Wendy Stephens, who launched Arden Grange in 1981 with her late husband Graham, has been honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award. She received her prize from Dragons' Den star Deborah Meaden at the recent Pet Industry Awards...

While enjoying a successful London modelling career Wendy met Graham, and together they embarked on a journey founded upon Wendy's love of animals and a joint entrepreneurial determination.

It was whilst raising their two children, Emma & Jon, that Wendy acquired her first German Shepherd Dog and thereby began a lifetime passion for the breed.

She has achieved notable success in the show ring, has served on various council forums in support of the GSD and continues to breed under her highly acclaimed affix of Ardenburg.

During the 1980s, Wendy and Graham moved to Sussex and took up the challenge of rebuilding a rather run-down kennels.

They also developed a successful wholesale business, delivering a wide variety of pet products to pet shops throughout the south-east. This experience gave them great insight into animal nutrition, and after identifying a gap in the market they went on to acquire the sole distribution rights for a well-known super premium dried cat and dog food range throughout the UK and Ireland.

This was the first super premium pet food to be imported into and distributed throughout the UK on a commercial scale, and set the trend for the upper end of the cat and dog food marketplace as it is known today.

After almost a decade of outstanding success with these products, the market was sufficiently primed for the manufacturer to establish a UK base, and thus the distribution was transferred. This led the way clear for Wendy and her husband to launch their own British-made super premium pet food under the Arden Grange brand.

Throughout her life, Wendy has derived pleasure from the simpler things in life. A great love of literature and the arts, a deep compassion for creatures large and small, an enthusiasm for travelling and the appreciation of different cultures.

Above all, she appreciates the joy afforded by spending time with family and friends, and indeed she remains a true and loyal friend to many.

All of this, of course, touched by Wendy's own inimitable sense of humour!

Since the sudden loss of Graham to acute myeloid leukemia in 2009, Wendy has continued to push the boundaries of animal nutrition with the Arden Grange range in both the UK and internationally.

Arden Grange remains essentially a family run business, yet often leads the industry with new innovation. It is a tribute to Wendy that so many of the staff at Arden Grange have been a part of the team for over 10 years (many even approaching 20!) and that staff are often heard to be said that they also feel part of the extended family.