Matthew Pudney Wins Family Business Lifetime Achievement Award

Family Business United is delighted to announce that Matthew Pudney, a man whose career traces the entire journey from the post room to the boardroom has been awarded a Family Business Lifetime Achievement Award.

Matthew's career at Princebuild spans nearly four decades. He joined in 1988 in the administration of term maintenance contracts, and from the outset showed the work ethic and drive to improve things that would come to define his career, quickly rising to lead the company's Maintenance Division and overseeing the opening of multiple branches across East Anglia. Recognised early for his forward-thinking approach, he went on to develop Princebuild's bespoke IT systems, transforming how the Group operated, before heading up its IT and Communications Department and extending his influence into Branding and Marketing too.

Matthew became a board member in 2000 and a shareholder in 2003, taking on responsibility for the Group's strategic direction and long-term growth. In 2025, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer, continuing the Pudney family's leadership of the business founded by Derek Asplin and Stuart Pudney, while guiding it into its next chapter. It is, by any measure, a remarkable journey: from an administrative role to CEO, built over nearly forty years of operational expertise and strategic vision, helping grow Princebuild into the respected, multi-disciplinary construction business it is today.

Those who work with Matthew describe a leader defined by character rather than title, someone who genuinely embodies Princebuild's values of building, sharing and caring. He builds strong foundations, whether that's robust systems, high-performing teams or long-term strategy. He shares knowledge and opportunity generously, creating a culture of openness and trust where directors support one another rather than compete. And above all, he cares, leading with integrity and humility and a real sense of responsibility to the people who make the business what it is.

That sense of responsibility reaches well beyond Princebuild's own walls. Matthew was the creative force behind Blingo, a black-tie charity evening organised with the NSPCC Peterborough Business Support Group that has become a flagship fixture in the local calendar, raising over £100,000 for causes including the NSPCC, Macmillan Cancer Support and Helping Our Ukrainian Friends since it began. He has personally taken part in Princebuild's annual 10K Challenge for the past ten years, an event that raised £32,000 for Helping Our Ukrainian Friends in 2024 alone with over a hundred participants. And when that charity needed aid delivered directly, Matthew didn't simply write a cheque, he travelled to Poland as part of a convoy of Princebuild vans to help deliver it himself.

Matthew has also played a defining role in guiding Princebuild through the transition from its founding generation, honouring the legacy of Derek Asplin and Stuart Pudney while shaping a modern, forward-thinking business fit for what comes next, a balance of heritage and progress that isn't easy to strike. Combined with his recognition as Business Person of the Year in 2024, his story is a genuine embodiment of what this award exists to celebrate.

In his own words: "Princebuild has always been about building, sharing and caring, values set by those before us and carried forward by an incredible team. I've been fortunate to be part of that journey."

Congratulations on receiving this year's Lifetime Achievement Award Matthew Pudney.