FEATURE
IMAGES® THE GOLDSMITHS COMPANY. PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARTIN STEWART
‘‘
One thing
I hope is
that by 2027
we are £70
million poorer
because
there’s so
much we can
do for the
trade and
more generally
trade but also what we can do for
the education and welfare.
Because of the name people
know that we founded Goldsmiths
College but it isn’t more generally
known that we also founded
Imperial College. The investment
we put into Imperial in modern day
terms is £6m pounds. So we would
want to be poorer by having done
that kind of thing.
The other thing, in a very minor
way as you’ve already observed the
organisation moves in a very slow
way, at the moment we’ve only got
two women out of 25 people, of
whom I am one. It would be quite
nice to see some movement where
that’s concerned, at a more than
glacial pace.
‘‘
DRAWING ROOM, GOLDSMITHS’ HALL.
my business roles will be seizing
whatever opportunities we can
whilst at the same time monitoring
things like what is going to be the
impact on our hallmarking facility
outside of Heathrow. Also there is
something rather boringly called
the Houtwipper Agreement, which
took decades to arrive at, but it’s
the one whereby all hallmarks
are mutually recognised across
Europe, so we’re assuming that
will continue and we’re working
hard to make sure that happens.
You can imagine in the overall
framework of Brexit whether
the Houtwipper Agreement is
going to prevail. It’s probably
been knocked off of the prime
minister’s agenda. But in all
seriousness if that agreement is
breached, that will mean we will
have to re-hallmark everything
that’s coming into the country
so it’s swings and roundabouts.
It’s certainly not all bad news if it
were to be discontinued.
What is your view of the
prospects of the wider industry
as you take up the role?
You’d have to start at that global
Brexit level, and obviously good
companies are not doing to wait
until 2018, 2019. Any good
company in any sector is going to
be looking at how they can make
the best of the new situation and
set up new opportunities and new
trade links and new business. And
then of course the other thing I will
be looking at on a much more local
scale is the advent of Crossrail,
what is it going to do to Hatton
Garden? We’ve been told last week
that Farringdon is going to be the
biggest station in Europe. So you
could say on the one hand, that is
amazing because of the people it
will bring into the Hatton Garden
area, but then that will mean
rents will become astronomic. It
might change the nature of Hatton
Garden. And we really don’t know
at the moment but obviously, taking
a strategic focus that’s something
I’d also be looking at.
Do you have a ‘vision’ for 2027?
One thing I hope is that by 2027
we are £70 million poorer because
there’s so much we can do for the
trade and more generally. All of
the livery companies together
give £55 million every year to
charitable causes, and we’re one
of the leaders amongst that, so it
isn’t just want we can do for the
ST DUNSTAN, GOLDSMITHS’ HALL
June 2017 | jewelleryfocus.co.uk
JEWELLERY FOCUS
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