The Master 

Jonathan Soar: Master

Jonathan is an ICT consultant, mentor and a qualified executive coach. He has spent over twenty years in the Information Technology industry at director level, mostly involved within the banking sector.

Since 2003, Jonathan has provided consultancy services on a freelance basis and is also an Associate Director of both St. Andrews Management Institute (SAMI) Consulting and Professional Coaching International (PCI). PCI offers high quality coaching and mentoring services to senior executives and teams in London, Paris and Abu Dhabi.

Jonathan graduated from City University, London in 1987 with a BSc (Honours) in Philosophy and Economics, and is a Member of the British Computer Society. He initially trained as a software engineer, working at a central London software house, before moving into sales for the company's Banking and Finance Division.

In 1990, with two former colleagues, he started a City of London-based computer consultancy, Iconics, which specialised in writing bespoke software systems for international investment banks and providing related IT consultancy services for the next thirteen years. He has hands-on experience of sales, operations, finance and management, particularly in the context of running a small business.

Jonathan joined the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists (WCIT), the 100th Livery Company of the City of London, in 1994. He served on the Events Panel from 1995 to 2006; as Secretary for 8 years, then as Chairman. During its time, the Panel organised over sixty fascinating and unique trips and visits for WCIT Freemen and Liverymen to places of interest in and around London. He was also Executive Chairman and a trustee of the WCIT's Charitable Operations company from 2006 to 2010, which had responsibility for allocating funds from the Company's Charity.

The Wardens
 

Senior Warden: Michael Grant

Michael recently retired from the position of Clerk to the Information Technologists’ Company. Amongst his other duties as a Warden, Michael represents the ITC as a member of the Financial Services Group, alongside eleven other modern Livery Companies who jointly assist the Lord Mayor by providing access to expertise and experience for the planning of his many visits across the world.

Michael frequently attends State and other visits to the City, dressed in his armour, as a Pikeman of the Company of Pikemen and Musketeers, the Lord Mayor’s private bodyguard. He is also an Honoury Freeman of the Guild of Public Relations Practitioners. He can also often be seen either as Chairman of IT conferences on both sides of the Atlantic or as a Master of Ceremonies at such industry events as the eGovernment Awards and the Intellect Annual Ball.

During his career Michael has managed his own European IT recruitment company, spent some twenty five years as International Marketing or Corporate Communications VP/Director for such companies as Prime Computer, Commodore, Lotus Development, ICL and Gateway, and as an Advertising and PR consultant for Wang. During this period he has spent time living in Boston USA, Dublin and Australia.

Junior Warden: Michael Webster

Michael qualified as a solicitor in the 60s and became a partner in 1972 of Rowe & Maw, now the tenth largest firm in the world operating under the name: Mayer Brown LLP.    At the time when 3i was still  a funder of early stage companies, Michael became their London Panel external lawyer.  In parallel with his corporate finance work for technology companies, Michael was  one of an early group of UK lawyers developing a practice in the emergent IT sector, concentrating on computer law, software development, licensing, distribution and outsourcing. He became a member of the educational body, The Society of Computers and the Law, a founder member of The Computer Law Group established in 1983 and was a regular attender at the Computing Services & Software Association (now Intellect) annual conferences. 

He retired from practising as a lawyer in the City of London (with K&L Gates LLP) in January 2009, but continues through the regional law firm SA Law LLP, base in St. Albans to provide legal services to the IT business community with a growing portfolio of early stage and SME client companies. 

Michael, who joined the Worshipful Company in 1994, and has been a long-term member of the Recreation & Leisure Panel as well as being involved at the outset with the Entrepreneurship Panel, on whose Steering Group he serves. He is also  a member of the Audit Committee of the Company . He was intimately  involved in the company’s  incorporation of by Royal Charter, an exercise to which he devoted in excess of 3 years on a pro bono basis, culminating in the memorable celebrations following the  St. Pauls service of dedication, at the Mansion House in May 2010.

