LATEST News organisations cannot go on ‘hoping for a fair wind’
8 December 2011 News organisations need a more professional system of risk assessment, Rodney Pinder, director of the International News Safety Institute, told Reuter Society members at their AGM. They cannot go on hoping for a fair wind. INSI, an independent, non-profit, organisation dedicated to the safety of journalists and news media personnel working in areas of danger, was founded in 2003. It is now recognised as a major player in journalist safety. INSI’s London office is hosted by Thomson Reuters. In New York, it is hosted by the Associated Press. Pinder, a former Reuters foreign correspondent and news executive, retired in 2002 as global editor of Reuters Television News.
What is The Reuter Society?
The Reuter Society is a social club for anyone who has ever worked for Reuters, or Thomson Reuters, and wants to keep in touch with former colleagues. It promotes comradeship and informal contact among professionals from the business of news and financial services, communications and information technology. It brings together people with different skills and interests. Members may have worked for any branch of the group, in the UK or overseas, in editorial, finance, legal, HR, marketing, sales, technical and so on. Partners are most welcome to join in the Society’s activities.
The Society holds four regular members’ meetings a year, usually at St Bride’s Institute off Fleet Street, London. Someone with a Thomson Reuters connection is invited to talk about current company developments or about their own experience of “Life after Reuters”. Past speakers have ranged from group chief executive Tom Glocer to thriller writer Frederick Forsyth. After the talk there is a reception when members socialise. Meetings last about three hours, starting either at noon or 5:00 pm. Every two years the Society organises a group excursion. Past destinations have included Lille, Edinburgh and Geneva.
Join now!
Membership costs just £10 a year – or £120 for a lifetime subscription. CLICK the following link and print the application form.
● The Reuter Society membership application form
Membership costs just £10 a year – or £120 for a lifetime subscription. CLICK the following link and print the application form.
● The Reuter Society membership application form
Diary dates
Tuesday 6 March 2012 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm.
Thursday 7 June 2012 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
Tuesday 9 October 2012 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm.
Thursday 6 December 2012 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. AGM.
Facebook & LinkedIn groups
● CLICK to visit The Reuter Society group on Facebook
● CLICK to visit The Reuter Society group on LinkedIn
Annual general meeting
At the Society’s annual general meeting held at St Bride’s Institute off Fleet Street on Tuesday 7 December 2010, the following members of the standing committee were unanimously re-elected.
Chairman – Steve Somerville
Treasurer – Susan Ross
Secretary – Jack Clayworth
Members – Roger Gough, John Ransom, Gerry Ratzin, Phil Wardle, Reg Watts, John Woodhouse.
Barry May remains a member of the committee without re-election, having served only one year.
The AGM approved the annual accounts of the Society, presented by its auditor, David Gordon, as well as reports by the chairman and secretary. Members may request copies from the Hon. Secretary.
Origins of the Society
The Society was set up on 16 October 1990 by a group of recently retired colleagues, headed by Aleco Joannides, a veteran Reuters correspondent and manager. Its first purpose is “to preserve and continue the comradeship developed among the Members during their work for Reuters”.
The Society has 297 members. Some 80 per cent are based in the UK. The rest are scattered around the world. The membership comprises:
● Editorial 38 per cent
● Management/Administration 25 per cent
● Technical 11 per cent
● HR 9 per cent
● Financial 8 per cent
● Sales & Marketing 6 per cent
● Other 3 per cent.
Aleco Joannides the Kingmaker
Reuters was going through a change of command. Peter Job was retiring as chief executive and the search was on for a replacement. Four directors were in the running: Tom Glocer, Philip Green, David Grigson and Rob Rowley.
Michael Nelson, former general manager, suggested to Aleco Joannides, pictured, a veteran Reuters correspondent and manager who was then the Society’s founding chairman, “as a joke” that he ask the Company for the four candidates for the top job to address the Society. “He did so and to my amazement the Company agreed,” Nelson recalls.
Stephen Somerville, current chairman of the Society, remembers the 17 October 2000 meeting as a kind of “beauty contest” in which the four possible contenders for the top job all spoke to more than 100 members.
