Tony Pidgley

Tony Pidgley
Born Anthony William Pidgley
1947 (age 68–69)
Surrey, United Kingdom
Occupation Businessman

Anthony William "Tony" Pidgley CBE (born 1947) is an English businessman. He is the founder and chairman of Berkeley Group Holdings, one of the UK's largest housebuilding businesses.

Early life

Anthony Pidgley was born in 1947 in Surrey to a single mother, and then adopted from Barnardos. He spent his early life living in a disused railway carriage.[1] He worked with his parents cutting down trees and selling the logs.[1]

Career

Pidgley left home in 1962 and founded a haulage business which he expanded until it had 40 lorries and then sold it to Crest Nicholson in 1968.[1] He then worked for Crest Nicholson for seven years.[1] In 1976, he established Berkeley Group Holdings which he expanded until it was one of the UK's largest housebuilders.[1] He has since seen off a bid for his business from his son.[2]

Pidgley received an honorary doctorate from Heriot-Watt University in 2013.[3]

Philanthropy

Pidgley donated GBP£2,000 to the Conservative Party.[4]

He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2013 New Year Honours.[5]

Personal life

He has been married twice, most recently to Sarah Hill, and has two children by each marriage.[1] They reside in a sixteenth-century house set in 100 acres (0.40 km2) in Windsor.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 East End lad makes good to the tune of £123 million The Guardian, 21 September 2007
  2. ↑ Father and son square up for Berkeley Battle Daily Telegraph, 18 February 2003
  3. ↑ "Honorary Graduates Autumn 2013". Heriot-Watt University. Retrieved 2016-03-24.
  4. ↑ Mason, Rowena (December 29, 2012). "New Year Honours List 2013: Tory donors get gongs: Property tycoons who have given more than £160,000 to the Conservative Party have been given awards in today’s New Year Honours List.". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  5. ↑ New Year Honours: Berkeley Group chairman Tony Pidgley made a CBE by the Queen Daily Mail, 29 December 2012


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