Masters and Wardens
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FOUNDER MASTER
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The Founder Master was William Cecil (Bill) Harris. Born in 1913, Bill worked all his life with the Phoenix Group of Companies, retiring in 1984, having completed 55 years with the Group. He worked in both the United States and the UK and was appointed Chief General Manager in 1969. He retired as Chief Executive in 1978 but remained on the Phoenix Board as Deputy Chairman until 1984. Bill served two terms as Master of the Worshipful Company of Insurers. He died on 7 May 1999. |
Masters of the Company to date have been:
1979 W C Harris
1980 W C Harris
1981 D V Palmer, DL
1982 R I Sloan, CBE
1983 A W Higgins, MBE, MC, TD, JP, DL
1984 J A S Neave, CBE, JP, DL
1985 F R D Holland
1986 D A Blaikie, OBE
1987 J R Redfern
1988 R H Peet, CBE
1989 P R Dugdale, CBE
1990 R K Bishop
1991 R C W Bardell, OBE
1992 J S Greig
1993 T Roberts, CBE
1994 W J Briggs
1995 B V Day, OBE
1996 C P Harris
1997 J E Phillips
1998 P H Purchon
1999 M J Pickard
2000 D R Losse
2001 P G Ward
2002 C A Hart
2003 M K Bewes
2004 A P D Lancaster
2005 R J Taylor
2006 D E Bland, OBE
THE MASTER
Graham Doswell, FCII, is a Chartered Insurer who has spent his whole career in the insurance industry which he joined in 1962. After 22 years in various roles with the Sun Alliance Group, he moved, in 1984, to be the Chief Underwriting Manager of the Ecclesiastical Insurance Group, responsible for its general insurance business in the UK. He was appointed to the Board in 1995, became Chief Executive in 1997 and was Chairman of two of the Group’s UK subsidiaries, Ecclesiastical Life and Ansvar Insurance Company. Graham retired from Ecclesiastical Insurance at the end of February 2007. His external directorships include Pool Reinsurance Company Limited and MMA Insurance plc. He is also a member of Allchurches Trust, the charity which owns Ecclesiastical Insurance.
During his career, Graham has been widely involved with many industry bodies, serving most recently as a member of the Board of the Association of British Insurers (1998-2004), the FSA’s Smaller Businesses Practitioner Panel (2000-2004) and as a Vice President of the Chartered Insurance Institute (2000-2003). He became a Liveryman of the Company in 1992 and joined the Court of Assistants in 1999.
Married with two sons and a daughter, Graham has an interest in travel which he shares with his wife, Susan, and which was fuelled by regular visits to Ecclesiastical’s operations in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. He also enjoys two-wheeled transport, being a keen cyclist and motorcyclist. Graham supports the community through his involvement as Chair of Governors of his village Church of England Primary School and in charitable activity.
THE SENIOR WARDEN
 Mike Cooper-Mitchell joined Sedgwick Collins in 1965. After specialising in property insurance, including broking at Lloyd’s, he was appointed Account Executive responsible for developing and servicing risk management clients.
He became a Director of Sedgwick Forbes, London in l979 and a Director of Sedgwick UK in l985. In October 1986, he moved to Manchester as Managing Director, Northern Region. In 1990 Mike returned to London to be responsible for the UK branch network, and in January 1993 he was appointed Chairman of Sedgwick UK and a Director of Sedgwick Europe.
Mike was appointed Deputy Chairman in 1997 responsible for international operations in Europe, Africa, India and the Middle East.
Following the merger of Sedgwick and Marsh & McLennan, in December 1998 he joined the boards of Marsh Europe and Marsh Limited and retired as Chief Executive of Marsh Corporate Services at the end of 2005.
Mike was Deputy Chairman of BIBA from 1992-1994, a member of the European Committee of British Invisibles from 1995-1998 and a Council member of the CBI from 1996-2002. More recently, he also sits on the Board of East London Business Alliance, is a Council member of the IIL, a Fellow of the RSA, a non-executive director of Arthur J Gallagher and Chairman of the Council for Music in Hospitals.
Mike is married to Liz and has two sons, William and James. His interests include sailing, opera, classic cars and horse-racing.
THE JUNIOR WARDEN
 Graeme King is a Scottish Chartered Accountant who is currently the Chair of the Audit Committee of the Rank Foundation and Chairman of the Hydro Hotel Eastbourne.
Working within the industry for most of his full time career, Graeme was Managing Director of Beaufort and Proteus, P&O's insurance companies, and spent ten years at Lloyd's including being General Manager Regulation and a spell debt collecting from Lloyd's Names.
Graeme is married to Dr. Susan Hobbins, a full time Consultant Paediatrician and Senior Officer of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and they live in Otford, Kent. They enjoy country living and take an active part in their community. Graeme is Chairman of the Board of Finance of The Rochester Anglican Diocese and Sue enjoys Amateur Dramatics.
They have two adult 'children’, Emily, a Paediatric Nurse at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada and Andrew, a junior doctor at Trafford General Hospital in Manchester.
Sue, Graeme, Emily and Andrew have dual citizenship, British and Canadian, as 1974 to 1984 saw them in Toronto where the children were born. They return there regularly to a cottage on the Muskoka Lakes.
Walking and golf are Graeme’s two major interests and, as a past Captain of WIGS, Graeme much enjoys the social side of Livery golf. He regularly pops up to Scotland for golf and mountaineering, reconnecting with his roots in Broughty Ferry, Dundee High School and St Andrews University.
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