MOTOR dealer Peter Vardy has been named the entrepreneur of the year at the Entrepreneurial Scotland awards ceremony.
Mr Vardy, who heads the Peter Vardy Group of car dealerships and is son of fellow vehicle dealer Sir Peter Vardy, impressed judges with his focus on growth since founding his business eight years ago as well as a range of social policies aimed at engaging and retaining employees.
Now operating from dealerships across Scotland the group sells brands including Porsche, Land Rover, BMW, Jaguar, Vauxhall and Mini. Mr Vardy is also involved with the Glencraft social enterprise in Aberdeen. The Glasgow-based entrepreneur finished ahead of Kevin Stewart, head of oil and gas firm Meta, and Enterprise Food's Tony Moloney.
In winning the award Mr Vardy follows in the footsteps of entrepreneurs including Sir Tom Hunter, Jim McColl, John Boyle Simon Howie, Ann Budge and Tom Cross.
In the emerging entrepreneur category Mike Welch of online tyre dealer Blackcircles came out ahead of Nigel Eccles, from fantasy sports game provider Fanduel, and compostable cutlery maker Joe Frankel of Vegware.
After initially selling tyres from his home in Liverpool while still a teenager then securing a role as the first head of e-commerce at Kwik Fit, Mr Welch set up on his own in 2001.
He has steadily built up the Peebles, Scottish Borders, company since then and is looking at financing options to grow its footprint. Along the way he has attracted backers including former Tesco boss Sir Terry Leahy and Graeme Bissett, chairman of Macfarlane Group, who both sit on the board at Blackcircles.
Previous winners in the category include David Sibbald, Kevin Dorren, Martin Lightbody and Keith Neilson.
During the ceremony in Glasgow last night Wood Group chief executive Bob Keiller and Alan Revie, of National Tyres & Autocare, were inducted into the hall of fame for the organisation, which has been renamed after the coming together of the Entrepreneurial Exchange and Saltire Foundation.
Chris van der Kuyl, chairman of Entrepreneurial Scotland, praised the award winners and nominees then said: "The entrepreneurial are the greatest catalyst for change in any society.
"We need to break down the mythical notion that entrepreneurship is only about start-ups; being entrepreneurial or even intrapreneurial is vital to all firms, large or small, who want to grow. Plus an entrepreneurial mindset will unlock real value in government, education and social enterprises.
"Being entrepreneurial is fundamental to Scotland's future growth and prosperity and we aim to engage actively on that agenda."
Mike McGregor, partner with Deloitte and one of the judges, said: "Every year I continue to be impressed by the ingenuity, the commitment and the determination of entrepreneurs in Scotland and this year was no different.
"The quality of the 2014 finalists indicates the strength of business in Scotland and both of the winners having outstanding track records. My congratulations go out to them both."
John Swinney, Deputy First Minister, said: "I'd like to congratulate both the Entrepreneurial Exchange and the Saltire Foundation for their invaluable contribution to the ecosystem and for coming together to create a platform that will allow our ambitious entrepreneurs to excel."
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