Scottish business leaders recognised in Queen’s Jubilee Honours

A range of Scottish business leaders have been honoured in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Honours list.

Walkers Shortbread’s joint managing director James Walker and Balmoral Group chairman James Milne have been awarded a knighthood for their services to business and charity, while the Urquhart brothers – who both once led Gordon & MacPhail – were awarded the Commander of the British Empire (CBE).

Jimmy Milne, who established Aberdeenshire-based offshore services specialist Balmoral Group in 1980, was knighted for business and charitable contributions.

Grandson of the original founder, Joseph Walker, Sir Jim joined the Speyside firm in 1962 when it was still a village bakery, helping it grow to become a household name which exports shortbread biscuits around the globe and employs more than 1,500 staff at peak times across its six factories.

“I am extremely honoured and touched to receive this honour from Her Majesty the Queen,” he said. “It comes as a complete surprise and is very humbling.”

Walker is recognised for services to the food industry in the honours list, which has been announced ahead of the Platinum Jubilee.

The company, which has its headquarters in Aberlour, was granted the Royal Warrant for the supply of oatcakes to the Queen in 2001 and for shortbread in 2017.

Managing director James Walker inside the shortbread factory in Aberlour
(Image: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

The Urquharts, who own Gordon & Macphail, have praised the work of its employees after receiving the honour.

Ian Urquhart is the current president at Johnstons of Elgin and is the Deputy Lieutenant of Moray, where he helps local charity organisations.

He said: “It is an honour and a pleasure to receive this award in her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee year I have had the privilege to lead two successful family-owned Moray companies.

“None of this would have been possible without the support of my family and the wonderful staff at both Johnstons of Elgin and Gordon & MacPhail who I have worked with over the last 50 years.”

Michael Urquhart is the current chairman of the Scottish Committee of the Worshipful Company of Distillers and held previous roles as Keeper of the Quaich and as chairman of the Scottish Council for Development and Industry in the Highlands and Islands

He added: “I like to think this is not mine alone, but recognises the Urquhart family as a whole and our role in building a grocer’s shop in Elgin into a thriving business which exports around the world and is now the owner of two distilleries.

“Ian and I are only sorry our late brother David is not here to see the family honoured in this way.”

Marc Crothall chief executive at the Scottish Tourism Alliance — Marc Crothall, chief executive at the Scottish Tourism Alliance

Elsewhere, Scottish Tourism Alliance (STA) chief executive Marc Crothall has said he was “humbled” to have been made an Member of the British Empire (MBE).

Recognised for services to the tourism industry, he has been in the field since he started peeling potatoes at the famed La Sorbonne restaurant in Oxford at the age of 17.

Crothall said he was alerted to the honour through a letter from the Cabinet Office at the end of April, which also said he would have to “be patient” and wait for the ceremony where he can receive his medal.

“This is not just for me, I’ve spent 25 years working in Scotland and 40 years working in the industry… I come from an operational background where I’ve literally worked my way up from the kitchen floor peeling potatoes in a restaurant then coming through management,” he said.

“It’s really nice that our industry is also recognised in this way – I see it as not just for me but as a recognition of the sector as well.”

Meanwhile, Scotland’s top police officer Chief Constable Iain Livingstone and Ian Rankin, the writer best known for the fictional detective John Rebus, have also both been knighted.

Rankin said: “I am not sure what Detective Inspector John Rebus would make of it – he’d almost certainly tell me not to get too big-headed.”

Other Scots recognised for a range of achievements included Great Britain’s Olympic gold medal-winning women’s curling team, all of whom hail from Scotland.

Eve Muirhead was made an OBE for her services to the sport, after the team took Britain’s only gold medal of the Beijing Winter Olympics, with teammates Vicky Wright, Jennifer Dodds, Hailey Duff and alternate Mili Smith all becoming MBEs.

Neil Simpson, from Banchory, skied his way to Paralympic gold at Beijing, winning in the Super G Visual Impaired class with the help of his guide, and brother, Andrew. Less than three months on from that success, the siblings are celebrating again, after both being made MBEs.

The same honour goes to swimmer Hannah Miley, who has represented both Scotland and the UK in the pool, after a career which has seen her win almost 50 medals since she first became a Commonwealth champion in 2010.

Eve Muirhead is among the Scots to receive an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours — Eve Muirhead is among the Scots to receive an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours
(Image: John Walton/PA Wire.)

Professor Dame Sally Mapstone, who is the second woman in succession to hold this role at St Andrews University, has been recognised in the honours, alongside Dr Isobel Falconer MBE, a maths historian at the university.