Nelson recalls: "By coincidence Raymond Snoddy, The Times media editor, telephoned me on December 6, the day of the announcement of the selection of Tom Glocer as chief executive. The reason for his call was to thank me for pointing out to him that he had misquoted John Milton’s most famous statement on freedom of the Press which was in the Areopagitica of 1644: “Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties.” We then talked about the Glocer appointment and I told him about the Reuter Society meeting. Thus the Reuter Society made The Times for the first time.”
The following day The Times reported Glocer’s appointment under the headline “Reuters appointment breaks with tradition” and said he impressed staff at a recent Reuter Society address. The break with tradition referred to Reuters’ appointment of its first non-journalist to the post of chief executive.
Snoddy wrote: “Tom Glocer, who is 41 and at present head of Reuters Information, is also the first American to take the top job. Mr Glocer's division currently generates close to half of total group revenues.
“Mr Glocer emerged as favourite to replace Peter Job, the current chief executive who retires next July, after impressing retired staff at a recent Reuters Society address.”
The Times quoted Glocer as saying he found his appointment "very gratifying". He said one of his main challenges would be to ensure that Reuters continued to evolve with technology while at the same time staying focused on customer needs. He said that the quality of the company's editorial would remain "absolutely central" to the financial services that the company provided.
“He acknowledged that Reuters had gone out of fashion for a time ‘during the dot-com era’ but in fact Mr Job had continued to concentrate on essentials such as earnings growth.
“Mr Glocer, a lawyer who once worked in mergers and acquisitions, said yesterday he was not shy about going for acquisitions but added "you see far more damage than good done by a lot of them".
“Sir Christopher Hogg, Reuters chairman, who made the choice with his fellow non-executives, said that Mr Glocer, only the ninth Reuters chief executive, had established a remarkable reputation.
"’He is smart, decisive, questioning, but tough and importantly is internationally aware and experienced,’ Sir Christopher said, conceding that the need for continuity after rapid organisational change had given internal candidates an advantage.”
Reuter Society feeds the Elephant
8 March 2011 An informal theatre workshop and a professional performance for young school children were held at the weekend at the Blue Elephant Theatre in Camberwell, London, financed by a charitable grant from The Reuter Society.
Stephen Somerville, the Society’s chairman, presented a cheque (£500) to Jo Sadler-Lovett, education officer, surrounded by applauding children sitting on the stage. They cheered enthusiastically when Somerville told them the money was donated “to feed the elephant”. He said he hoped that someday he might see at least a few of the children perform on a professional stage. He was joined for this occasion by Society members Rachel Whittaker, a magistrate in Camberwell, and Manfred Pagel, who had nominated the theatre for a grant.
The 50-minute humorous tale of adventure called “OOK! And the terrible thing that happened” featured masks, puppets and monsters. It was staged on Sunday by the Oxford-based Teatro-Saurus company, which specialises in performing plays and conducting workshops for children.
Stuart Cox, the Blue Elephant Theatre‘s education coordinator, described the event as “a fantastic opportunity for members of our Youth Theatre as they got to work with the same actors they saw performing the show the next day”.
Last October the theatre achieved wide-spread public recognition when it staged the world premiere of a play, The Cave, written in the 1950s by Mervyn Peake, author of the prize-winning novel Gormenghast. At the end of April the theatre will mark the centenary of Peake’s birth with a celebration of his plays and poetry.
Photo (L-R): Rachel Whittaker, Manfred Pagel, Jo Sadler-Lovett and Stephen Somerville with children at the Blue Elephant Theatre.
● Blue Elephant Theatre
● Teatro-Saurus
Reuter Society supports Blue Elephant
The Blue Elephant Theatre in Camberwell, south London, offers low-budget entertainment and educational projects to one of the most deprived communities in the UK. It encourages new writing and emerging actors, while working closely with local schools in the field of the arts for young people.
At the suggestion of member Manfred Pagel, the Reuter Society is making a grant of £500 to support its work.
The Society gives occasional modest grants from surplus funds to a good cause backed by a member. The causes must conform to Reuters-style rules: nothing political, militant or extremist. The member must act as Champion, reporting back on the use of the grant.
