Welcome..
.. to the latest edition of the Company newsletter. It contains Master Andy Miles’ last musings (and some important news about our Governance), photos from the recent Church Service and Reception, and a wine flavoured theme runs through it including the return of the “Get to Know .." feature, this time highlighting John Blackburn. There is also a roundup of future events and a rather nice “And finally…..” piece, if I do say so myself.
Master's Musings
As the year has progressed it has been great to see so many projects, plans and changes solidifying within the Company. It is also strange to think that this is now my last “Musings” and shows how fast things move in a Master’s year.
Much has happened during “my year” and I look forward to handing over the position with a sense of achievement in areas I wished to achieve, and in some areas that I did not know would present issues.
Review of the Company Committees
One thing that has struck me in my year has been the number of Committees and meetings that the Master as well as other Wardens, Past Masters and Court Assistants attend. My question to some of this has been ‘Are we being effective or busy?’
I have felt that in some cases the latter has been the case - not deliberately, but sometimes needs and priorities change and accordingly we need to change our response and 'up our game' to meet those needs and priorities.
Prior to the start of the summer recess, I asked Fourth Warden Ian White to form a very small group to look at our committees and their effectiveness. These included not only all the committees but also the M&P meetings.
I wish to put into writing my thanks to Ian and PM Patrick Chapman for the work that they have put into this request in such a short timescale, as well as the quality of the report that they have produced. The aim is to streamline Committees and have working groups that do just that: work. Master Elect Malcolm McCaig and the Wardens will be implementing their recommendations over the coming weeks and months. You will be able to read about progress in these pages…
Membership Committee
I would like to express my thanks to Court Assistant Malcolm Green who has brought drive and energy to this role over the past year or so, as evidenced by the number of new joiners. Liveryman Leon MacPherson has now picked up the reins as Chair of the Membership Committee and we wish him every success.
Master's Work
Events seem to come like busses, none for a week, then 3 in a day. Since the Summer Court I have attended:
21st June – The Coopers Barrel Race in the Guildhall Yard. A very enjoyable event that I highly recommend for next year. Thanks to John Blackburn for his assistance here.
24th June – Election of Sheriffs at Common Hall.
2nd July – Masters and Clerks Dinner at the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists’ Hall.
15th July – Afternoon Tea and Beating Retreat.
16th July – Sea Cadets – London Region Annual Awards evening.
22nd August – The Sea Cadets Summer camp at Pirbright
28th September - The Woolmen Sheep Drive over Southwark Bridge.
I will close these final Musings by offering personal thanks to the Court of Assistants, the Wardens, the Clerk, the Assistant Clerk and all the Chairs of Committees for all their help and support and CA Jeff Herman for taking over as Treasurer. Finally, my thanks to those Past Masters who have provided personal advice and counsel over the past 12 months - you know who you are. I look forward to the events coming up in the next few weeks and to the new Master’s Installation on 14th October: a new Master who will undoubtably continue to take the Company forward in the right direction. For the uninitiated, I will take over as Master of the Worshipful Company of Carmen almost immediately – “A glutton for punishment!?”
Church service and Reception
After the “summer recess” our first event was the reception held after the Annual Church Service on 17th September at St Lawrence Jewry, Guildhall. See the photos below.
About 50 Members, guests and a few prospective new Members gathered to enjoy canapés and some great wines from our cellar, (including a glorious red from Margaret River which I remember being involved in choosing).
It was a great evening to network, check in on friends and colleagues and debate some of the questions that had been discussed at the Court meeting earlier that afternoon. Such receptions are a great and relatively low-cost way of networking, socialising and enjoying each other’s company. The next similar event will be on 12th November - the New Master’s Reception. Watch this space.
Get to Know - Court Assistant John Blackburn
John Blackburn has appeared in these pages regularly over the past year or so, because of his activities on behalf of the Company’s Wine Club. (Ed: There is more below). John was recently elected as a Court Assistant and it seems appropriate to let him introduce himself to the wider Membership here:
“I have been an active member of the Company for ten years, being admitted to the Livery of the Company on 16 July 2015. In my consulting career I was a Senior Executive with IBM until my retirement in June 2023, holding various European and Global roles. Before that I was a Senior Partner at PwC and a member of the PwC Management Consulting Board.
More recently I have brought my skills to bear on WCoMC’s pro bono activities and have been actively mentoring some of our Pro Bono clients.
I am currently the Chairman of the Company’s Wine Club and have recently become the Chairman of the Wine Committee. I actively organise many events for the Wine Club including the last two overseas Wine buying trips. I am also now actively supporting Master Elect Malcolm McCaig on the Company Events for the next 12 months and as an Assistant will continue to do this as well as carrying out duties as the Chairman of both the Wine Club the Wine Committee and continuing my pro bono activities.
In addition, as a member of the Court of Assistants I look forward to getting even more involved with the day to day running of the Company and helping with the other Committees where appropriate.
