He is understood to have been fighting a long-term illness for several years.

Roger Bullivant founded his business in 1971, starting out as a grouting specialist building up the business initially repairing homes damaged by subsidence for the NHBC.

For difficult cases he combined grouting with pin piles.

By the late 1980s, the Burton on Trent contractor was developing precast concrete piling solutions, fearing the previously lucrative underpinning market was slowing down. This took the firm into piled foundations for the new housing market in the 90s, where he continued to develop innovative foundation solutions.

By 2007, the Bullivant business reached peak turnover at £130m, with most of the revenue coming from foundations.

In 2011, Roger sold the business after several tough trading years to Soletanche Bachy, part of the Vinci group. He had grown the business to 800 staff, spread around nine regional offices and manufacturing facilities.

A former staff member said: “Roger’s thirst for innovation was infectious. His genius in engineering an inspiration and true dedication to his workforce unquestionable. It was an absolute pleasure to have known and worked alongside him.”

Another said: “Roger was the best boss you could ever of worked for. He treated us all as family and gave lots of people opportunity and belief.”

The family have invited Roger Bullivant’s friends and work colleagues to a public Memorial on Thursday 23 January 2025 at 11am. This will be hosted at Pirelli Stadium, Burton On Trent.