Remarks to:
Worshipful Company of Chartered Surveyors Installation Dinner
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Environmental Social Governance of Investment
Remarks to:
The Guild of Investment Managers at Farmers’ & Fletchers’ Hall, City of London, Thursday, 17 October 2019
My fellow Alderman and your Master, Robert Hughes-Penney, kindly asked me to provide some opening remarks. I do wish I could stay longer, but as fellow Livery folk, you’ll understand that an Immediate Past Master of the World Traders needs to attend our Installation Dinner at 19:00 to become an Immediate Past Past Master or an Immediate Immediate Past Master, or some such.
The comedian Jay Leno once quipped, “According to a new UN report, the global warming outlook is much worse than originally predicted. Which is pretty bad when they originally predicted it would destroy the planet.” Sadly, that quip was from 2007.
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World Exchange Forum – Innovation & Transformation
My dear friend Herbie Skeete heads up MondoVisione. His 2019 Forum at Haberdashers’ Hall led to some great insights on the nature of global finance. The highlight was probably an address and interview with Gina Miller, the campaigner behind two Brexit court cases.
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One Foot In The …
When you start to see these retrospective articles you begin to get furtive, looking over your shoulder much more, not walking under ladders, etc. Still quite a nice and complimentary interview for which I’m thankful to Eila Madden, George Littlejohn, and the team at CISI. PDF:
| 1 October 2019 | The Polymath (profile of Professor Michael Mainelli as he becomes Sheriff of the City of London) | Securities And Investment Review |
Piper The Puffin
Today I hosted my first luncheon with the Judges and five guests. An amazing re-introduction to the hard work all the judiciary do, particularly as the case we followed today was rather harrowing with children and murder involved. For some light relief, a dear friend, Bill Joseph, sent the following limerick to start off a year of luncheons, for obvious reasons it featured a puffin:
There once was a rather smart puffin
Who distracted the Lords from their judgin.
In his new shrievel chain
With its symbols arcane,
He astounded the room they had lunch in.
Day of Duty – Sheep Drive & The Costermongers’ Pearly Kings & Queens Harvest Festival
Chris Hayward and I headed out for our first day of duty as Sheriffs. On a drizzly Sunday we attended two events. The first is the now traditional Sheep Drive & Wool Fair. This event is kindly hosted by the Worshipful Company of Woolmen, with much other livery support, and this year the organisation was led by a great friend of ours, Judith Pleasance CC. The event itself was inaugurated by the World Traders (have to get that inter-livery rivalry in).
Continue readingAdmission Of Sheriffs
The big day, Friday, 27 September, finally arrived. Chris Hayward CC and I were sworn in as Sheriffs of the City of London. Here we are just coming out of Guildhall together after swearing our oaths and on our way to the traditional sumptuous Break-fast.
We now have a formal job description. Links if you want to follow the story so far, and as it unfolds;
Continue readingThe Sheriffs’ Thames Rowing Challenge – POSTPONED
Shrieval Chain Presentation – Puffin On Pipes
It was simply fantastic to have 230 friends and supporters turn up at the Dutch Church at noon on 19 September for the traditional “Shrieval Chain Presentation”.
Continue readingNothing To Lose But Our Chains… (Badge, and Brooch)
Banker Baron Overstone, on seeing the “unmitigated disappointment” of his new Overstone Hall in Northampthonshire (now derelict), grumbled, “We have fallen into the hands of an architect, in whom incapacity is his smallest fault.”
Well, I certainly don’t feel as morose as Baron Overton. In the case of my Shrieval chain and badge, as well as Elisabeth’s brooch, all we can say is that we fell into the hands of a silversmith, in whom genius is his smallest fault. We are so delighted with Grant Macdonald’s work.
The Shrieval Chain and Badge of Office
presented to Alderman Professor and Sheriff-Elect Michael Mainelli on 19 September 2019
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