Stephen Stewart MBE, director of Saints Sport, the university’s department of sport and exercise, was also knighted.

Glasgow City Council chief executive Annemarie O’Donnell was made an OBE in recognition of her services to local government, including at the COP26 climate summit, which the city hosted in November last year.

Political leaders from across the globe travelled to Scotland for the event, with Glasgow City’s Council’s Colin Edgar, who was senior responsible officer for the summit, and Denise Hamilton, the head of city services at the council, both also being made MBEs.

Nurse Maria Hewitt from Paisley has been awarded the British Empire Medal in recognition of her work during the pandemic.

Although she was left “in the absolute depths of grief” after her husband John died from the virus in June 2020, she went back to work at the beginning of 2021 and became a vaccinator, helping protect people across the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board area from Covid-19.

Stephen Cole, an intensive care doctor in NHS Tayside, is also honoured for his work in the pandemic, becoming an OBE.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon congratulated all Scots who have been recognised in the honours list, which she said “illustrates the outstanding contributions of the people of Scotland who have made a difference to their communities, throughout the country and beyond”.

The (hopefully) full list of Scottish honours is as follows:

Knights Bachelor

Iain Thomas Livingstone QPM. Chief Constable, Police Service of Scotland. For services to Policing and the Public. (Kincardine, Fife)
Dr James Smith Milne CBE DL. Chairman and Managing Director, Balmoral Group. For services to Business and to Charity. (Milltimber, Aberdeen)
Ian Rankin OBE DL. Author. For services to Literature and to Charity. (Edinburgh, Edinburgh)
Professor Aziz Sheikh OBE FRSE. Chair, Primary Care Research and Development, University of Edinburgh. For services to Covid-19 Research and Policy. (Lasswade, Edinburgh)
James Nicol Walker CBE. Joint Managing Director, Walkers Shortbread. For services to the Food Industry. (Aberlour, Banffshire)

Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)

Professor Timothy Ingold FBA FRSE. Emeritus Professor of Social Anthropology, University of Aberdeen. For services to Anthropology. (Aberdeen, Aberdeen)
Ian George Masson Urquhart DL. Director, Gordon and MacPhail Scotch Whisky Distillers and Distributors, and President, Johnstons of Elgin. For services to the Scotch Whisky and Textile Industries and to Charity in Moray. (Elgin, Moray)
Michael Gordon Clark Urquhart. Lately Director, Gordon and MacPhail Scotch Whisky Distillers and Distributors. For services to the Scotch Whisky Industry and to Charitable Work in Moray. (Elgin, Moray)

Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)

Katrina Bowes. Chief Executive Officer, Tapestry Partnership, For services to Teachers and Educators in Scotland. (Glasgow, Glasgow)
Dr Stephen James Cole. Intensive Care Doctor NHS Tayside and President, Scottish Intensive Care Society. For services to the NHS and to the Covid-19 Response. (Broughty Ferry, Dundee)
Dr Noha Elsakka. Consultant Medical Microbiology and Virology, and Service Clinical Director, NHS Grampian. For services to the NHS and the Covid-19 Response. (Aberdeen, Aberdeen)
Lindsay Graham. Deputy Chair, Poverty and Inequality Commission Scotland. For services to Tackling Children’s Food Insecurity. (Inverness, Inverness)
Dr Graham Haddock. Chief Commissioner of Scotland and National Awards Assessor, Scout Association. For services to Young People. (Bridge of Weir, Renfrewshire)
Brian Hughes. Lately Deputy Principal, Glasgow Clyde College. For services to Further Education in Glasgow. (Glasgow, Glasgow)
Dr Azeem Ibrahim. Director, New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy. For services to the Union, to Diversity and to Foreign Policy. (Glasgow, Glasgow)
Sally Ann Kelly. Chief Executive Officer, Aberlour Child Care Trust. For services to Families in Scotland. (Kilmarnock, Ayrshire)
Professor Jean Scott Ker (Jean Scott Cachia). Lately Associate Postgraduate Dean, NHS Education for Scotland. For services to Medical Education. (Cupar, Fife)
Ian Deans Kernohan. Manager, Review Secretariat, Scottish Government. For Public Service. (Edinburgh, Edinburgh)
Andrew Mill. Chair, European Marine Energy Centre. For services to the Environment and to the community in Orkney. (Edinburgh, Edinburgh)
Professor Mary Josephine Renfrew. Professor Emeritus of Mother and Infant Health, University of Dundee. For services to Midwifery. (Wigtown, Dumfries and Galloway)
Eve Muirhead MBE. Skip, British Olympic Curling Team. For services to Curling. (Stirling, Stirling and Falkirk)
Annemarie O’Donnell. Chief Executive, Glasgow City Council and Chair, COP26 Programme Board. For services to Local Government. (Glasgow)
Dr Jenna Louise Ross. For services to Agriculture and to Science. (Tarland, Aberdeenshire)
Dr Sabir Zazai FRSE. Chief Executive, Scottish Refugee Council. For services to Refugees. (Rutherglen, Lanarkshire)

Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)

Lesley Isobel Blair. For services to the Beauty Industry during Covid-19. (Coylton, Ayrshire)
Professor Harry Campbell. Professor of Genetic Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Edinburgh. For services to International Child Health and Global Public Health. (Dunfermline, Fife)
Marc Leslie De Cogan Crothall. For services to the Tourism Industry in Scotland. (Bearsden, Dunbartonshire)
Dr Kirsteen Ann Scott Cole. General Practitioner, Skerryvore Medical Practice, Orkney. For services to General Practice and to the community in Orkney during Covid-19. (Orphir, Orkney)
Jennifer Carmichael Dodds. Member, British Olympic Curling Team. For services to Curling. (Edinburgh, Edinburgh)
Hailey Caitlin Rose Duff. Member, British Olympic Curling Team. For services to Curling. (Forfar, Angus)
William Robert Leckie Duncan. For services to Curling and to Charity in Perth. (Perth, Perth and Kinross)
Colin Best Edgar. Senior Responsible Officer, COP26, Glasgow City Council. For services to Local Government in Glasgow. (Paisley, Renfrewshire)
Reverend James Bell Falconer. Healthcare Chaplin, NHS Grampian. For services to Parent and Child Bereavement and to the community in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray. (Westhill, Aberdeenshire)
Dr Isobel Jessie Falconer. Reader of Mathematics, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews. For services to the History of Mathematics and Science. (St Andrews, Fife)
John Drummond Frace. For services to Public Health Communication during Covid-19. (Dunoon, Argyll and Bute)
Pamela Anne Greig. Headteacher, Pinewood School, West Lothian. For services to Children and Adults with Additional Support Needs. (Edinburgh, Edinburgh)
Nicholas Robert Pellew Groves-Raines. Director, Groves-Raines Architects. For services to Architecture, Heritage and Conservation. (Thurso, Caithness)
Denise Hamilton. Head, City Services and COP26, Glasgow City Council. For services to Local Government in Glasgow. (Glasgow, Glasgow)
Lieutenant Commander (Retd) Martyn Robert Hawthorn. Chairman, Royal British Legion Scotland. For voluntary service to Veterans and to the community in Scotland. (Edinburgh, Midlothian)
Elizabeth Janice Hulme. University Secretary and Vice Principal, Glasgow Caledonian University. For services to Higher Education in Scotland. (Edinburgh, Edinburgh)
Elizabeth Nicol King. Principal Educational Psychologist, South Lanarkshire Council. For services to Children and Families. (Glasgow, Glasgow)
Dr Barry Klaassen. Team Leader, Scotland Emergency Medicine – Malawi Project and Chief Medical Adviser, British Red Cross. For services to Overseas Healthcare. (Wester Ballindean, Perth and Kinross)
Chloe Lawson. Member, Scottish Sports Futures. For services to Vulnerable and Disadvantaged Young People in West Scotland. (Glasgow, Glasgow)
June Love. Community Relations Manager, Dounreay Site Restoration. For services to the Nuclear Industry and to the community in Caithness and North Sutherland. (Thurso, Caithness)
John Jamieson MacLennan. Chair, Lifeboat Management Group, Stornoway Lifeboat Station. For voluntary services to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. (Stornoway, Western Isles)
Thomas Hugh Maxwell. For services to Floristry and to Charity in Edinburgh. (Edinburgh, Edinburgh)
Dr Moira Fay McKenna DL. Chief Commissioner, Girlguiding Scotland. For services to Young People. (Dingwall, Ross and Cromarty)
Stuart McLellan. Co-founder, Neilston and Uplawmoor First Responders. For voluntary and charitable services in Renfrewshire. (Neilston, Renfrewshire)
Dr Elaine McNaughton (Elaine Campbell). Lately Senior Partner, Carnoustie Medical Group. For services to General Practice and GP Training in Scotland. (Carnoustie, Angus)
Dr Mary Ruth McQuillan. Senior Lecturer, Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh. For services to Science during Covid-19. (Edinburgh, Midlothian)
