Master & Wardens Election 2024

On 21 November 2024 the Company’s new Master and Wardens were elected for the ensuing year.

They are:

The Master

Sir William Russell

William has over thirty years’ experience in the financial and business sectors of the City, including holding senior positions in the national and international banking sector. In 1987 he went to work for the First Boston Corporation before joining Merrill Lynch in 1992 as an Investment Banker in Institutional Equity Sales, working in Asia, New York and London. William is currently Chair of CDAM, a London-based Asset Management business; co-Chair of the UK-China Green Finance Taskforce with Dr Ma Jun, and a non-executive Director to Augmentum Fintech Investment Trust.

William took office as the 692^nd Lord Mayor of the City of London in November 2019. To ensure continuity of leadership during the COVID-19 outbreak, he remained in office until November 2021. William is a past Governor of Haberdashers’ School for Girls, Haberdashers’ Adams Grammar School and Haberdashers’ Abraham Darby.  He served as Sheriff of the City of London from 2016-17.

First Warden

Anthony Cann

Anthony started as a trainee at Linklaters and finished up his time there as their worldwide Senior Partner (Chair).

Having spent 6+ years in NY office specialising in Corporate, M & A, and finance law, he later headed up the Corporate Department, leading the negotiations on the firm's European mergers and eventually been elected Senior Partner.

Anthony served as governor of HATS from 2007 until 2011, when he became a Free member of the Haberdashers. In 2013 he was asked to become governor of HWMAT with a view to later being made Chair. Anthony joined the Livery in 2012 and later the Court in 2013.

In 2019 he retired as Chair of HWMAT and rejoined HATS Board, where he became Chair of Haberdashers' Borough Academy until his retirement in December 2022.

Second Warden

Simon Cartmell

Following his education at Haberdashers’ Monmouth School and a degree in Medical Microbiology from the University of Manchester, Simon has spent over 40 years working in the life sciences and healthcare sector. With extensive pharmaceutical, biotech, and med-tech experience, he is a serial entrepreneur in early-stage healthcare ventures. His early career involved senior commercial leadership roles in blue-chip pharmaceutical and biotech companies. In 2003, he joined a venture capital-backed med-tech startup as CEO. Over seven years, he developed ApaTech Ltd into a world-leading orthobiologics company prior to its sale in 2010.

Subsequently, as an Operating Partner for leading UK venture capital firms, he used his insights to support early and growth-stage private ventures with strategy, funding, people, and commercialisation challenges. He currently serves as Chairman of three international orthopaedic and spine surgery-focused firms and is a NED of a US-based digital health business.

Third Warden

Kunle Olafare

Kunle is a firm believer that life’s urgent and persistent question is “What are you doing for others?”. He also believes in education, employment and sending the elevator back down.

Kunle was offered a place at Hatcham College in 1988 to study his A Levels having completed his GCSE's at City of London Boys School

It was whilst working at Kleinwort Benson Private Bank that Kunle asked one of his former teachers at Hatcham if he could give talks to the sixth formers on personal finance, personal brand and life after school, leading him to be admitted as a member of the Freedom to the Haberdashers' Company in 2012.

Kunle spent four years as a governor at Haberdashers' Knights, before joining hte Charities Committee in 2014. He was elected to the Court of Assistants in 2019.

Kunle is the co-owner and Chief Executive of SK Financial.

Fourth Warden

Helen Gough

Helen is a Chartered Surveyor working in commercial real estate and construction, with a career that began at Hillier Parker, King Sturge, and JLL, where she sat on the UK Executive Board and Global Project and Development Services Board. Dedicated to creating a more inclusive property profession, she founded the JLL Gender Balance Group and served as a Trustee of the JLL Foundation.

With a strong stakeholder focus, Helen is now Director of Property at the Whitgift Foundation, supporting education and community care through land and property management. In a non-executive capacity, her passion for education is realised as an Independent Member of the Estates Strategy Committee at King’s College London and as a Trustee of the Dulwich Estate.
A Freeman of the City since 2007, Helen returned to her Livery family, joining the Haberdashers’ Company in 2017. She served as a Governor at Elstree until 2024, joined the Court of Assistants in 2019, and is Chair of the Property Committee.