The honour has been awarded to Patterson in recognition of his services to British business development worldwide.

JCB chairman Sir Anthony Bamford said: “John’s contribution to both JCB and British business over the past 40 years has been immense and I am delighted that he has received this well-deserved recognition.”

John Patterson joined JCB as a field service engineer in 1971 and rose to worldwide CEO overseeing the company’s global operations.

Now based at JCB’s North American headquarters in Savannah, Georgia where he is chairman and CEO, Patterson also became deputy chairman of the JCB Group two years ago.

John Patterson said: “I am very proud to receive the honour and all that it represents. This is a tribute to the many people within the JCB organisation who I have worked with over the last 40 years.”