in the business world to be awarded New Year's honours include Jacqueline Gold, the chief executive of the two underwear retailers Ann Summers and Knickerbox.

She receives a CBE for services to entrepreneurship, women in business and social enterprise.

Helen Dickinson, who has led the British Retail Consortium for the past three years, has been awarded an OBE for her work in the retail industry.

And Natalie Massenet has been made a Dame.

She founded the highly successful online clothes retailer Net-A-Porter, in 2000, which specialises in designer clothes for women.

Ms Massenet sold it for a reported £1.5bn earlier this year when the business was taken over by its Italian rival YOOX.

Massenet, who has dual American-British nationality, said: "I am thrilled and completely overwhelmed to be awarded this honour."

Other business recipients of New Year Honours are Anthony Preston, who founded the Pets at Home chain of pet stores in 1991, and Robin Rowland, who is the chief executive of the Japanese-style food chain Yo! Sushi.

Mr Preston receives a CBE for services to business, entrepreneurship and philanthropy.

Mr Rowland receives an OBE for services to the restaurant and hospitality industry.