The Company is made up of Liverymen, Freemen and Apprentices. It is governed by the Court and this is chaired by the Master. The Court comprises the Deputy Master, who is the immediate Past Master, the Senior and Junior Wardens (who are next in line to be Master), the Senior Past Master, other Past Masters, Assistants and Past Masters Emeritii. Past Masters Emeritii are those Past Masters who have chosen to retire from full participation in the Court. Assistants are those Liverymen who have been elected by the Court with the expectation that they will become Master. The Court is limited to 23 people.
The Court makes decisions based on the outcomes of the Committees shown below (details can be found here). The day to day business of the Livery is managed by the Clerk.
Organogram
Click the image to see it in more detail.
Committees
The Court is supported by a number of committees, which meet four times per year in the month before the next Court meeting. The decisions of these committees are implemented by the Clerks Office.
Charitable and Educational Trust
SIM’s Trust was funded by the founders of the company and has benefited from regular donations from Liverymen and some substantial legacy gifts. Our fund now stands at over £2M. The Trustee’s oversee the investment of our funds with the help of investment fund managers who are appointed by them.
We focus on two key things:
- Supporting the development of the craft of scientific instrument by making a number of grants and bursaries to students
- Helping Liverymen who are in need
Each Livery determines the focus of their charitable giving in line with the rules of the Charity Commission. In 2017 the 109 livery companies gave over £60M to support educational development.
The Executive Finance and General Purposes Committee
This committee monitors the business of the livery and guides the Court on financial and policy issues. It is chaired by the Master. The members of the committee are the current officers plus Honorary Treasurer and Senior Past Master Ken Reay who are appointed for three years.
SIM Hall Ltd
This is a company set up to manage SIM’s shareholding in Glaziers Hall Ltd. The officers of the company and the Honorary Treasurer plus two Past Masters who are nominated as the SIM Directors on the Glaziers Hall board.
Education Committee
This committee reports to the Trust Committee. It oversees the company’s educational activities. The committee is chaired by the Senior Warden. The Junior Warden is a member and the The Master attends ex-officio. The other members are drawn from the Livery.
Membership Development and Promotion Committee
This committee was formed in 2020 as a combination of two committees established in 2018. It looks at both what members want and how the company is portrayed to potential members and other interested parties. The committees were combined as around half of the company’s activities are open to a wider audience and the practicalities of managing these situations often overlapped. Activities include welcoming new members at dinners, Meet Us events online or in the Hall and social and technical events. It is chaired by the Junior Warden.
Membership of Court
The current Master and Warden’s were admitted on 17 October 2024. The Master, Jim Webster; Senior Warden, Jane Fishwick and the Junior Warden, Stephen O’Connor can be seen below.
These officers normally serve one year in each of the roles. The longest serving court assistant is normally elected as the new Junior Warden.
Every Spring the Court selects one new assistant from the body of the Livery. Names of Liverymen who have contributed to the work of the company and will bring useful skills to the Court are put forward via the Finance and General Purposes Committee.
The Master sits on the Court for a number of years before they take over that role. Any Liveryman can join the Court and progress to Master contingent on their regular attendance of events and contribution to the Company’s activities.
Stewards also attend the Court but do not have voting rights. The Master and Wardens each appoint a Steward for their term in office. Stewards perform a hospitality role at official functions.
Court Members
| Position | Person | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Master | Mr Jim Webster | ||
| Deputy Master | Mr Aubrey Dunford | ||
| Senior Warden | Mrs Jane Fishwick | ||
| Junior Warden | Professor Stephen O'Connor | ||
| Senior Past Master | Dr Richard Hartley | ||
| Past Masters | Mr Harry Tee, CBE | ||
| Mr Brian Fishwick | |||
| Mr Keith Etherington | |||
| Eur Ing David W Kent | |||
| Professor Tony Wilson | |||
| Mr Christopher Sawyer | |||
| Mr John Caunt | |||
| Professor Ron Summers | |||
| Mr Kenneth Sanders | |||
| Professor Ken Grattan OBE | |||
| Mr Martyn Wheatley | |||
| Mr Charles Holroyd | |||
| Professor Philip Thomas | |||
| Other Past Masters | |||
| Assistants | Mrs Elisabeth Jarvis | ||
| Prof Sanowar Khan | |||
| Mr Simon Flower | |||
| Prof Andy Augousti | |||
| Ms Sue John | |||
| Mr Michael Belton | |||
| Past Master Emeritii | Dr Ken Reay | ||
| Sir Ivor Cohen, CBE TD Hon FREng | |||
| Dr David Townsley-Hughes | |||
| Mr Brian Lowings | |||
| Stewards | Ms Allison Butcher, Deputy Master's Steward | ||
| Dr Ed Talboys, Master's Steward | |||
| Mr Tom Heywood, Sennior Warden's Steward | |||
| Dr James May, Junior Warden's Steward | |||
| Lay Assistant | Mr Jeremy Simons | ||
| Mr Jonathan Stuart | |||
| Almoner | Sue John | ||
| Clerk | Dr Misha Hebel | ||
| Honorary Chaplain | Rev'd Prebendary Jeremy Crossley | ||
| Honorary Director of Music | Mr Roger Townend | ||
| Honorary Solicitor | Mr Roger Seaton |