Presenting his bid for funding, Manfred said the Blue Elephant was making a valuable contribution both to fringe theatre and the local community. Founded in 1999 as a charity, it provides a stage for visiting troupes of actors. It organises youth arts programmes, dance evenings and children’s theatre. It is run by a young and committed team comprising only two full-time employees, assisted by a changing contingent of young volunteers.
“As a valuable performing arts resource, the theatre is funded mainly by the Borough of Southwark, while some other previous sponsors have unfortunately faded away in the aftermath of the international credit crunch. The actress Joanna Lumley recently agreed to become the theatre’s first patron, thus enhancing its public profile,” Manfred said.
The theatre already has a reputation for putting on innovative productions. “A few weeks ago the Blue Elephant Theatre achieved wider public recognition when it staged the world premiere of a play, The Cave, written in the 1950s by Mervyn Peake, author of the prize-winning novel Gormenghast. The text had been discovered among his papers after his death in 1968,” Manfred reported.
Reuters even wrote a story about it.
● CLICK to read more on the Blue Elephant website.
Reuter Society helps young London refugees
The Reuter Society made a grant of £500 to the charity in 2009. The money went towards holding a festival for about 50 young people from many parts of the world at a farm in Kent, where they worked on a theatre project. They now hope to tour the country with the play they have produced, called “Becoming a Londoner”.
Thanking the Reuter Society, Lucy Pearson, RefugeeYouth’s Development Officer, said: “Our Mix it Up youth-led arts events bring together young people from across London for workshops, performances, food and dancing, to share ideas and cultures, learn new skills and celebrate together.”
The Reuter Society gives occasional modest grants from surplus funds to good causes backed by its members. The initiative for supporting RefugeeYouth came from Bernard Melunsky, whose late wife Barbara founded the charity, and John Rogers, a fellow supporter.
Previous meetings and activities
25 November 2011 Michael Nelson returned to 85 Fleet Street with more than 80 Reuters people and guests for the launch of his memoirs, Castro and Stockmaster: A Life in Reuters, in the seventh floor executive offices he occupied for many of his 36 years with the company. The reception was held under the auspices of The Reuter Society.
● CLICK to go to full report, picture and video
11 October 2011 A scheduled talk by Iain Pears, former correspondent now art historian and novelist, was cancelled at the last minute due to his indisposition. Manfred Pagel stepped into the breach to tell the poignant story of Alfred Kerr (1867-1948), renowned German-Jewish author, journalist, theatre critic, editor, poet and commentator who fled Berlin in 1933 after a tip that the Nazis were about to confiscate his passport. By the end of the 1920s Kerr had transcended fame and become an institution in Germany, yet at a stroke he lost his homeland and readership there, including his high-profile editorial position at the Berliner Tageblatt daily and the comfortable lifestyle that went with it. After fleeing Germany he struggled to make an income and achieve recognition in Britain. Correspondence with George Bernard Shaw, Albert Einstein and Thomas Mann’s son Klaus was to no avail. He ended his life with an overdose of sleeping pills in post-war Hamburg.
19 September 2011 Reuters is trusted to be fast, accurate and fair but still has a way to go to be the dominant news organisation worldwide, editor-in-chief Stephen Adler told former staff members. Those at the top of Thomson Reuters want to own the world’s best news organisation and they want to invest in it, he said at a special meeting of The Reuter Society.
It is in the Trust Principles that Reuters is supposed to be the world’s best news organisation, and in the present environment, with other businesses weakening and with Reuters’ journalistic organisation strengthening, it is uniquely placed to be really powerful and really strong, Adler said.
