Peter Vardy, chief executive of the Peter Vardy Group, has won the accolade of Entrepreneur of the Year at this year’s Entrepreneur of The Year Awards ceremony in Glasgow.

The awards ceremony marked the official launch of Entrepreneurial Scotland.

The organisation said a new era of entrepreneurial and economic growth has been 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 Group has 800 staff and 12 car dealerships across Scotland including Jaguar, Land Rover, Porsche, Vauxhall, BMW and MINI and a CarStore used car superstore.

Ranked in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work five times, the company has an aim to be the best place to work and the best place to buy a car.

Also during the ceremony, Mike Welch, managing director of online tyre retailer Blackcircles was named Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year, and Alan Revie of National Tyres & Autocare was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

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.”