A Brief History
"When we first discussed the idea of trying to establish a Livery
Company for Management Consultants we knew our aims -
sharing
between professionals, giving to the community
and being part of the City, but we had little idea of
what would be involved. However, with the fantastic help we received
from so many quarters in the City and the enthusiastic support of a
growing band of Members, we finally achieved our dream”.
David Miller
Founder Master 1993 –1995
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The Worshipful Company of Management Consultants began life as a Guild of the City of London in 1993 and became a ‘Company without Livery’ in 1999. On 4th May 2004, the Court of Aldermen granted the Company’s petition to become a fully-fledged Livery Company of the City of London. Between 1993 and 2004 the Company had completed a very substantial amount of work consistent with the two great foundations of historic Guilds in ‘education’ and ‘charity’. By this means the Company had been establishing the record of achievement, the financial position and the state of all-round preparedness necessary for admission to the Livery. Now, proudly the 105th Livery Company in a succession dating back to medieval times, the Company has many exciting challenges before it. Though much has gone before, in many ways this is only the beginning. |
 More about the Company crest |
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The Petition Approved by the Court In June 2003, the Court of Assistants approved the Company’s Petition. On 27th November 2003, it was signed by the Officers of the Company and Sponsoring Alderman, The Lord Levene of Portsoken, KBE. The Petition comprised a covering letter, the Petition itself and four appendices, and was delivered to Guildhall on 21st January 2004. It went before the Court of Aldermen at their meeting in March. The Court of Aldermen referred it to the Finance & General Purposes Committee which, reporting back to the May meeting, recommended that it be approved. The Court of Aldermen duly approved the document on 4th May 2004 and The Company of Management Consultants was recognised as the 105th Livery Company of the City of London, to be known as The Worshipful Company of Management Consultants. |
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The Clothing of the Court The Ceremonials Committee designed and commissioned the Officers’ gowns. In a newly devised ceremony the Beadle clothed The Master, Alan Broomhead, as the First Liveryman of the Company. He, in turn, clothed the Wardens and installed the Clerk and Beadle as Officers of the Worshipful Company. He then clothed the Court of Assistants and each was given a certificate confirming his or her status as a Liveryman. The rehearsal for all this caused much merriment, with Immediate Past Master Patrick McHugh performing the standing and sitting rituals until he got dizzy!
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The Presentation of Letters Patent The Rt Hon the Lord Mayor presented the Letters Patent to The Master, Alan Broomhead, in a ceremony in the Long Parlour at Mansion House. The Letters Patent is the record of the Company’s route to full Livery status.
This was an event somewhat akin to a wedding day, when all
present were there to wish the newly formed partnership well!
In attendance were the Court of Aldermen, City Officers, the
Court of Assistants of the Company and invited guests. There
followed a Luncheon in the Salon, at which the Lord Mayor
spoke warmly of the work of the Company and of its status
within the City. |
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The Clothing of the Company Liverymen and their guests were invited to the ceremony of the Clothing of the Company, an occasion at which many of the Founder Liverymen and some new Liverymen were clothed in gowns and presented with a certificate confirming their new status. In reality, gowns were circulated within this ceremony and the characteristic skills of management consultants, ‘thinking fast on their feet’, were needed to ensure that the right members and the right gowns ended up in the right places! |
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The Honorary Chaplain, Assistant the Reverend Bill Penney, and the Rector of St. Botolph’s, Dr. Brian Lee, took the service at our nominated church. Many Members and their guests joined in, giving thanks for the Company’s elevation to Livery status and remembering those dear to them. |
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The Livery Celebration Party Over 200 Members with Guests of the Company and their own guests attended a Celebration Party, at which the champagne and conversation flowed. The Master, Alan Broomhead, spoke briefly of the Company’s journey over the previous 12 years and read from letters received from a number of Sea Cadets following their adventure holiday in the Brecon Beacons. He concluded by acknowledging that this Celebration Party signalled arrival at the destination for the ‘Road to Livery’. It was, he said, the last Livery event organised by himself and the Clerk, and that it concluded this particular part of the Company’s voyage. |
