Stratton, who retired in 2001 after a career in the paper industry spanning 50 years, will be presented with the medal at the Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI) annual dinner on 19 June.

"It is a tremendous honour to be joining such an illustrious association," said Stratton.

He joined St Regis Taplow mill in 1951 as an apprentice engineer, becoming mill manager in 1963, and then managing director in 1973.

In 1978 Stratton was appointed managing director of the St Regis Paper Company and a director of St Regis International.

Upon St Regis becoming part of the David S Smith Group in 1986, Stratton was appointed to the board of David S Smith (Holdings). In 1997 he was appointed as executive chairman of St Regis Paper Company.

He was a council member of the Paper Federation, and was involved in founding the British Recovered Paper Association.

Stratton was also actively involved on behalf of the UK paper industry in the legal challenge of the German Packaging Ordinance, the forerunner of the Packaging Waste directive, and was involved in the structure of the Packaging Recovery Notes (PRNs).

Story by Andy Scott