One of the great joys of being part of a Livery company is the sense of community and belonging. There are plenty of ways to get involved, affording fantastic opportunities to build out your business network and make new friends.
Our People
We are governed by the Court, which consists of the annually-elected Master, Senior and Junior Wardens, Past Masters and Court Assistants.
The Court is supported by a number of Committees.
Our Master for the year 2026/27 is Derek Newton
After 42 years of actuarial work, Derek retired from full-time activity in 2025.
He started his actuarial career at the Prudential in 1983, initially, as a Life Actuary before, in 1994, moving over to general insurance work, where he remained. Apart from Prudential, Derek also worked for EY, for Heath Lambert and, from 2003, for Milliman. For the last 15 years of his career, Derek led Milliman’s general insurance consulting business in the UK, working primarily in the UK but also in the US, Europe and Asia.
Derek sat for twelve years on the General Insurance Board of the Institute & Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA), and was its Chair for several years. He was a member of IFoA Council for five years and has led various IFoA committees and working parties. He was a regular speaker at actuarial conferences and authored various actuarial papers and articles.
Away from matters actuarial, Derek has a wide range of interests, foremost of which are football (Brentford and England), music (eclectic, but The Beatles and Bruce Springsteen feature prominently) and history (especially concerning the City of London).
Our Senior Warden is Jane Curtis
Jane joined the Company in 2013. A Fellow of the IFoA Jane has played a leading role in the actuarial profession. She is a Past President of the IFoA, where she was the first woman to hold the role, and has contributed over many years to professional education, standards, regulation and ethics. In 2025, she was awarded the Finlaison Medal in recognition of her outstanding service to the profession.
Alongside her executive and advisory career as a Senior Partner in Aon’s Retirement Solutions business Jane has held senior non-executive and trustee roles. She is currently a Non-Executive Director within the Insurance Wealth and Retirement business of Aviva having held a similar position prior to that with Lloyds Banking Group. She also chairs the trustee board of Aon’s own multi-billion-pound pension scheme.
Our Junior Warden is Paul McNamara
Paul joined the Company in 2016 and became a member of Court and Chair of the Membership & Engagement Committee in 2022. He serves as an independent non-executive director or adviser to a number of financial services companies and is a Chartered Fellow of the IFoA, a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries in Ireland and a Life Fellow of the RSA.
Our Clerk to the Company is Alexandra Hayward
Alex is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Company.
Alex is a Liveryman, and a member of Court, of both the Worshipful Company of Feltmakers and the Worshipful Company of Nurses.
email: clerk@actuariescompany.co.uk
Assistant Clerk - Paula Coleman
Paula assists the Clerk with administrative duties and formal events and brings the skills she has as a graphic designer.
email:office@actuariescompany.co.uk
Beadle - Janice Scott
Janice joined us in January 2025 after 40 years service in the Royal Navy.
She works to support the Clerk and serve the Master at the formal functions held throughout the year.
Past Masters of the Company are;
1979-80 Mr Geoffrey Heywood, MBE *
1980-81 Mr Harry Oram, TD *
1981-82 Mr Henry Cottrell *
1982-83 Mr George Ross-Goobey *
1983-84 Mr Ken Burton *
1984-85 Mr Leonard Hall *
1985-86 Mr Randall Haigh *
1986-87 Mr Max Lander *
1987-88 Mr Derek Millard *
1988-89 Mr Peter Moody, CBE *
1989-90 Mr Peter Parker, TD *
1990-91 Mr Peter Turvey
1991-92 Mr Ken Ayers, MBE*
1992-93 Mr Roger Corley, CBE
1993-94 Mr Alan Hall *
1994-95 Mr John Simon *
1995-96 Mr Fraser Low
1996-97 Mr Marshall Field, CBE
1997-98 Mr Richard Hawkes
1998-99 Mr Alan Fishman
1999-00 Mr Solomon Green
2000-01 Mr Peter Esslemont *
2001-02 Mr Peter Derby *
2002-03 Mr Robin Michaelson *
2003-04 Mr Huw Wynne-Griffith
2004-05 Mr Alan Frost, DL
2005-06 Mr Jeremy Goford *
2006-07 Mr Robert Thomas *
2007-08 Mr Chris Ide *
2008-09 Mr Andrew Benke
2009-10 Mr A Waddingham, CBE
2010-11 Mr Graham Clay
2011-12 Mr John Lockyer
2012-13 Mr Bill Smith
2013-14 Mr Charles Cowling
2014-15 Mr Martin Miles
2016-17 Mrs Sally Bridgeland
2017-18 Mr Nick Dumbreck
2018-19 Mr Nick Salter
2019-20(Dec) Miss Fiona Morrison
2020-22 Ms Julie Griffiths
2022-23 Mr Keith Jones
2023-24 Mr Rodney Jagelman
2024-25 Mr Gordon Sharp
2025-26 Mrs Emma McWilliam - Immediate Past Master
* sadly deceased
Volunteering
The Livery Companies provide tens of thousands of volunteer hours each year across a wide spectrum of activities. If you’d like to take part, please follow the links below to find out more about the projects that we are currently supporting:
Newham 6th Form Collegiate
This school in the East End of London has an inspiring Head, who is keen to expose his pupils to talks from a wide range of maths-related speakers. Contact Gary Simmons of the Education & Professional Affairs Committee if you’d like to get involved.
Livery Schools Link
This pan-Livery organisation seeks speakers and mentors from the Livery Companies for schoolchildren. You can find out more here.
Our Past Projects include:
- Royal Institution Financial Maths Masterclass
- Sheriffs’ Challenge
- Superbloom
- Spitalfields City Farm
Socialising
There is also the annual Master’s weekend away and regular, varied get-togethers. Recent events include climbing the O2, a ski-trip, picnicking on a canal boat and visits to Bletchley Park and the V&A’s Mary Quant exhibition.
We hold monthly zoom socials, a popular legacy from the dark COVID days when our dynamic programme of Thursday evening virtual socials became the highlight of the week for many of us. We are very proud of the strong sense of belonging and camaraderie these promoted.
You can find our programme of upcoming events here.
We have a vibrant social community, centred around formal quarterly Livery Dinners which are hosted in the City’s majestic Livery halls, the highlight being the Company's annual Banquet at the Mansion House.