Tom has spent more than 60 years in the aggregates industry after joining Bardon Hill Quarries as a school-leaver in 1956 and rising up the ranks.

During his career, he sold Aggregate Industries for £1.8bn to Swiss building materials group Holcim, retired and then returned to the industry a few months later after ‘getting bored’ with ambitious plans to build a new independent force in the quarrying industry.

His business, Marwyn Materials, bought Breedon in a reverse take over in 2010 and then later struck a deal to pay £336m for Hope Construction Materials in 2016, creating a business to rival the major multinational suppliers.

Former Hope boss Amit Bhatia will replace Tom as chairman with immediate effect,  having previously served as deputy chairman since April 2018.

Group chief executive, Pat Ward said:”It has been an honour to work with Peter, who has done so much to shape the Breedon of today. I am delighted to welcome Amit as our new non-executive Chairman and look forward to working with him as we continue to deliver our growth strategy.

Tom said:”I leave Breedon in great shape and am incredibly proud of what we have achieved since we created the company in 2010.

“I have the highest regard for Pat Ward and the senior management team and I would also like to express my deep gratitude to all of my colleagues who have contributed so much to Breedon’s success.”