Sir Paul Martin Ruddock, FSA (born 28 August 1958)[1] is a British businessman, philanthropist and patron of the arts.
[4] Jill Ruddock is a board member at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art and a trustee of Mousetrap Theatre Projects.
At the time of the award, some commentators called for the New Years Honours List to be made more transparent,[8] particularly where, as in the case of Ruddock, recipients are political party donors.
[9] Ruddock himself provided written testimony on the subject to a House of Commons Public Administration Select Committee, in which he advocated that the honours system explain the basis for each individual award.
He was the lead private donor for the renovation of the V&A's Renaissance and Medieval galleries, a £32m project and the museum's largest in more than 100 years.
At the British Museum, Sir Paul and Lady Jill Ruddock funded the renovation of the European Medieval gallery.
[21] In January 2011, Ruddock was appointed a Trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, where he serves on the merchandise, acquisitions and external affairs committee.
[23] In collaboration with King Edward's School, Birmingham, Sir Paul and Jill Ruddock funded a new performing arts centre, which the couple formally opened in 2012.
Past recipients of the award include the Prince of Wales, Russian maestro Valery Gergiev, American musician Quincy Jones, Italian architect Renzo Piano and Japanese artist Yoko Ono.
In October 2015, Ruddock was given a Lifetime Achievement in Philanthropy Award by Spear's, the London-based wealth management, business and culture magazine.