Introducing the Master for 2024 - 2025
15 July 2024
Each July the Company's Master and Wardens change, a handover process that goes back centuries. The annual rotation of Masters empowers the most senior members of the membership to be at the coal face of the Company's work: ensuring that it continues to fulfill its duties in Fraternity, Education, and Philanthropy and remains connected with those across the membership and wider Merchant Taylor networks.
The role of Master is all-consuming, and so Wardens offer their support, sitting across the Company's committees alongside him and providing robust support to ensure his ambitions are affected throughout the year.
Find out more about the Master and Wardens below:
The Master Duncan Eggar
Duncan holds a degree from the University of Nottingham and is a Chartered Civil Engineer. In his early career, he was involved in major UK infrastructure projects, including the National Theatre, railway bridges, a deep water iron ore and coal import jetty, the Thames Barrier, and Heathrow Terminal 4.
Moving to BP he oversaw the design, construction, installation, and maintenance of several offshore oil and gas platforms, including a 3-year posting to New Zealand. He then moved to engineering for and management of global aviation fuels operations that included a 2 year posting to southern Africa. His final phase at BP was focused on strategic planning for a sustainable future and included a major project with Tsinghua University.
On leaving BP he championed bioenergy research for the UK Research Councils for 5 years.
Duncan was admitted to the Livery in 1982, to the Court in 2008 and was Master in 2018/19. He chaired the Almshouse committee at the time of the redevelopment. He has been a Governor of Merchant Taylors’ School for 13 years, the last four as Chairman.
Duncan is married to Annie. They live in a village in the northern Chilterns. Between them, they have six children and 13 grandchildren.
First Upper Warden Chris Hare
Educated at Dover College, Chris started in the City after leaving school joining the Lloyd’s insurance market in 1968 where he remained until retirement.
He was governor of Dover College from 1982 and Chairman from 1994 until he retired in 2007. Chris was also a governor of Merchant Taylors’ School, Northwood for many years retiring as Chairman in 2020.
Chris was a founding director of PRO Syndicate Management Ltd. a subsidiary of the Swiss Re and is currently a Non-Executive Director of Resolute Syndicate Management Ltd.
He and his wife, Jane, live in Fulham and have one daughter; Rebecca, and two sons, Nicholas and Julian, all members of the Livery.
Second Upper Warden Sir William Worsley
William is the Chair of the Forestry Commission. He was the Government’s National Tree Champion and was Chair of the National Forest Company. He is a Lay Canon and a member of the Chapter of York Minster.
He is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Royal Agricultural Societies and a Professional member of the Institute of Chartered Foresters. He is a Deputy Lieutenant of North Yorkshire.
He is a former President of the CLA, the representative organisation of the rural economy, and is also the former Honorary Colonel of the Yorkshire Squadron of the Queens Own Yeomanry.
He is passionate about forestry and the environment and his woods at Hovingham have won many awards for forestry and conservation. His other interests are art and architecture, and he is a keen collector of pictures.
Married to Marie-Noelle they have three children and live between London and North Yorkshire.
Upper Renter Warden Lady Annie Harding
After a BA (Hons) degree from Melbourne University and a Master’s degree at London Business School, Annie joined Levi Strauss Northern Europe.
From manufacturing, she moved into retail with the John Lewis Partnership.
Annie became a director of the new inward investment agency set up by London First to promote London Internationally She was a board member of the Korea Action Group, DTI, and the Kings’ Fund Task Force on Inner City Care for the Elderly.
Annie was invited to become Chief Executive of the corporate networking company, Agenda, a non-executive director of a private bank, and a consultant advising senior executives on their next career path.
Annie has been a patron of the Loomba Trust, educating the children of poor widows in India, and a trustee of the Shakespeare Schools’ Festival. Through Merchant Taylors’, she was chair of governors at both St Saviour’s & St Olave’s School and St John’s Prep School.
Annie’shusband Christopher was on the Court when they met and was her introduction to the Company. Their daughter Emily is now a Freeman. Annie is now married to David Walker and has a significant total of 5 step-children and 15 step-grandchildren.
Under Renter Warden David Jackson
David was educated at Merchant Taylors’ School, Northwood, and Bristol University where he studied law. David spent his career as an in-house lawyer concluding with 16 years as the Company Secretary of BP, where he was also a trustee of the BP Pension Fund.
David has served as the Rear Commodore House and Finance of the Royal Thames Yacht Club and has recently retired as a Governor of St. Edwards Oxford. He is currently on the Advisory Board of the Institute of Business Ethics.
David has served as a Trustee of Merchant Taylors’ Foundation and on the Charities Committee where he was involved in the creation of the Foundation’s Proactive Strategy. He chaired the Working Group that reviewed the Company’s Governance.
David and Sue have three children, George, Will, and Lil.