● CLICK to read a full report on Stephen Adler’s talk
9 June 2011 At university Paul Farrelly thought the best thing was to be paid for causing trouble and that meant becoming a journalist. But he went into investment banking for six years before joining Reuters in 1990 and was a desk editor for five years. Now a member of the British parliament where he said he was also paid to cause trouble, he told members of The Reuter Society he was still a journalist at heart. He shared memories of the trade, jokes and an informed analysis of one of the most complex but important and topical issues: super-injunctions used by celebrities, sports figures and others to prevent the publication of unfavourable news. Farrelly, Labour MP for his Staffordshire hometown of Newcastle-under-Lyme, spoke on journalism, freedom and parliamentary privilege. He is a member of the House of Commons culture, media and sport select committee where he achieved fame for using privilege to undermine an infamous super-injunction in 2009. In between Reuters and his election to parliament in 2001 he worked for The Independent on Sunday for two years, then The Observer as City editor. Farrelly recalled Reuters friends no longer with us – David Nicholson, George Short and Ron Thomson – and also remembered recently retired editor Graham Hillier and former correspondent Brian Cathcart.
1 March 2011 Anthony Grey, author and publisher, shared with members of the Society an insight into how deeply his life and beliefs had been affected by his ordeal as a hostage in Peking during Mao’s Cultural Revolution. It was a striking story. In a talk entitled “From solitary in China to publishing in the digital age”, he recalled his two-year house arrest as a defining experience that gave substance to his early ambition to become a creative writer. It also led to a lifelong quest for spiritual values and some kind of enlightenment. This search in turn prompted Tony to establish himself as an independent publisher. His first aim was to publish alternative views rejected by the mainstream book industry, such as a controversial theory that the genesis of mankind was engineered by extra-terrestrials. Now he is pushing the boundaries of e-publishing. His inner journey meanwhile involved encounters with spiritualism, the Roman Catholic Church (briefly) and meditation in an Orthodox monastery in Essex. Serious themes, certainly, but lightly handled by a natural storyteller with a sense of humour. The session ended with an entertaining exchange of Chinese anecdotes between Tony, Peter Gregson and Michael Nelson.
● CLICK to browse Anthony Grey’s books in the Library.
7 December 2010 Thomson Reuters is trying to end uncertainty over discretionary increases in the two legacy UK pension plans, chief executive Tom Glocer said.
The plans – Reuters Pension Fund and the Supplementary Pension Scheme – are currently about 90 per cent funded. The company’s last major injection of funds was in 2006.
A more permanent method of increases has got to be the right approach, Glocer told members of The Reuter Society. The issue was what was a fair result. “It’s more an issue of the deficit, and an issue of what the company can contribute. It’s more an issue of what the company can do.
“I’ve told them, find some way so we don’t just leave people with uncertainty… It doesn’t sit well with me and it doesn’t sit well with Thomson colleagues as well.”
Glocer said he was mindful that there had been no inflation increase to pensions in the last two years, adding: “I care a lot about our obligations to our pensioners and all our pension plans around the world.
“We’ll do whatever we need to do,” Glocer said at the Society’s 20th anniversary meeting in London.
“It’s not some black hole that nobody cares about. I do, the finance director does, and more important, the treasurer does.”
7 October 2010 John Lowe, Reuters’ first gaijin (foreign) salesman in Japan in the 1980s, remembered coming to terms with the company’s corporate culture when he spoke to members of the Society. There was high spirited bad behaviour, he admitted. Well, appallingly bad behaviour at sales conferences particularly. It was a period of “almost unmanageable expansion” leading up to the flotation of Reuters on the London Stock Exchange. Trained as a chartered accountant, Lowe was later appointed UK sales manager. “I miss all my friends in Reuters,” he said, “but we had the best days.”
Some 70 members of The Reuter Society and guests toured the seventh floor board room with its view east to St Paul's Cathedral, the former managing director's office and the rotunda. The floor is now occupied by a law firm.
The tour followed a talk by John Entwisle, Thomson Reuters group archivist, on the iconic building and its architect, Sir Edwin Lutyens.
Reuters moved into the Portland Stone building in July 1939 and remained there until June 2005 when it sold the property and moved its corporate headquarters to Canary Wharf.
After the Society’s return visit, memories of some of the idiosyncracies of the landmark building and those who worked there were recounted by Michael Nelson, Manfred Pagel, John Ransom, Anne Sebba and Stephen Somerville.
Photo: Diana Drayton (Reuters 1948-1988), formerly administrative assistant to the executive committee, pictured in the panelled 7th floor rotunda.
