Margaret Boanas became only the third woman to be elected Master of the Worshipful Company of Butchers at the annual Common Hall ceremony, which took place at Butchers’ Hall on Thursday 9th September.
The ceremony was preceded by the traditional church service at St Bartholomew the Great in Smithfield.
Liverymen then made the short walk to Butchers' Hall where the Clerk, Major General Jeff Mason MBE gave a brief update on the affairs of the WCB and how it is tackling the impact of the pandemic.
A successful career in the industry
Having worked in the meat industry as an assistant meat buyer and then a meat trader since 1974, Margaret Boanas moved to one of the leading privately owned trading companies, Transoceanic Meat Co, in 1984 until retiring in 2018. It was during these years that Margaret became a board member of The International Meat Trade Association (IMTA) and a board member of European Livestock and Trade Union (UECBV). She was clothed into the Livery in September 1997.
In 2015, Boanas was appointed chairman of IMTA and in this role she formed part of a small team dealing with the many challenges facing the meat sector. From 2015-2020, Margaret was also appointed vice president responsible for International Trade at UECBV a role which brought her into close contact with The EU Commission, Ministers and Ambassadors from around the globe. She remains an active member of the Board.
“We must look to the future”
Addressing Common Hall after her election, Boanas said: “I am proud to be a Liveryman, particularly as when I started work in the industry in 1974 women were not admitted to the Livery, so to be the third women Master is a particular honour, with no family connections to the Livery or City of London, rather just someone who happened into a career in meat trading, which I have thoroughly enjoyed, and which has led me here today.”
She added that it was right that Liverymen “look to the future and engage with the changing world”, stating that she would like “to reach out to all Liverymen to help us support the City [of London] by recruiting Liverymen from all backgrounds to come and join us.”
It has been quite a year for Margaret who won Meat Businesswoman of the Year at the Women in Meat Industry Awards 2020.
Common Hall also confirmed those elected to the Court of the WCB for the forthcoming year.
The Court for 2021/22 is:
- Christopher Frank Wood
- John Allton Jones
- Gwyn Howells
- Peter Howard Allen
- Stephen John Chick
- Graham William Baker
- Timothy Peter Dumenil
- Andrew William Parker
- Timothy John Stone
- David Edwin Baker
- Anthony Michael Stanton
- Rachel Griffiths
- Jean Margaret Sawdon
- David William Richards
- Paul Dolan
- James David Connell
- Julien Douglas Pursglove
- William Edwin Buchanan
- Amanda Patricia Buitelaar
- Andrew Brian Burton
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
