John was named as Scottish Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2015 Scottish Business Awards in November.
The accolade came in front of 2100 people in the prestigious surroundings of the Edinburgh International Conference Centre.
The Scottish Business Awards is THE gathering for the Scottish business community each year whose accumulated turnover represents over £100 billion.
This sum is vital to the Scottish economy and the jobs which it supports.
Over the past four years the ceremony has attracted as guests former US President Bill Clinton and Sir Richard Branson as well as this year’s keynote speaker George Clooney.
The Scottish Entrepreneur of the Year award is the ultimate accolade to win and John later described the achievement as a “thrilling moment”.
He added: ‘I feel very honoured to have been named Scottish Entrepreneur of the Year. It is undoubtedly the high point of a long career on the Scottish business scene. I am very grateful indeed to those who chose me for this Award.”
In the words of the judges, the Award recognises “the outstanding individual who can best demonstrate exceptional vision and leadership in the establishment and development of a business”.
The premier Award of the evening was sponsored by Chivas Brothers Pernod Ricard.