Sara Fardon installed as Master

Sara Fardon was installed as Master in a ceremony at Ironmongers' Hall last night. She was joined in the top team of officers for the year by Ajay Gupta as Senior Warden and Claire McDonald as Junior Warden.

She set out her theme for the year which will focus on enriching the relationship of the Company with its growing membership, under the banner of #MyWCI – A Sense of Belonging.

"The WCI is dynamic, diverse, and growing. Our membership spans generations. We have thriving committees, impactful working groups, strong military links, and a robust philanthropic programme and a winning golf society. Our social calendar is enviable, and our civic engagement in the City of London is significant.

"My focus will be to engage and inform our members of the breadth and depth of this activity - our current range of communication does not have the format available to celebrate, promote and explain all WCI achieves. Similarly, we must define what it means to be a member, what we offer, and what we expect. We must celebrate our achievements and make them visible to all."

This has involved taking a step back and looking at what membership of the Company means:

"We’re refining our membership strategy. The Court has agreed on an optimal size, and the membership committee is working to attract senior professionals, clarify the distinction between freemen and liverymen, and enhance our member experience on joining and taking those first steps into the world of Livery. "

Delivering that vision of greater belonging will see a range of initiatives launched over the next few months, including a new twice-yearly 16-page magazine – MyWCI – videoed Matser's Messages three times a year, a WCI shop with a range of branded merchandise and additional support for new members to help them get the most from their membership. 

The new Master also introduced her charity with a powerful message about literacy:

"This year, I’m championing literacy—the ability to read, write, speak, and listen effectively. Literacy empowers us to navigate life, make informed decisions, and engage meaningfully with the world.

"My chosen charity to support this focus is Civitas Schools, which provides low-cost, high-quality English and Maths tuition to children who need extra help. The backing from the WCI means we will be supporting 10 pupils—and one of their schools will proudly bear our name: The Insurers’ School.

"Many children do not own a book of their own, don’t go to libraries and get to read and enjoy stories.

"And therefore, I’m delighted to announce the launch 500 Book Challenge—an initiative to donate books to Civitas pupils. My aim is to reach this challenge between now and the Winter Lunch when we’ll be joined by Civitas. £10 buys a book and there will be lots of opportunity to donate. Each book will carry a plate reading ‘Donated by a member of the WCI'."

• Past Master Karl Jarvis gave a comprehensive review of the achievements over the last year – the growth in membership, the launch of new specialist groups and the important participation in the City Civic, especially as we look forward to supporting Dame Susan Langley as Lady Mayor as her Mother Company.

• Treasurer Ian Clark reported on a healthy financial position and Katie Wade, Chair of the Charitable Trusts, spoke about how the Company has distributed £585,000 to a range of philanthropic causes and educational projects.

• Seven new Court Assistants were elcted and installed: Branko Bjelobaba, Sian Fisher, Kimberley Hallam, Ailsa King, Helen Phillips, Tunu Sokiri and Giles Ward.

• Pictures by Jonathan Cherry

Watch the Master's speech