What a year! It has been one of three main themes; 10^th Anniversary, supporting our Lord Mayor and Granting of Livery. Any of these is quite an event for any Company but to have all three is exceptional. It has tested our resources, our systems and our finances; you have pulled together magnificently!

It all started before my installation with the Lord Mayor’s Show and our first float. This set up nicely for my Installation Dinner on 25^th November in Ironmongers Hall where we began in 2014. I had the privilege of ringing the Dan Doherty Memorial Bell, our annual reminder of our founder. Julian Fellowes gave us a personal story about the importance of entrepreneurs with his experience of Eastern Europe in the 1970s.

This year also saw the introduction of our first Almanac giving everyone a simple leaflet with the dates for the year. I am glad to say you organised many more. These included fundraising events, golf days, trips to the races, a number of women’s lunches, pétanque and even a conference in the Guildhall! Huge credit to every organiser. This is all before the things planned by Education, Outreach and the Trust.

With much work having been done over the last two years, on 4^th February we were granted Livery. We are number 112 in the order of precedence.

We have enjoyed celebrating this, one of our earliest goals. My speech to the Lord Mayor when we received our Letters Patent sums up so much of what this means and what we have achieved to get to this point. It also identifies us as a group of Entrepreneurs. Although I say it myself, it is well worth a read.

The Grant of Livery set up our largest Spring Lunch at the Reform Club in Pall Mall. The numbers were swollen by our first ‘Clothing’ beforehand. Members of The City Consorts joined us to hear talks from Belinda Back and the Lady Mayoress. In addition, we had the seven silversmiths who created the Patrons’ Goblets which have received a number of awards including some from the Goldsmiths.

A word on ‘Clothing’ which is the term used when a Freeman of the Company is promoted for their good works to the level of Livery. It comes from the days when each Worshipful Company had uniforms that signified their right to trade in the City. This was most important in the days when many could not read or write. This is the first year that we have been allowed to do this. As a Freeman, you will have received a gold button and those that have been raised to Livery are recognised by a blue one.

The biggest day of the year, arguably in the life of the Company, was 14^th July this summer, the date of the Election Court Banquet.  It was our formal acceptance into the Livery with a presentation of the Letters Patent. This was from the Lord Mayor with the Court of Aldermen in attendance and held in the Old Ballroom at Mansion House. I Clothed an additional nineteen and admitted eight new Freemen. This overran and we rushed downstairs to the Reception and Banquet for two hundred and fifty, our largest ever! Full credit must go to the team that made this all possible. They did a marvellous job.

There is one other anniversary that I must mention and that our Clerk, Duncan Simms, has been with us for ten years. During this time, he has steered us through the finer points of the Livery and the Corporation. He has done much to foster our relationship with the other Companies, both Ancient and Modern. He has risen from being the ‘baby’ of the Clerks to being highly respected by his peers and beyond. Much to his embarrassment, I hijacked the Representative Lord Mayors speech to present him with some cufflinks to recognise the achievement. Fine examples of the things he organises behind the scenes include the Patrons’ Goblets and the Letters Patent.

We have been very busy! There is much that I have left out including, purposefully, the names of every one that has done so much to make this the phenomenal year that it has been. There have been over thirty new Freemen (big shout out for Membership!), sixty-one people promoted to Livery and two of our biggest events ever. Both EASI and The Raleigh Lecture continue to build reputations in their fields. We have made progress with our website, strengthened our committees and greatly improved the process to produce the Magazine.

To each and every one of you a huge and heartfelt ‘thank you’! It has been an exceptional honour to have been Master this past year and I cannot be prouder of all that you have achieved.

This year would have been very different without my Consort, Helen. She has been incredibly supportive in many ways. She has not only put up with my moaning and constant ‘Company’ chatter but she has also kept me organised, given me wise counsel and generously hosted Court and Wardens.

The next ten years will, no doubt, have many challenges. It is an undoubted privilege to be handing the Master’s Badge to one of the most experienced Livery men in the City, Alderman Alastair King. His plans include supporting the Mansion House Scaleup initiative that he started as Lord Mayor. I am sure he will be writing to you with more information soon. It is also a pleasure to welcome our new Consort, Florence, his wife. Many of you will remember her powerful speech at the Spring Lunch. She has also been very busy with the Armed Forces so I hope our veterans will give her a particularly warm reception.

As I sign off for the last time, I marvel at how far we have travelled in the last, now, eleven years. I hope that you will continue to get as much from our fellowship as I have. We have shown how we, the Worshipful Company of Entrepreneurs, can serve both the City and society and I am sure that this will continue for at least the next decade!

Dare, Create, Succeed

With gratitude

James Talbot