Bamford purchased the Wrightbus business in 2019 and paid tribute to the vision of Sir William, who founded the firm in Ballymena with his father Robert Wright after WW2.
Sir William pioneered aluminium bus framing in the UK in 1976, the first low floor bus in 1992, first British designed and built EV bus in 1999 and finally ensured the future of the business by leading the design of the world's first hydrogen fuel cell double deck in 2015.
“Sir William and his father were pioneers, of that there is no doubt,” said Mr Bamford. “The Wrightbus name is synonymous with everything they stood for and those values - problem-solving, hard work and never giving up - course through the business I run today.”
Wrightbus employs more than 1,000 people at its factory in Ballymena, Co Antrim.
