As a passionate industrialist whose family ceramics business is a leading hospitality industry tableware manufacturer, Ian Dudson’s commitment to the pottery industry in Stoke-on-Trent is undisputed.
He said: "We’ve been manufacturing for over 210 years and we are very passionate and proud of this city and indeed this county."
After graduating in General Science at Dundee University, Ian went on to study Ceramic Technology at North Staffordshire Polytechnic, now Staffordshire University.
He then joined Dudson in 1973, becoming Chief Executive in 1988 and presently holds the position of Non-Executive Chairman.
In recognition of Ian’s services to the ceramic industry, he received a CBE in The Queen’s Birthday Honours List, 2002. He is also a past President of the British Ceramic Confederation, and the European Federation of Porcelaine and Faience.
"Dudson has enjoyed a long partnership with Staffordshire University through technical and practical support as well as marketing and design. Most of the Dudson Design team have been Masters Graduates. The ceramics sector as a whole has benefited enormously by the contribution the University has made to the industry," he commented.
In 2001 Ian became a Deputy Lieutenant of Staffordshire, a role he held for eleven years before accepting the invitation to serve as Lord-Lieutenant in 2012, The Queen’s personal representative in the county.
He noted, “It is a fantastic honour and a very diverse and interesting role.” Further accolades followed and in 2013 Ian became a Commander of the Order of St John, again an esteemed appointment made by The Queen in recognition of his contribution towards ‘strengthening the spirit of mankind’.
His community commitments are equally as impressive. Among many other titles Ian holds he is Chairman of Trustees of The Dudson Centre, a resource for voluntary groups; Honorary President of the Douglas Macmillan Hospice; Lichfield Cathedral Council member; and President of Scouting Staffordshire.
In 2010, as that year’s High Sheriff of Staffordshire, Ian completed an impressive 150 mile sponsored walk along the canals in the county.
The award of Honorary Doctor of the University is bestowed upon Ian in recognition of his unstinting commitment to North Staffordshire’s ceramics industry and his continuing services to the wider county, both in his current role as Her Majesty’s Lord- Lieutenant and through his philanthropy.