PROFESSOR Lorne Crerar, Chairman of Harper Macleod, has been presented with his Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) honour in an Investiture ceremony held at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday.
Recognised as one of the leading figures in the Scottish legal profession, Professor Crerar, who was accompanied by his wife Taroub, was made a CBE in the Birthday Honours List last year for his contribution to “economic and community development” in Scotland.
He received his award insignia from His Royal Highness Prince Charles in the Ballroom at Buckingham Palace.
A co-founder of law firm Harper Macleod LLP, Professor Crerar has had an illustrious career in both the legal profession and public service, not least in his role as Chairman of Highlands and Islands Enterprise – from which he will step down this month having served two terms since 2012.
He said: “This has been a truly memorable day and I am honoured to have received a CBE from The Prince of Wales. To do so at Buckingham Palace is a tremendous privilege and it is made even more so having been given this award for doing something which I have been passionate about throughout my career – promoting economic and community development. Receiving this honour also reflects the efforts of many dedicated people I have worked with in both my business and civic capacities over many years and I am delighted to share this with them.”
The CBE is the highest-ranking of Order of the British Empire honours, followed by an OBE (Officer) and then MBE (Member).
Last year, Professor Crerar also received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Scottish Legal Awards 2019, an award which also acknowledged his influence beyond the legal sector which has seen him carry out key roles in sport, academia and the public sector.
Professor Emeritus of Banking Law at the University of Glasgow, he has been appointed by the Scottish Government to undertake or contribute to a number of independent reviews, including: The Independent Review of Legal Services in Scotland 2018; the Enterprise and Skills Review 2017 which led to the creation of the Strategic Board for Enterprise and Skills in Scotland; the Independent Review of Regulation, Audit, Inspection and Complaints handling of public services in Scotland; the Independent Review of the Lending Code; and Chairman of the Housing Improvement Task Force.
For more than 20 years he was also Chairman of the Discipline Panels for the SRU, European Rugby Cup and 6Nations, as well as being a Judicial Officer at four Rugby World Cups and part of the judicial team at the inaugural Rugby 7s tournament at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