4 March 2010 Peter Millar roundly entertained members of the Society with a hilarious, high-speed gallop through his international career as journalist and writer, in a talk entitled “Making History (and making it up)”. He described how he learned some essentials of his craft in the Dave Goddard school of imaginative editing, on Reuters old World Desk, skills which he later practised at the Sunday Telegraph and Sunday Times. Introducing his latest book, 1989 The Berlin Wall – My Part in its Downfall, Peter described how, years after his time as a Reuters correspondent in East Berlin, he was allowed to see his Stasi secret police files. His reaction? Surprised that they missed so much, particularly his late-night forays to meet his best contacts in a neighbourhood bar.
● CLICK to browse Peter Millar’s books in the Library.
10 December 2009 Immediately after the AGM the speaker was Lesley Chamberlain, writer and former Reuters journalist (1977-1986). With titles like The Philosophy Steamer: Lenin and the Exile of the Intelligentsia, Nietzsche in Turin, and The Secret Artist: A Close Reading of Sigmund Freud among her 11 books, Lesley Chamberlain is, by her own account, a cerebral writer whose natural habitat is the Times Literary Supplement. Perhaps it was inevitable, then, that after nine years with Reuters that included a life-changing spell as a trainee correspondent in Moscow she should choose an independent literary career. Speaking at the Society’s annual general meeting on Leaving the Baron – a Different Way of Writing, Chamberlain said her interview for a place on the graduate journalist training scheme in 1977 had not gone well. “I wasn’t used to being doubted,” she confessed. Nevertheless, she was hired and found Reuters a great education and a wonderful way of learning how to get about the world. “What I owe to Reuters was that I was able to hide behind various styles of writing.”
● CLICK to browse Lesley Chamberlain’s books in the Library.
6 October 2009 Jon Henderson So many sporting anecdotes, so much unrestrained laughter – sports writer Jon Henderson kept everyone entertained at the Society’s 75th meeting. “A whole lot of balls” was his theme and "Hendo" (Reuters 1969-1989) ranged over his coverage of sports from Olympic Games to England cricket tours to boxing. He left Reuters in July 1989 to join the about-to-be-launched Sunday Correspondent, which soared and then nosedived in the space of 14 months, after which he joined The Observer, finally taking voluntary redundancy after 19 years on 30 June 2009 to write more books to add to his Best of British: Hendo's Sporting Heroes and The Last Champion: The Life of Fred Perry. The latter has been long-listed for a literary prize. He remains captain of The Observer cricket team.
● CLICK to browse Jon Henderson’s books in the Library.
4 June 2009 The Reuter Society held its first “no talk” social gathering at St Bride’s Institute off Fleet Street. Due to an unfortunate misunderstanding over dates, the scheduled speaker, writer Lesley Chamberlain, was unable to attend. In the absence of a talk, the bar was opened early in the evening and members put into practice the prime purpose of the Society: good fellowship. We hope Lesley will be able to speak at another Society meeting before long.
30 April-2 May 2009 Geneva Jaunt The Society held a convivial “away” event in Geneva, attended by up to 60 members and guests.
The three-day programme, expertly organised by ex-Reuters residents, took advantage of the varied attractions of Switzerland's most international city. It was the Society's third biennial excursion, after Edinburgh (2007) and Lille (2005).
First item on the agenda, on the Thursday evening, was a lakeside banquet at the Hotel de la Paix, close to the city centre. The visitors, 40 strong, came mainly from the UK, with some notable exceptions from further afield: John Albanie, HM Hon. Consul for Grenada, with his wife Maureen, Gerard and Silvia Baverey from Cognac, Iain Smith from Portugal and John Stephens from Paris/Italy. The 'local' contingent of 20 former Reuterians and partners included Jean-Claude and Maya Marchand as well as the members of the Geneva Organising Committee (GOC): Bob Evans, Marcus Ferrar and Mary Talbot, who made it all happen (Hans Ouwerkerk was an early member of the GOC but had to drop out due to family reasons).
The dinner speaker was Keith Rockwell, Director, Information and External Relations Division of the World Trade Organisation in Geneva, who gave us a challenging but none too cheerful assessment of the future of the international news media.
