COMPANY GOVERNANCE
The Company is run by a 'Court of Assistants', which is effectively the Company's board of directors, chaired by the Master and supported by two Wardens (Upper Warden and Under Warden). The Master and Wardens are elected annually from within the Court and serve for a period of one year, succeeding each other (if elected). When the Upper Warden completes their term, they succeed the Master (if elected) for the forthcoming year.
The Court consists of the Master and Wardens, the Honorary Treasurer, six Past Masters, Court Assistants and the Livery Representative on the Court. The maximum number of members on the Court is 30. Court Assistants are all Liverymen of the Company and are elected for an initial term of four years.
The Court meets seven times a year to discuss the business of the Company. The Company employs a Clerk, appointed by the Court, who is the equivalent of the Company's Chief Executive Officer.
The Master
Paul Wilson served in the British Army from 1976-1986 where he received extensive language training before transferring to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. There, he worked on the Eastern Europe and Southern Africa desks and served as First Secretary (Political) at the British High Commission in Islamabad, Pakistan from 1991-93. In 1992 he was one of the diplomatic staff on the Foreign Office mission to the new Mujahideen government in Kabul.
In 1994 Paul joined De La Rue PLC, the leading high security printers. He held a series of appointments in De La Rue’s banknote division before being appointed managing director of De la Rue’s Identity Systems business in 2003.
From 2007 until his retirement in 2015, he was responsible for De La Rue’s relationships with the British Government and parliamentarians.
He has chaired the Stationers’ Company’s Library and Archives Committee, Hall and Heritage Committee, Hall Committee and most recently the Hall Project Executive Committee which was responsible for the Vision 350 project..
Publications:
Pilgrims , Profit and Print : the Stationers of London and the English Settlement of North America ( Bognor Regis , Phillimore Book Publishing,2019)
Hostile Money – Currencies in Conflict ( Stroud , The History Press , 2019 )
Shades of Sovereignty – Money and the Making of the State ( Lanham, Rowman and Littlefield, 2021)
The Upper Warden
Doug Wills is Editor Emeritus of the Evening Standard and The Independent. He was previously Managing Editor of the Evening Standard for 15 years, 10 of those as Group Managing Editor including for the Independent. Doug trained in journalism with Thomson Regional Newspapers in Berkshire, went on to be the political correspondent for the Western Daily Press in Bristol before rejoining Thomson newspapers in a number of roles including features editor, chief sub editor and Deputy Editor. He moved to London to join the Mirror Group helping to launch the London Daily News as Assistant Editor (production).
Doug is former President of the Society of Editors and currently a board member and hon treasurer, is chair of London Press Club. Doug is the President of the Rotary Club of London and is a Rotary International representative for the Commonwealth. He is currently assisting Rotary International and the Commonwealth on environmental projects.
The Under Warden
Ian Leggett is a non-executive Director of Dennis Maps Limited (formerly part of the publishing empire of the Late Felix Dennis). He retired in 2020 but remains a strategic consultant to a number of companies in the publishing and print sector and Executor to the Estate of Felix Dennis. He was for 25 years the Group Finance Director of Dennis Publishing Group and an Executive Director of the Dennis Publishing Group in the UK and the USA. He was a director of the subscription fulfilment company and also of the magazine distribution business. He spent three years as Finance Director with Harrap Publishing in London, 10 years as Senior Manager at Chartered Accountants Deloittes and 3 Years in Government Audit in New Zealand. New Zealand born he moved to London to gain overseas experience but never returned to New Zealand to work.
Ian is a founder of the New Zealand Chartered Accountants Branch in the UK and was made a Life Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand. He is a member of the Chartered Governance Institute UK and Ireland and a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Scotland. He was a founding Trustee of the Heart of England Forest in Warwickshire. He was the Treasurer to Stationers Foundation, before taking on the role of Assistant Treasurer, and for the past 6 years he has been the Treasurer of the Company and Chair of the Investment Review Committee.
