Issue 69: Nov 2016
MONITOR
the newsletter of The Worshipful Company of Information Technologists
MASTER’S LETTER
T
here is an incredible wave of energy running
through the members of our Company at the
moment, it’s tangible. There’s a surge of energy,
enthusiasm and commitment to helping the
disadvantaged, the old, the young, the homeless and the
disabled. Our Charity continues to be in the £100k grants
per year league. Fantastic!
As a Company we’re 30 years old, have 815 members,
shortly it will be 25 years since the grant of Livery to us by
the City of London, and thanks to Past Master Nicholas
Birtles we have a fabulous new Master's jewel.
The Master, Chris Histed
Inside this issue:
Master’s Letter
1
Industry
3
Fellowship
5
Education
6
Master’s
Installation
8-9
WCIT Charity
10
WCIT History:
Reminiscences
Series
12
Master’s Gift
14
Clerk’s Letter
16
Superlatives are often superfluous, but what a fantastic
past few weeks for WCIT and the City. Momentum and
excitement built from September’s election of Alderman
Dr Andrew Parmley at Guildhall, through to the Silent
Ceremony on November 11th, culminating in his brilliant
Lord Mayor’s Show on Saturday 12th. Congratulations to
Andrew and his wife Wendy, our very own WCIT Junior
Warden. In the Parmleys, you couldn’t find a kinder and
more caring couple. It’s great to see them at Mansion
House. Our Livery, Charity and all our members pledge
our complete support in their year leading the City.
What a great Lord Mayor’s Show it was. Firstly our cutter CITO and its crew rowed the choppy
Thames accompanying the Lord Mayor in QRB Gloriana from Westminster Pier to HMS President.
Then in the land-borne procession our joint Hammersmith Academy / Mercers’ / WCIT float made
a great show and noise - entertaining 500,000 spectators and 2 million viewers on TV.
Also, there’s been great recognition this past month for two of our Company members. WCIT Past
Master Dame Stephanie Shirley has received the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award at the IoD
Director of the Year Awards (she was Master 25 years ago – read more on pg12). And Liveryman
Tom Ilube has been voted the UK’s most influential black person in Powerlist 2017, the annual list
of Britain’s 100 most powerful people of African and African Caribbean heritage.
In this 25th anniversary year for the Livery it’s also the 25th wedding anniversary for my wife
Felicity and I. This feels good. My energies have been forged from Star Wars and motion pictures,
coding, the internet, post-punk music, literature - and the Killers song “Sam’s town” resonates with
me at this moment:
I've got this energy beneath my feet
Like something underground's gonna come up and carry me
I've got this sentimental heart that beats
But I don't really mind that it's starting to get to me.
So as Master I intend to be an enthusiastic, energetic and caring ambassador for the Company, its
Charity and our members. With humility I will continue our mission, to explore new opportunities,
seek out new challenges and new charities, and boldly go where we have not gone before.