On the Friday morning the visitors enjoyed a rare, mind-boggling guided tour of CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, a science fiction establishment on the French-Swiss border where microscopic physical particles are accelerated around a 27-kilometre underground tunnel until they are forced to collide, in the interests of the most advanced nuclear research. CERN is, incidentally, a key setting for the new Dan Brown film, 'Angels and Demons', and another recent visitor was Tom Hanks.
The Reuter Society group moved on by coach to the Red Cross Museum on the heights above Geneva, for lunch and a guided tour, and then re-grouped in the evening just across the border in France for a gastronomic treat at Bob and Doodie Evans' local brasserie, L'Insolite.
Saturday morning was devoted to a walkabout tour of Geneva's Old Town led by a knowledgeable and entertaining guide, an American lady resident in Geneva for over 30 years. The programme concluded that evening with a Stragglers' Dinner at a new restaurant called Créations-Sensations, recently launched by two ex-Reuters colleagues, Nathalie and Malcolm Hyde, who opened it especially to welcome the 23 survivors. "Judging by the quality of the meal, we can understand why it is very successful with Geneva bankers," one of the diners commented.
Footnote: The impeccable organisation of the event was complemented by splendid weather throughout.
● CLICK to view photos of the Geneva jaunt on the People page.
3 March 2009 John Jessop talked about his recently published book, Tales from the South Pier – “a riveting read” (in his own words) about his adventures in the financial services business, from traffic clerk and financial journalist at Reuters to chief executive of rival Telerate.
Jessop said his motive in writing the book had been to explore the role of human foibles in the rise and fall of business enterprises, set in the context of technological revolution: an anecdotal approach rather than another corporate history.
In a talk as entertaining as the book, Jessop described how the idea for it came, of course, out of a long lunch at El Vino with other Reuters veterans. And the title? His first boss at Reuters, in the Day Markets Section of the economic services, used to end each working day with the catchphrase: “And that, ladies and gentlemen, concludes today’s entertainment from the South Pier.”
2 December 2008 Henry Manisty, global head of government and regulatory affairs - Marrying the MD’s Secretary, and other Reuter survival techniques. Henry Manisty’s four lessons for survival learned during a career that has taken him on assignment from London to Buenos Aires, Geneva, Lisbon, Brussels and Hong Kong:
● You need supporters in high places.
● Train as a barrister but don’t continue as a barrister.
● Find a problem where you can sound as though you are indispensable.
● Marry the MD’s secretary.
9 October 2008 Herbie Skeete - What they didn’t teach you on Reuters Management Courses. This included choosing the wine at job interviews, making up your own job description, the art of writing memos, how to do your expenses, being resourceful in order to get things done, and having fun, according to an amusing account given by Herbie Skeete, who joined Reuters in 1978 and progressed from development and marketing to become an expert on exchanges. He left in 2005 and founded Mondo Visione, publisher of specialist exchanges information. He is the company’s managing director.
5 June 2008 Michael Blair - Life After Reuters: an entrepreneur in Africa. When Michael Blair, journalist turned business manager, went to Africa in 1996 to build a continent-wide telecommunications company for multinational corporations he intended to sell it after five years. Instead, he stayed for 12 years and sold it last year for $37.5 million.
He attributes the secret of his success to quality. "Quality is what we offered. That's what they paid for," he told members of The Reuter Society at its 70th meeting in London on 5 June.
Blair joined Reuters as a sub-editor on the North American Desk in London in 1966 and left in 1985 as manager, Northern Region, Latin America and the Caribbean.
"My business life was a lot of fun," he said. "I owe many things to a lot of (Reuters) people."
When his Ghana-based business – GS Telecom – was bought by Gateway Communications of the UK and South Africa in May 2007, revenue for the year was forecast at $48 million and the company employed 250 people providing services in 37 countries.
Blair and his wife Vivien, who was business manager for eight years, are now resident in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada.
11 March 2008 John Makinson, Chairman and Chief Executive, The Penguin Group.
5 December 2007 The Society’s annual general meeting was followed by a talk given by John Kampfner, editor of the New Statesman, on “Life after Blair: how has it changed for the public and media alike?”.
