The Worshipful Company of Innholders - Professional Event Hosting London

Sir Robert Finch

Master 2009 – 2010

I first came to the City of London in 1963 when I was apprenticed to my uncle, John Ferrar, as an Articled Clerk in the solicitor's firm Monro Pennefather of Cannon Street. We were all paid Ł5 a week with a little extra for lunch; great ingenuity was needed to find our lunch venues, either in Southwark or in the labyrinth of lanes in and around Cannon Street. Thus started my City career and they were happy times.

I qualified as a solicitor in late 1968 and joined Linklaters, subsequently becoming partner in their real estate practice in 1974. I undertook a wide variety of national and international transactions for City institutions, property companies and banks and was lucky enough to travel extensively, particularly to the USA, Japan and the Middle East; we worked on a variety of acquisitions, financings and some of the larger schemes which began to emerge in the 80s in the City of London. Further, as head of their real estate practice in the 90s, I formed part of the firm's policy group which started its real push into Europe, the Far East and the USA as the firm increasingly became international in scope. I retired from the firm in 2005 after 36 very fulfilling years.

One of the projects we worked on – the development of the Royal Mint (next to the Tower of London) – started my 'other' City career. Michael Cassidy, then Chairman of the Planning Committee in Guildhall, as my 'opposing' lawyer, suggested I might like to stand in the Aldermanic vacancy in Coleman Street as a successor to Lady Donaldson. I did so and won the contested election in 1991. Subsequently I went on to serve the City as Sheriff in 1999 and Lord Mayor in 2003/04. As Alderman I sat on the City Planning Committee for eight years and now sit on its Policy Committee. I am a member of the Courts of the HAC, King Edward's School Witley and Christ's Hospital School, Horsham and became Honorary Colonel of 31st City of London Signal Regiment in 2008. These appointments have propelled me towards St Paul's Cathedral, where I Chair its Endowment Trust, Morden College in Blackheath, St Luke's Foundation, the London Symphony Orchestra's sponsored Education Trust which I Chair and I am closely involved in St Paul's School.

My Livery interests also show me as a Past Master of the Solicitors' Company and an Honorary Liveryman of the Leathersellers, the Chartered Surveyors, the Chartered Architects and an Honorary Freeman of the Environmental Cleaners.

Since I left Linklaters I have taken a number of appointments. I remain on the Council of Lloyds; I am Chairman of the Royal Brompton and Harefield Foundation Trust – the Hospital Foundation – and I am Chairman of the Mall Fund. They keep me busy!! Our year in the Mansion House was, 2 like all Mayoralties, frenetic, with a full programme of City and Foreign events. I received the Premier of China, the Presidents of Finland, Poland and Latvia in London and acted as host of the Accession Celebrations. I led delegations to some 33 countries including China, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland, France, Egypt, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Jordan, USA, Canada, Holland, Norway, Finland and 8 of the Accession Countries.

Although these events were tumultuous we had fun – seeing the final of the track events in Athens, lunching with the Swiss and Swedish Generals at the border of North and South Korea, walking a part of the Great Wall of China and working hard for our charity under the banner 'Music and the Arts for Everyone'.

I hope that this final year in office as Master Innholder will allow me to bring many years' working in the City on professional and civic duties to the benefit of the Innholders. I will be joined by my wife Patricia, herself a Liveryman of the Gardeners' Company, and our daughters Alexandra and Isabel, although Isabel will be long distance from Sydney.

My early introduction in the early 1970s by Liveryman Graham Hudson and Past Master Mathews, whose love of beer is annually remembered at the William Austin and Florence Balls dinner, will now be put to the test!! The Innholders have been extraordinarily generous over the years to my causes. It would be good to try and repay a small part of that generosity.