Mr Beattie was awarded the honour for services to athletics after a long competitive and voluntary career in the sport. He became chair of UK Athletics in October, having held the same role at Scottish Athletics for nine years.

His award was announced in the 2020 Queen’s Birthday Honours and presented by Princess Anne during a ceremony at Holyrood Palace last week.

Mr Beattie, who was accompanied by his wife Sandra, said: “It was a really nice occasion. I was proud to be there. As a former Olympian, the princess is obviously an accomplished sportswoman and was genuinely interested as we chatted about athletics, including my new role at UK Athletics.”

In his role as chief operating officer at Lindsays, Mr Beattie – a chartered accountant and member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) – is responsible for the firm’s financial and operational performance. Lindsays has expanded significantly in recent years through mergers with smaller firms, and he has a responsibility for their integration into Lindsays’ model.

As well as having been a member and coach of a number of athletics clubs, he is also race director of the West Highland Way Race.

Mr Beattie, who is also a former board member of mental health charity SAMH, added: “While my MBE is for services to athletics, I believe that my history and understanding of sport has been an important driver in my approach to business and managing staff.

“An interesting aspect of my work has been to highlight the link between physical health, mental health and professional productivity. The impact of coronavirus has only increased the importance in all companies doing so.”