Peter Vardy, CEO, won the accolade of Entrepreneur of the Year at this year’s Entrepreneur of The Year Awards ceremony at the Glasgow Hilton last night (Thursday, 27 November) in association with Deloitte. The Awards ceremony marked the official launch of Entrepreneurial Scotland.

A new era of entrepreneurial and economic growth created with the coming together of the Saltire Foundation and the Entrepreneurial Exchange, two of Scotland’s driving forces in talent creation and entrepreneurship. Peter Vardy said: "Winning the Entrepreneur of the Year award is a great honour and a tribute to the dedicated team we have built up at the Peter Vardy Group since it was founded in 2006. "The award recognises the whole company - its vision, values and unique culture. We have the pleasure of working with some of the most forward-thinking brands which helps drive our entrepreneurial spirit. “We will continue to strive to be the best motor retailer in the world for colleagues, guests and the communities we serve.” Peter Vardy Group has 12 outlets across Scotland including Jaguar Land Rover, Porsche, Vauxhall, BMW and MINI and the new CarStore in Glasgow. The Group has a turnover of almost £400m and has 800 employees. Awarded The Sunday Times Best Place to Work five times, its passion is to become the best place to work and the best place to buy a car. It regularly gives 10 per cent of its annual profits back to local communities each year. This other winners are: Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year Award: Mike Welch of Blackcircles.com, an innovative online tyre company. Mike formerly worked with Sir Tom Farmer to head up the on-line division of the then Kwik-Fit and was mentored by Sir Terry Leahy. Hall of Fame Inductees: Alan Revie of National Tyres & Autocare, UK’s largest independent tyre and auto-care specialists and Bob Keiller of The Wood Group, leading independent services provider for oil and gas and power generators. John Swinney, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and the Economy said: “Through Scotland CAN DO, we are committed to working with our partners, across all sectors, towards becoming a world-leading entrepreneurial and innovative nation. The launch of Entrepreneurial Scotland will help us accelerate towards that goal. “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.” Chris van der Kuyl Chairman of Entrepreneurial Scotland, said: “Entrepreneurs are the greatest catalyst for change in any society. The creation of Entrepreneurial Scotland is a seismic development for every entrepreneur and business builder in Scotland, providing an exciting platform on which to build Scotland as the most entrepreneurial society in the world. “We need to break down the mythical notion that entrepreneurship is only about start-ups; being entrepreneurial or even intrepreneurial is vital to all firms, large or small, who want to grow. Plus an entrepreneurial mindset can 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, commented: “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. Entrepreneurial Scotland is a non-profit, non-partisan organisation and is governed by a board chaired by Chris van der Kuyl including international, UK and Scottish representatives. All previous members of the Entrepreneurial Exchange will become Leaders of Entrepreneurial Scotland. The Saltire Foundation will retain its charitable status and an independent group of Trustees as the Charitable Foundation to Entrepreneurial Scotland. Entrepreneurial Scotland will aim to be self-sustaining within two years.