Barbara Cassani, the American businesswoman who launched London's successful bid for the 2012 Olympics, received an honorary royal award on Wednesday.

Cassani, a longtime London resident who grew up in Boston and San Francisco, was the first foreigner to lead an Olympic bid when she was appointed chair in 2003. She stepped down in 2004 in favor of former British middle-distance runner Sebastian Coe.

British Cabinet minister Tessa Jowell presented Cassani with a "Commander of the Order of the British Empire" award,the highest honor short of knighthood.

"Winning the Olympic and Paralympic Games for London was an unthinkable dream for most in the U.K. back when we started in 2003," Cassani said. "I gathered together an enormously talented group of people who believed we could win, and then went on to do just that.

"I'm proud of my early role and of all the people who worked so hard to win the Games for London in 2012."

London defeated Paris, Madrid, New York and Moscow in the 2005 vote by the IOC in Singapore.

"Barbara was instrumental in setting up the entire bid," Jowell said. "She led the development of the blueprint for the 2012 Games, and recruited all the key people,including Coe,creating the team that ultimately went on to success in Singapore.

"I don't believe we could have won the bid without her early guidance and expertise."