Panels Warden: Nicholas (Nic) Birtles

Nic has been in the IT industry for over 40 years, and has ben involved in Sales, Marketing and Management of Enterprise Software for over 30. After growing up in Germany (while his father was staioned there) Nic attended secondary school in Hull and Manchester University. He began his career as a programmer and analyst before moving into Sales and Sales Management, where he worked his way up to run European Operations for a number of major companies.  During this time he grew the International Operations of Ingres from revenues of zero as a start up to over £100M pa. Nic was then appointed Head of Worldwide Sales and Operations at GUPTA and moved to Silicon Valley for 8 years, going on to become Chief Exeutive of Constellar, which was sold to DataMirror Corp in 2000. Nic has also been a Council Member of Intellect and the IT Association of America.

Nic is Chairman of Konetic, which provides Internet based eRecruitment, Processing Software and Services, Agena, an early stage company that provides Risk Assessment & Modelling Software for large Defense and Transportation projects, Positive Image, which provides unique personalised video editing capabilities and enables sales and marketing staff to improve their inteaction with clients, and Music Balloon, which provides a new capability for the Music and Creative Arts sectors to improve marketing to their fans through a unique CRM system.

Ken Olisa OBE: Deputy Master

Ken is the immediate Past Master and has been a Freeman of the Company since 1996. He oversaw the completion of the Hammersmith Academy, the first WCIT school.

Ken started his IT career as an IBM scholar at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. He worked for IBM and Wang before founding Interregnum, the technology merchant bank, in 1992. His charitable and public service work includes chairman of homeless charity, the Thames Reach; chairman of leadership charity, Powerlist Foundation; Trustee of BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT and chairman of its Policy & Public Affairs Board; and serving as a member of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) with responsibility for MPs' pay, pensions and expenses.

Ken retired from Interregnum in 2006 and now heads boutique technology merchant bank – Restoration Partners.

He is currently a Director of Thomson Reuters where he is a member of the Audit Committee. In addition he serves on the Board of, or is an adviser to, several privately held and innovative companies including Independent Audit, paythru and Thebes. He was awarded an OBE for services to London's homeless in 2010.

Past Masters and Members of Court

Founder Master

Barney Gibbens, OBE

Past Masters

Charles Hughes (2009/10)

Jo Connell DL (2008/09)

David Morriss (2007/08)
Colin Knight (2006/07)
John Leighfield CBE (2005/06)
Roger Graham OBE (2004/05)
Campbell McGarvie (2003/04)
Peter Morgan MBE (2002/03)
John C Carrington (2001/02)

Sir Frederick Crawford DL* (2000/01)
Peter Cropper* (1999/2000)
Tricia Drakes* (1998/99)
David Mann* (1997/98)
Keith Arnold OBE* (1995/97)
Ric Ganisborough Foote OBE* (1994/95)
Sir Brian Jenkins GBE* (1993/94)
Peter Monson* (1992/93)
Dame Stephanie Shirley DBE* (1991/92)
Alan Benjamin OBE (1990/91)
Robin A Laidlaw* (1989/90)
Dr Alan Rousell* (1988/99)
Sir Robert Reid*

* Not on Court

Court Assistants

Roger Ellis

Dr Stefan Fafinski

Chris Histed

Tom Ilube
Wendy Parmley

Lawrence Phillips
Dr John Riley

Alderman David Wootton
 

Hon Court Assistant

Mike Warburg

Honorary Treasurer

Colin Black

Court Liverymen

Tom Abram
Alistair Fulton

Graham French
Andrew Hubbard
Ray Long
Kerri Mansfield
Gary Moore

Geoff Morris

John O'Connell
Mike Williams
 

WCIT Charity (Charity No: 1113488)

Directors
John Carrington (Chairman)

Nicholas Birtles

Dr Stefan Fafinski

Paul Fullagar*

Bert Morris*
Jane E Tozer OBE*
Rupert Tate*

Clerk's Office – Administrative Team

Clerk
Mike Jenkins

Assistant Clerk
Zoe Rich

Finance Manager
Rachel Gayle

Office Assistant
Elaine Taylor

Charity Administrator
Louise Timothy

Master of Ceremonies

Jamie Wallis

Honorary Almoner
Keith Arnold OBE (Past Master)

Honorary Historian
Joan M Smith

Hon Regalia Officer
Roger Ellis

Assistant Honorary Treasurer
Tony Moore

Honorary Chaplain
The Reverend Dr Martin Dudley CC

Honorary Archivist
John Poulter