Congratulations to UK Cypriot Theo Constanti for winning the Santander Most Inspirational Business Mentor of the Year award. This follows from an award won a few years ago for Greek Business Entrepreneur of the Year.

Theo, who lives in North London, along with his friend Michael Nicholas, run The Marble Group, the biggest stone manufacturing company in the South East of England.

He told Parikiaki, “After what has been a crazy year, I am delighted to win Santander’s Most Inspirational Business Mentor of the year! It is a great privilege to be able to help people with their business journey; there is nothing quite like helping businesses grow and succeed. Thank you to those that put me forward for the award. Thanks to all the team at The Marble Group who over 15 years have given me the platform to help amazing people develop into superstars.”

The Marble Group was founded by Theo (full name Theodoros Constanti) and his business partner Michael Nicholas in 2007, but how these two aspiring young men joined together from their respective backgrounds is a true Cinderella story.

Michael grew up in a humble single parent home in North Finchley with his mother and his older brother for company. Michael made the decision to leave school at 16 to learn a trade. He started working in a marble company 15 miles away from home as an apprentice where he developed his stone masonry skills.

He quickly learnt the trade of manufacturing of kitchen worktops. After his apprenticeship, he moved on to one of London’s largest stone fabricators where the other side of the trade which was template (measuring) and fitting granite worktops. By the time he was 20, he was an experienced stone mason and fixer that would lead multiple complicated stone projects.

At 22, Michael approached Theo confidently explaining that he was one of the best at what he did and wanted to start a business in the industry. He needed a partner with business acumen or salesmanship to compliment his great work ethic. In May 2007, The Marble Group was formed.

Theo didn’t have an easy start either, having lost his hand when he was 17 years old in a motorbike accident. He recovered well and went to University and obtained an Economics degree. His father (a fishmonger by trade) always encouraged Theo to work from a young age and learn about business. Theo formed an early career in the sales and advertising industry, where he gained experience in managing a growing organisation. He started supporting his whole family when he was just 22 years old. At 23, he joined forces with Michael to form The Marble Group.

The company began in Theo’s mum and dad’s garage on a residential housing estate in Friern Barnet. The boys started with a £5,000 investment to buy a van, buy some tools, make a website and purchase some business cards. Theo would get the jobs in and Michael would fabricate them. In 2008, they moved from the garage to a large shed in Colney Heath where the company slowly gained traction. Originally doing kitchen worktops for their friends and family, The Marble Group Ltd now provides kitchen worktops, marble, stone, tiling and construction services to architects, kitchen companies, interior designers, main contractors and builders. The Marble Group has completed works in Harrods, Selfridges and Harvey Nicholls as well as a number of the world’s leading hotels (The Dorchester, Hilton, W and more).

The company does projects for developers such as Berkeley Homes, Galliard Homes and main contractors such as Mulalley, Higgins, Ellmers and Kier, looks after 125-150 kitchen showrooms in the south east of England and has a retail arm selling directly to the public at shows, online and from their showroom. They most recently installed stone at Wembley Stadium.

The business has since expanded to a team of 60+ staff comprising many years of specialist knowledge and experience in the marble and granite industry. Working now from a 20,000 Sq. Ft factory in Welham Green, The Marble Group are fast becoming one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers of granite worktops in the United Kingdom.

Theo and Michael encourage and support every member of staff to try and buy their own home. They believe every person should attempt to “build their cathedral” as they have built theirs.

Theo is currently a member of the Academy of Business Leaders and regularly gives various talks to schools, businesses and professional institutions.