Neil Grundon has been appointed Chairman of Grundon Waste Management, the UK’s largest family-owned waste management company, with immediate effect.
It makes him the third generation of the Grundon family to head up the business, which boasts a £120 million turnover and, together with sister company Grundon Sand & Gravel, employs over 850 people.
Norman Grundon, who has held the role since 1993, will become President, a position previously occupied by his father (and founder of the business) Stephen Grundon.
Paying tribute to his father, Neil said: “I am delighted to take on the position of Chairman and would like to express my gratitude to my father for his trust and advice over the years, as well as the confidence he has shown in me throughout my career. I share his same passion for retaining an enterprising spirit within the business and the drive to continuously improve and be at the forefront of innovation.
“Together we have built a strong and profitable business, and I am enthusiastic about our prospects for the future. With a clear strategy, capable leadership team and excellent people across our diverse workforce, I fully believe that Grundon is well-positioned and perfectly equipped to capitalise on the numerous opportunities available.
“Looking to the future, I also want to continue the growth of the business and pass it to the next generation in a stronger place, just as my father and grandfather have to me.”
Norman said: “I am delighted to hand the reins over to Neil and I am fully confident that under his stewardship the company will continue to prosper.
“After leading the business for the past 48 years, I am now taking on the honorary role of President and taking a step back from the day-to-day operations of the company. However, I will still remain a Board Director, meaning that I am able to advise Neil and the Board of Directors as we start another exciting chapter in the history of Grundon.
“We have seen the company grow to become one of the UK’s largest and most-respected waste management providers. I, along with Neil, remain as ambitious as ever for the business.
“These are exciting times, with lots of opportunities, and I am positive that through our continued reinvestment in the business, whether it be in the latest innovative technologies, or training and professional development of our people, we will see Grundon Waste Management continue to go from strength-to-strength with Neil at the helm.”
Neil joined the family business aged 23 in 1992, working his way through the ranks before being appointed Deputy Chairman in January 2012.
During his 30-year tenure, he has overseen a number of major developments, among them the adoption of alternative recycling and recovery technologies, including Energy from Waste (EfW) and promoting the diversion of waste away from landfill.
His passion for sustainable waste and resource management has directed investment towards innovative technologies such as the company’s £3 million aerosol recycling facility and the introduction of Artificial Intelligence and robotic pickers at its recycling facilities.
Neil has also been a driving force behind the need to reduce carbon emissions, notably in 2014, when Grundon became the first of the major waste industry players to operate a certified CarbonNeutral® vehicle fleet.
He has spearheaded the growing use of alternative fuels, including electric and hybrid diesel-hydrogen waste collection vehicles – all while reducing carbon emissions companywide by 78% over the last 22 years.
As Deputy Chairman, he has championed Grundon’s major shareholding in O.C.O Technology – an award-winning carbon capture and utlilisation business which uses a patented process to recycle Air Pollution Control residue (APCr) from EfW plants into what is widely-recognised as the world’s first carbon negative aggregate.
Neil is Treasurer of the Environmental Services Association and Co-Chair of the Zoological Society of London Development Strategy Board.
Norman, who has worked in the family business since the age of 13, established the operations that would later become Grundon Waste Management in 1974 with his father Stephen to manage landfill sites, quarries and expand into a waste collection business.
His achievements have included the introduction of the ‘wheelie bin’ into the UK in 1982, the building of the UK’s first environmentally acceptable clinical waste incinerator in 1990, and pioneering the company’s Energy from Waste technology, which culminated in the opening of the Lakeside Energy from Waste facility in Colnbrook in 2010.
Norman is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Wastes Management.