I am honoured by this chance to lead the dedicated team of staff who manage our historic building and provide services for our membership, now approaching 2,000. I join the Club after senior posts with Santander UK, helping to shape the bank’s international business offer and, most recently, with C|T Group, an international consultancy specialising in business intelligence and corporate research.
Most of my career, though, has been at the City of London Corporation, managing the Lord Mayor’s programme for nearly a decade till 2017 and latterly as the City’s ceremonial Swordbearer, helping to plan major royal and civic events at St Paul’s Cathedral, Guildhall and the Mansion House. Before that, I served as chief of staff at Birmingham City Council during the coalition leadership of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.
Originally from Blackpool, I read History at the University of St Andrews before moving to London and becoming involved in ‘Clubland’ for more than a decade, as a member of several and Chair of the Lansdowne Club from 2017-19.
The founding Chair of the City of London Corporation’s LGBTQ network, City Pride, in 2016-17, I have also chaired a small London-based orchestra and choir, am a keen skier in winter, and a bad golfer in summer.
I was raised in and around Toronto after my family moved to Canada from Lancashire. I have only been a Club member for a couple of years, but the NLC had long been my favourite reciprocal club when visiting London.
My partner and I moved here after 22 years in Chicago, where I once campaigned door-to-door for our state senator, one Barack Obama, when he ran for the US Senate. I became a naturalised US citizen and was able to cast my first vote for a President Obama a few years later.
For most of my career, I was a financial market regulator and now work in the City for a market utility. I co-chair my company’s global LGBTQ employee resource group, and am an active LibDem supporter in Battersea.
I look forward to contributing to the Board, in particular the work of the Governance and Finance groups. The current evolution of the club, its range of facilities and expanding membership will provide no shortage of exciting projects. (Derek joined the Club in 2018 and has been a Director since 2021)
One of the newest members of the NLC Board, I am an Egyptian who moved to London nearly a decade ago. As well as being currently the youngest Board member, I serve as the Vice-Chair of the Club’s Marketing and Communications Committee.
With a Master’s degree in Charity Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, I have 17 years’ experience in Project Management, Translation, Social Media & Website Management, and Events Coordination.
As a committee member of the Oscar Wilde Society, I launched their website and social media channels and now manage these on a voluntary basis.
I was one of the very early animal rights activists in Egypt, having managed many successful regional campaigns and protests in collaboration with local and international animal rights organisations, winning several awards in the process.
My aim is to contribute my experience in marketing, while adding an element of diversity to the Board, and bringing a fresh pair of eyes to the work of promoting and improving the Club. (Nadia joined the Club in 2018 and has been a Director since 2021).
My career has been in catering management, and I was recently invited to join the Board to oversee improvements to the Club’s catering operation. My goal is to help make the cuisine at the NLC among the best on offer at any London Club. I am a member of the Club’s Catering Liaison Group and also of the Space Utilisation Group.
I love food and am fascinated by the dynamics of catering – the teamwork involved in producing the best. I have managed catering for Birkbeck College, London and Bath University, worked with multiple retail food outlets and coffee shops, and spent time running events management for major football clubs including Chelsea and Tottenham. Interesting times working with the WAGs!
Outside work, I’m involved with several charities, promoting positive links with Commonwealth countries, and also the Chain of Hope, which treats children from war-torn countries suffering from heart disease.
A former chorister at Salisbury Cathedral and the BBC Symphony Chorus, I enjoy all sorts of music, and support the Cathedral Music Trust – which sponsors choirs in need of financial help. I also love travelling, historic sites, walking, and photography. (Tim joined the Club in 2017 and has been a Director since 2021)
I am a financial services professional, having spent most of my time designing and launching business and corporate lending products that help small and medium-sized enterprises, like the NLC, to grow and expand.
I have worked for high street banks including Barclays but also smaller neo-banks and digital lenders like Funding Circle. My board-level experience has included the UK and Europe.
I also serve as a non-executive director on the board of Bighous – a social housing organisation that provides affordable accommodation to those most vulnerable.
I have a Cambridge masters degree in business and am proud to hold the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charter… the gold standard in finance credentials. On the NLC Board, I sit on the Finance Committee and the Space Utilisation Committee.
On the personal front, I am a British-Polish dual citizen. While born and raised in Poland, I have lived in London since 2008 and the NLC has played a significant role as my ‘home away from home’. In the little free time I have, you can often find me on the Club Terrace with a book (most likely about antiquity) or simply socialising with fellow liberals. (Tomasz joined the Club in 2018 and has been a Director since 2021)
After taking over as Chair of National Liberal Club Ltd, I oversaw the sale to the Club of the majority shareholding held by the Robson Charitable Trust (set up by my father) as well as the expansion of the Board to bring in a wider range of relevant expertise.
I stood down as Chair in 2020 and now, as the senior independent Director, I am keen to help work towards a thriving Club underpinned by a financially viable Company. I chair the Board’s Staffing Group and remain a Trustee of the Robson Charitable Trust.
Trained as a linguist, I served as a researcher at the Soviet Desk of the Foreign Office before leaving to focus on family life and bringing up three daughters. I later worked for 15 years as Director of the Oxford Gallery, a contemporary fine and applied arts gallery.
I have been a fundraiser for British Red Cross and the National Autistic Society, and my other interests include walking, tennis, reading, art and photography. (Kristina joined the Club in 1999 and has been a Director since 2017 and was Chair 2018-20)