21 November 2007 Tom Glocer spoke at a special meeting on the Thomson-Reuters “combination”.
4 October 2007 Martyn Broughton, editor of Reuters AlertNet, on “Reuters Gift to Disaster Relief” on the occasion of AlertNet’s 10th anniversary.
20 June 2007 Lady Brenda Maddox, former Reuters desk editor, on memories of Fleet Street.
26 April 2007 (Edinburgh) James Boyle.
8 March 2007 John Morrison, author of the satirical work Anthony Blair, Captain of School, by an Old Boy.
6 December 2006 Annual general meeting followed by Dr Sarmila Bose, director of Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford, introduced by Rosemary Martin, Reuters general counsel and director of corporate social responsibility.
6 October 2006 Nick White on his exploit in cycling from Land’s End to the top of the Shetland Islands for charity.
21 June 2006 Paul Mylrea, Director of media relations for Transport for London, on his role in explaining some of Mayor Ken Livingstone’s more controversial policies – from the Congestion Charge to the Bendy Bus – and backing London’s Olympic bid.
2 March 2006 Tom Thomson and Scott Thornton on their post-Reuters experiences, from strings (Thomson is chairman of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra) to spin (Thornton’s company, Scot PR, has been voted Scotland’s top independent public relations consultancy).
6 December 2005 Niall Fitzgerald
6 October 2005 Michela Wrong
22 June 2005 Adrienne Farrell and Peter Jackson
6 April 2005 (Lille) Bob Taylor
2 March 2005 Peter Montagnon
2 December 2004 Frederick Forsythe
6 October 2004 Jeremy Penn
10 June 2004 Isabel Grindal, Barry Moody and Alex Smith
11 March 2004 Andrew Gowers
1 December 2003 Tom Glocer
6 October 2003 Sir Christopher Hogg
16 June 2003 Paddy Coulter
16 May 2003 (special meeting on pensions) David Grigson
12 May 2003 Geert Linnebank
5 December 2002 Alexander Chancellor
9 October 2002 John Albanie
11 June 2002 Patrick Mannix
7 March 2002 Tom Thomson
29 November 2001 Sir Peter Job
18 October 2001 Pehr Gyllenhammar introduced by Michael Reupke
12 June 2001 Godfrey Hodgson
7 March 2001 Michael Nelson
7 December 2000 Michael Bland
17 October 2000 Jonathan Fenby and Reuters board directors Tom Glocer, Philip Green, David Grigson, Rob Rowley
14 June 2000 Doon Campbell and Anthony Grey
9 March 2000 Mark Wood
8 December 1999 Sandy Gall
7 October 1999 Robert Etherington
21 June 1999 David Ure
4 March 1999 Ros Wilton
9 December 1998 David Sells
8 October 1998 Jacqueline Reed
16 June 1998 Christopher Roper
11 March 1998 John Suchet
11 December 1997 Anne Sebba
8 October 1997 Stephen Somerville
3 July 1997 Mark Brayne
18 March 1997 Anthony Grey
10 December 1996 Mark Wood
16 October 1996 David Chipp
23 July 1996 Derek Prag
21 March 1996 Shahe Gubenlian
13 December 1995 Michael Sanderson
10 October 1995 Bruce Russell
20 July 1995 Stephen Somerville
29 March 1995 Robert Elphick
13 December 1994 Jonathan Fenby
11 October 1994 Peter and Elfi Johnson, Fiona Fleck
19 July 1994 David Chipp, Geoff Weetman and David Schlesinger
29 March 1994 Enrique Jara, Hans Ouwerkerk and Geoff Chapman
9 December 1993 Elizabeth de Mauny and Donald Read
18 October 1993 David Morgan
14 June 1993 John Earle, Jonathan Fenby, Mark Wood, Hugh Pain, Kurt Schork and Paul Holmes
24 March 1993 Robert Elphick and Alan Paterson
8 December 1992 AGM
16 September 1992 David Chipp
18 June 1992 Mark Wood
25 March 1992 David Rogers, Harvey Morris and Patrick Searle
19 November 1991 Peter Job
29 August 1991 Derek Jameson
26 February 1991 Robert Evans
16 October 1990 Donald Read