Hannah Louise Miley. For services to Swimming and to Women in Sport. (Blackburn, Aberdeenshire)
Stanley Watt Morrice. For services to the Food and Drink Sector in Scotland. (Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire)
Ann-Maree Morrison. For services to Women in Business and to the Economy. (Stirling, Stirling)
Ross Nelson. Co-Founder, Neilston and Uplawmoor First Responders. For voluntary and charitable services in Renfrewshire. (Johnstone, Renfrewshire)
Margaret Erskine Nicoll. Lately Resilience Learning Programme Manager, Scottish Government. For Public Service. (Perth, Perth and Kinross)
Alan Roderick Rough. For services to Association Football and to Charity in Scotland. (Glasgow, Dunbartonshire)
Douglas Gordon Samuel. Lately Chief Executive Officer, Spartans Community Football Academy. For services to Association Football and to the community in North Edinburgh. (Edinburgh, Edinburgh)
Caroline Alexandra Patricia Seligman DL. For services to the Arts and to the community in Banffshire. (Turriff, Banffshire)
Dr Kenneth Montgomery Simpson. Chief Executive, Voluntary Services Aberdeen. For services to People with Disabilities in North East Scotland. (Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire)
Andrew William Ramsay Simpson. Para Alpine Skier. For services to Skiing. (Banchory, Aberdeenshire)
Neil Douglas Hamilton Simpson. Para Alpine Skier. For services to Skiing. (Banchory, Aberdeenshire)
Walter Cunningham Peyton Smith. Lately Chair, Prince’s Trust Ayrshire. For services to Youth Enterprise and Education in Ayrshire. (Largs, Ayrshire)
Mili Smith. Member, British Olympic Curling Team. For services to Curling. (Perth, Perth and Kinross)
Victoria Wright. Vice Skip, British Olympic Curling Team. For services to Curling. (Stirling, Stirling)
Julie McDonald Young. For services to Dance and to Young People in Perth. (Perth, Perth and Kinross)
Peter Sinclair Anderson. For services to Music and Pipe Band Drumming. (Falkirk, Stirling and Falkirk)
Glenys Marjory Andrews. President, Perthshire Open Studios. For services to the Arts in Perthshire. (Kinross, Perth and Kinross)
Elizabeth Maud Crawford. For services to Traditional Craft. (Dunblane, Stirling and Falkirk)
William John Dingwall. Vice-President and Standard Bearer, Inverness Branch, Royal British Legion Scotland. For voluntary service to Veterans. (Inverness, Inverness)
Maria Hewitt. Nurse, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. For services to the NHS during Covid-19. (Paisley, Renfrewshire)
Charlotte Hunt. Honorary Vice-President, Scotland’s Garden Scheme. For services to Charity. (Stirling, Stirling and Falkirk)
James McFarlane Hunter. President, Perth Strathtay Harriers. For services to Inclusion in Sport. (Perth, Perth and Kinross)
Katrina Frances Lambert. Trustee, Volunteering Matters and lately Co-chair, Back Youth Alliance. For services to Young People. (Edinburgh, Edinburgh)
Iain MacFadyen. For services to Piping in Scotland. (Kyle of Lochalsh, Highland)
Elizabeth McGowan. For services to the Game of Bridge in Scotland. (Edinburgh, Edinburgh)
Christine Anne McLachlan. Lately County Commissioner for Renfrewshire, Girlguiding Scotland. For services to Girlguiding and to Young People in Scotland. (Gourock, Renfrewshire)
Georgina Ann Ogilvy. Chair, Arbroath Branch Women’s Section, Royal British Legion Scotland. For voluntary service to Veterans. (Arbroath, Angus)
Frances Isabella Paterson. For services to Music and Dance Education for Young People. (Edinburgh, Edinburgh)
Donald Melville Richards. Board Member, The ALLIANCE and lately Convenor, deafscotland. For services to People with Hearing Impairments. (Livingston, West Lothian)
Elizabeth Thomson. Deputy Head Teacher, Alloa Academy. For services to Education in Scotland. (Stirling, Stirling and Falkirk)
Helen Cullen McDonald Watson. For services to Vulnerable People in Glasgow. (Glasgow, Glasgow)
Roy Bickford Young. For services to Nordic Skiing and to the community in Huntly, Aberdeenshire. (Huntly, Aberdeenshire)