North-east entrepreneur Bob Keiller can add doctor of enterprise to his many career achievements after being awarded an honorary degree by Edinburgh Napier University.
The Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce and Asco chairman was among five “inspirational” figures to be honoured by the university.
“It is always nice to be recognised in this way,” he said, adding: “I loved seeing the pride of all the graduates and it was a privilege to be able to share a few encouraging words with them.”
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Mr Keiller, 58, boasts a string of business accolades and is now also an inspirational TEDx speaker and LinkedIn social media influencer, with more than 160,000 followers,
He is a former chief executive of Aberdeen-based engineering services company Wood and past chairman of economic development agency Scottish Enterprise.
He was behind the creation of energy services firm PSN through a £236 million management buyout from Halliburton, in 2006, and then at the heart of the £606m sale of PSN to Wood in April 2011. He was Wood’s CEO from November 2012 to December 2015.
In 2014 Mr Keiller was inducted into the Entrepreneurial Scotland Hall of Fame and a year later, following his exit from Wood, he launched Aberdeen-based consultancy AB15 to pass on some of his entrepreneurial wisdom to others.
Royal acknowledgement of his business talents saw him made a CBE in the 2017 Queen’s Birthday Honours.
And in 2018 he was named “icon of the year” in the Barclays Entrepreneur Awards, which honour prominent businessmen and women leading the way for other present and future entrepreneurs.
Born in Jedburgh, his educational links to Edinburgh go back to the 1980s when he studied engineering at Heriot-Watt University.
The four other eminent people getting honorary degrees alongside him at Edinburgh Napier were accomplished cinematographer and Primetime Emmy winner Neville Kidd, former CEO and producer of Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo David Allfrey, composer and musician Anna Meredith and ex chief inspector of constabulary Gill Imery.
Professor Andrea Nolan, principal and vice-chancellor of the university, said: “It’s a real privilege to be presenting these five outstanding individuals with an honorary degree at this year’s (graduation) ceremony.
“Each one has not only exemplified significant contributions to their chosen fields but made a positive impact on society as a whole.”
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