Honorary Membership
The Worshipful Company of Constructors, with its high profile both in the City and the Construction Industry, has recently been pleased to award Honorary Membership of the Company to three people, all distinguished in their fields.
The first was Ms Frances Moffett Kouadio, the Trade Commissioner for UKTI in Hong Kong. Frances attended the Black-Tie Dinner on 13 April that was the centrepiece of the Master’s recent weekend in Hong Kong, which was attended by 36 Members and Guests. The picture shows Frances, seated next to the Master at the Dinner.
Frances is the Trade Commissioner for Hong Kong and Macao. She joined DTI (now the Department for Business Innovation and Skills – BIS) as a fast-streamer in 2001, following a successful teaching career. At DTI she led on an EU Directive, wrote the Department’s first Equality Impact Assessment and worked on the Business Support transformation programme, before joining UK Trade and Investment in 2004.
Frances has a range of experience in different markets, including Bangladesh, Iraq, India, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and was Director of Trade and Investment at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi for 5 years, prior to taking up the role of Trade Commissioner in Hong Kong in September 2014.
The second was IR S H Lam, the Permanent Secretary of Development (Works), Hong Kong, SAR. During Mr Lam’s visit to London to address a conference at the Institute of Civil Engineers, Mr Lam accepted Honorary Membership of the Company from the Master, Mike Parrett, during a private dinner at the Oxford and Cambridge Club in London. He is pictured here being presented with his certificate by the Master, Mike Parrett. The dinner was also attended by the Senior Warden, Sir Vivian Ramsey. Mr Lam is the first Hong Kong citizen to receive membership of the Company and is responsible for around one-sixth of the entire Hong Kong budget, with an expenditure of almost HK$ 90 Bn.
Lastly, but by no means least, Keith Exford CBE was granted Honorary Membership of the Company at the recent Sir Christopher Wren Banquet held in the magnificent surroundings of Fishmongers’ Hall, London. He is shown here being presented with his certificate of membership by the Master, Mike Parrett.
Until April 2018, Keith was Group chief executive of the Clarion Housing Group, the largest provider of affordable housing in England. Since his retirement, Keith has undertaken property consultancy for global advisers CBRE and is also a non-executive director of financing companies The Housing Finance Corporation and Affordable Housing Finance plc. More recently he has also become a director of project managers, architects and surveyors Bailey Garner. Previously Keith held non-executive roles in a number of charities and other bodies, and he is now a Trustee of Clic Sargent, the child cancer charity, something he is well qualified for as he has direct experience of cancer care and Clic Sargent’s services as the parent of a child who has twice been treated for leukemia.
The Worshipful Company of Constructors is proud to welcome all three new Honorary Members.
