The Young Merchants group, which is open to merchants and suppliers under the age of 40, provides a forum for younger members of the building supplies industry.

Mr Pierce takes over from Simon Fleet, who has just completed his two-year term during which time membership grew to a five-year high, with numbers nearly trebling in the past year alone.

“Young Merchants has a great cross-section of members and offers an important chance to network, gain confidence from each other and fast-track all-round industry knowledge both in the meetings and in a more relaxed social environment set around the meetings,” said Mr Pierce.

Ms Fiddies, who began her career as a management trainee with Travis Perkins before joining the Catnic sales team, said the group was an excellent way for like-minded young people to progress their career and forge life-long friendships.

“It’s a group where ideas are shared and problems resolved; and it’s great to see more women joining as we are under-represented in our industry,” she said.