Mr Shah was recognised for his “services to business, economic growth, exporting, the independent pharmacy sector and philanthropy”.

The co-chairman of the pharmacy wholesaler founded the company in 1982, alongside his brother Manish Shah.

Mr Shah said: “I am truly humbled by this honour and have been left completely speechless. It is beyond anything that I could have imagined, and I hope I can live up to this high accolade bestowed upon me.”

Pharmacy and philanthropy

Arriving in the UK from Kenya in the early 1970s, Mr Shah went on to study pharmacy at the University of Bath, before opening his first pharmacy in 1975 and venturing into wholesaling a few years later, Sigma Pharmaceuticals explained.

As well as being on the board of the family-run company, Mr Shah is also a fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and is involved in philanthropic projects in India, Kenya and the UK.

He is an advocate for independent community pharmacies and for the profession to become an integral part of the enlarged NHS, the wholesaler said.

Mr Shah is also heavily involved in a Sigma sponsored PhD project, in conjunction with his alma mater Bath University, to “inform the future of community pharmacy in the UK”, Sigma said. The project aims to report its findings in 2025.