Tributes have been paid after a self-made entrepreneur from Birmingham who went on to run a mammoth US corporation passed away.

Derek Hathaway OBE died after a lengthy illness on October 22, at the age of 71.

He left Moseley Grammar School aged 16 and ended up running the multi-billion dollar Harsco Corporation, with a staff of more than 20,000 in Pennsylvania.

Harsco president and chief executive Nicholas Grasberger said: "Derek Hathaway's contributions to Harsco and to society speak to an extraordinary man who fully dedicated his immense talents, energy and wisdom to the greater good.

"His towering influence to every organisation with which he was associated, every individual who heard him speak and every aspiring business manager who drew encouragement from his leadership and values, are the foundations of a legacy that will stand for many generations to come."

After leaving school early, Mr Hathaway started his working life as a junior draughtsman at a city heating and engineering firm before going on to found a business called Combat Engineering at the age of 22.

The company went public in the 1980s when it was renamed Dartmouth Investments before being taken over by Harsco.

After the sale, Mr Hathaway was invited to relocate to Pennsylvania to be part of the company.

He rose through the ranks and oversaw the development of the firm into multi-billion dollar Harsco Corporation with a staff of more than 20,000.

The Harsco Corporation is traded on the New York Stock Exchange and deals in steel, construction, railways and energy around the world.

According to one biography, Hathaway oversaw an increase in Harsco's market capitalisation from £163.3 million to more than £3.2 billion before he retired in 2007.

In recognition of his achievements in the States, Mr Hathaway, who was a magistrate and school governor before he emigrated, was also the recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honour in 1998.

The medal recognises people who were born outside the US but who have since gone on to great things in America.

In his home city, Mr Hathaway was a member of the Lunar Society and also served as a magistrate.

He was also vice-chairman of the Blue Coat preparatory school in Birmingham and a founding supporter of the Winston Churchill War Rooms Museum in Central London.

He was given an OBE by the Queen for services to industry and charity in 2008.

He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Margaret, along with sons Paul, Matthew and Charles, grandchildren Sophie, Emma, Annabel, Liliana and Hunter, and siblings John and Jean.