I am a widower with 2 daughters, 2 grandchildren and a 3rd due in November. I’m grateful for all the support and encouragement that I have received on the way to becoming a Court Assistant and look forward to serving over the next three years.”
(Ed: Other new Court Assistants will feature here in future editions).
Wine Club: Tasting and update
It has been a busy period for the Wine Club. First, John Blackburn - him again - arranged a professional wine tasting session at Thorman Hunt Wine at 67 Pall Mall on Monday 22nd September. About 12 Members attended over two sessions.
 This was a tasting aimed at the trade and those Members present were able to talk to several professional sommeliers from nearby restaurants. The overheard conversations about wine making techniques, ageing and so on were over my head, but Master Andy and his wife Sarah seemed to take it all in their stride – they are studying for WSET Level 3 wine tasting certificate.
There were over 100 wines available to taste, and unlike the traditional wine tasting participants were free to roam and to serve themselves. (ED: I personally tasted about 20 wines some of which were fabulous, but more were frankly not to my taste.) Well done and thanks to John Blackburn for organising the event.
John also Chaired the annual general meeting of The Wine Club on 1st October at the Humble Grape near Fleet Street. At the meeting it was agreed that:
- The Wine Club remains open to all Liverymen within the Company
- The annual membership subscription would remain at just £25
- Members would be required to make an annual loan of £200, to enable the Company to build up its cellar. (Up from £144)
Wine Club membership benefits include invitations to prestige events such as those described above, discounts at Wine Club events and the ability to influence what wines the Company buys, via buying trips (as previously reported here). More information about the Wine Club here.
Future events
There is a busy programme of events from now until Christmas, with the highlights summarised below. Full details of all our events are on the website here, where you can book:
14th Oct 2025 - Our Annual Installation Ceremony and Dinner. Be part of a defining moment in the life of our Company. Join us to welcome our new Master, engage with the future of our Company and profession, and enjoy an evening of camaraderie in the grandeur of Painters’ Hall. We are delighted to welcome Alderman Professor Michael Mainelli, an Honorary Liveryman of WCoMC and a former Lord Mayor of the City of London, who will deliver an entertaining and thought-provoking address during the dinner on “The Future of Management Consultancy”. (Ed: Michael was guest speaker at my Installation four years ago, so I know we are in for an engaging and entertaining address. I think there might be Bagpipes too!)
28th Oct 2025 - Generating income by charities: How can management consultants help? A Pro bono workshop at Carmens’ Hall.
8th Nov 2025 - Lord Mayor's Show 2025. Come and have fun and show your pride in your Livery and the Management Consulting profession on Saturday 8th November 2025. March alongside the Sea Cadets, over 20 military bands and more than 100 colourful floats.
12th Nov 2025 - New Master's Reception 2025 in the Guildhall. This is the first opportunity to meet your new Master and hear about the plans for the year ahead. You will also meet the leads and representatives of the Company’s main committees and interest groups. If a newer member, here you will be able to get a greater understanding of all the Company has to offer you as a member and how you can join in and enjoy great new experiences, learn more about the City of London and the Charitable and Pro bono work it does.
15th Dec 2025 - Annual Christmas Lunch. You are invited to join the Master, Wardens and fellow Members to welcome in the festive season with a traditional Christmas lunch at Ironmongers' Hall.
And Finally…. The City Unlocked
Your editor was pleased to receive a new book recently about the London Livery Companies ("from Wool to Digital") and I wanted to share. The marketing blurb says: “Written by a Past Master and a historian, this beautiful, richly illustrated book is a must read for those interested in London’s fascinating past, and demonstrates how the Companies have been integral to the evolution of the capital, and continue to work for the London of the future. Beginning in Medieval London, with the trades of the Weavers, Bakers and Goldsmiths, we are given access to a seldom-seen world through the eyes of the men and women who belong to the Livery Companies of London. Through the expansion of the 16th and 17th centuries and the new mechanised trades of the Industrial Revolution, up to the professions of the present day, such as the Information Technologists and Tax Advisers, we can trace the history of the City of London through portraits of the individual Livery Companies.”
I was extremely happy to read the entry on our own Company, which features our Gift to the Guildhall – "The Watch”, as featured in these pages a few years ago:
But I was delighted to be able to present a copy of this book to the Father of the Livery, Calvert Markham, who is specifically referenced in the book, because he donated the Watch to the Company. The presentation was at a Past Masters’ lunch on 30th September and Calvert thought it “a delightful surprise”. Everyone at the lunch signed the book and it transpires that the date was significant too: 30 years since Calvert became Master! (Ed: Readers may be interested to know that Elisabeth Miller was able to join the lunch; she and David Miller (our late Founder Master, 1993 - 1995) did much to nurture our fledgeling Guild in its early years.)
The book is ONLY available to Liverymen at a discounted price of £17.50 plus postage. You can order your copy here.
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Thanks for reading this far.... and many thanks to all those who contributed articles and photos for this issue.
Steve Cant
Editor
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