The Court has around 25 active members comprising the Master, four Wardens and a varying number of Assistants.
The Master and Wardens are elected from the Court and serve office for one year from August to July. After the annual election in July, a traditional Election Dinner is held at which the outgoing officers ceremoniously crown the new Master and Wardens.
It is customary for a new member called the Junior Warden to be elected to the Court each year from the Livery. After one year as a Junior Warden, he serves on Standing Committees, progressing after some years to Second Master Warden, Master Warden, and finally becomes Master.
On completing his year in office, the Master serves as Past Master on the Company’s Standing Committees. Usually, after four years, the Past Master is elected Renter Warden for one year.
Election of Master and Wardens - July 2011
Following election by the Court of Assistants, the Master and Wardens were sworn into office on 26 July 2011 and ceremonially crowned in one of the Company's oldest ceremonies at the Election dinner that evening.
Anthony Walker has been elected Master for the year ensuing. After an engineering apprenticeship with a German machine tools company, Anthony joined Tate & Lyle, specialising first in sugar production and then in export marketing and international market development, spending time also in HR and Industrial Relations roles. He retired early in 2007 and after a short break resumed work with a specialist export company selling branded British foods and also Tate & Lyle sugars and syrups all over the world.
In 1975 Anthony became a Freeman of the City of London, a Liveryman of the Drapers' Company in 1978 and a member of the Court of Assistants in 2002. He is a Drapers' Nominee on the Council of Queen Mary, University of London.
Anthony's hobbies include golf, tennis, fly-fishing, field sports, learning the guitar and writing. Anthony and Susan live in West Sussex and have a daughter, a son and two grand-daughters.
