Peter Hindle, chief executive of Saint-Gobain Building Distribution (SGBD-UK) and managing director of Jewson, was awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours List for services to the building industry and to charity.
Mr Hindle has worked in the builders merchant sector for nearly 40 years, including more than 30 years at Jewson, working his way from his first role at branch level to become managing director in 1999. In 2003, following Saint-Gobain’s acquisition of Jewson, he became chief executive for Saint-Gobain Building Distribution UK & Ireland, the UK’s largest distributor of timber and building materials.
Under his leadership SGBD-UK has expanded the market into Ireland, developed new strategic brands and established a trainee scheme which to date has nurtured the talents of nearly 500 people.
An active contributor to the wider building industry, Mr Hindle sits on the Industry Principle Council of the Construction Products Association and is an associate of the Institute of Wood Science.
As a champion of how business can support charitable causes, he established the Together programme, an annual fund-raising initiative for SGBD-UK which challenges employees to raise funds for a nominated national charity. Since its inception in 2002 donations totalling £1.5m have been made to charities including Wish Upon a Star, Great Ormond Street and Cancer Research UK. It is currently supporting the British Heart Foundation.
“I am extremely honoured to be awarded with such an accolade. However this isn’t only recognition of my efforts, but the effort and dedication of the 12,000 people employed by SGBD-UK and our suppliers and customers that collectively have made the business and our charitable programme the success it is today. I would like to take this opportunity to wholeheartedly thank them all for their support.”
