Tributes were today paid to Sir Robert Taylor, former Lord Lieutenant of the West Midlands and the man who masterminded the transformation of Birmingham International Airport in the 1980s.

Sir Robert, or Bob, as he was known, died after a long illness. He was the man charged with pioneering the transformation of Birmingham International Airport during the 1980s.

Joe Kelly, Birmingham International Airport’s acting managing director, said: “Bob’s effervescent character and larger than life personality made him a popular and respected man Bob will be missed by all of those who had the pleasure of knowing him.”

Bob joined the airport in 1974 as assistant director, at a time when just one million people used the Elmdon site. By the time Bob retired from his position as managing director for the Airport Company in 1994, more than 5 million passengers were using the facility. Following Bob’s retirement, Brian Summers took over the mantle of managing director, working closely with Bob for more than 20 years. He said: “Bob was a personal inspiration to me.”

Bob held the role of Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of West Midlands from November 1993 until 2006, when he retired early due to health problems.

He died on Saturday. He would have been 76 on Saturday and he and his wife, Sheila, had been married for 50 years.