Message from the Master

I am most grateful to my colleagues for giving me this opportunity to be Master of the Water Conservators Livery Company

At the Installation Court Lunch I was pleased to thank our speaker Baroness Young for her kind words. Barbara as an Hon Freeman has been a great advocate and I’m delighted I know I can count on her ongoing support in my year.  For me it was a family occasion with my sister Catherine Flood O’Sullivan as my consort and two of my sisters Lillian Nagle Walsh and Dolores Jordan.

Water Conservation has never been more important and it is regularly mentioned in our news updates.  As a Company, we are committed to water, safeguarding water supplies and to wise stewardship of the wider environment. Our strapline is ‘Promoting a diverse and sustainable environment, for all’!

We promote good practice in water treatment, the prevention of pollution, the improvement of watercourses, and high standards in waste management and reuse. We question opinions with debates, webinars and influential policy briefings. Today we are a recognized information resource for Government, the City of London and the public.

Our Charity the Water Conservation Trust, supported by donations from Company members, allows us to work with young minds in schools and universities to help enhance water science and to promote innovative approaches to environmental management. Living in Islington I recently visited the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration. I was able to hear how funding from our Charity was allowing them to run a series of workshops for local schools to learn the value of illustration for a child. It was also uplifting to see what was an abandoned water plant restored for the community to benefit and enjoyment.

Throughout the year our members come together not only to share experiences and knowledge but also to meet with like-minded professionals at convivial events in some of the grandest building in the City of London.

My own professional career was in environmental conservation, as the CEO of the Conservation Volunteers. I saw first-hand how engaging with nature, particularly as part of a team, supports better mental health, alongside the environmental improvements. In June, I launched Green Futures -Living in Harmony with nature. It will provide opportunities across the UK, with a particular focus in Dorset supported by the Paul Cornes Fund managed by the Dorset Community Foundation. The fund will allow many young people to take part in water and environmental projects where they live. I’m delighted that the Water Conservation Trust is in discussions with the London Wildlife Trust supported by Linklaters for a young person’s training programme on its reserve.

As Master I am supported by the Wardens Alex, David and Neil; together we will continue to invest to ensure the Company is run efficiently. We will deliver our events, webinars and discussion pieces for maximum societal impact and we will seek actively to engage with the business community and their employees.

My key objectives for my year as Master are to continue to increase the number of Company members, to support younger people to join, and to widen the diversity of our membership.

It is an expectation that Company members donate to the Charity. As a Trustee of the Water Conservation Trust, I will actively promote and communicate its outstanding outcomes.

Our Associates programme enables many young people working in water management to be part of our company at an affordable cost. We require financial support to enable them to attend our Company events, to be introduced to senior professionals and to receive personal support and advice to help to enhance their career prospects.

I am most grateful to Linklaters and MHA who both supported the Installation lunch. I will be reaching out to business to increase their engagement and support during this year.

I would like to thank the outgoing Master Professor Carolyn Roberts, and her consort Stephen, for the legacy she leaves. I am very grateful that I will have her ongoing support in the recruitment of new members.

As I am still relatively new to the Water Conservators and the wider Livery community, I am very helpfully supported by the past Masters, Company members and the Trustees of the Water Conservation Trust.

I, with my sister Catherine Flood O’Sullivan, my consort, are greatly looking forward to an exciting and enjoyable year.

We are a fellowship of individuals who share a vision for a diverse and sustainable environment for all, and it’s most enjoyable.