David William Brewer
Encyclopedia
Sir David William Brewer CMG
JP
(born 1940) is the Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London, appointed by Queen Elizabeth II in May 2008. He was Lord Mayor of London
between 2005 and 2006.
and was educated at St Paul's School, London
. He later studied at the University of Grenoble
, France
.
company Sedgwick Collins
in 1959 In 1976 he went to Tokyo
to open the Sedgwick Group's Japan office and lived there for 3 years. He set up the Group office in China in 1981 and obtained the first broker's authorisation for Sedgwick in 1993. He also opened their representative office in Mumbai in 1986 and has travelled extensively in Asia and in particular China. He was Non-Executive Vice-Chairman of Marsh Ltd., the company which bought Sedgwick, from 2007-09. In addition, he has been a Director or Consultant for a number of insurance companies around the world. He is Chairman of the China-Britain Business Council
and holds Non-Executive Directorships of LIFFE Administration and Management (2009–present), Tullett Prebon SITICO (China) (2006–present) and the National Bank of Kuwait (International) (2007–present).
since 1979. Prior to serving as Alderman
of the Ward of Bassishaw
1996-2010, he was a Common Councilman in the City of London
; and was Aldermanic Sheriff
of the City
in 2002/3 . His term of office as Lord Mayor of London
was 2005/6, and since 2008 has been HM's representative in Greater London
in his capacity as HM's Lord Lieutenant
.
of the Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors
and a Liveryman
of the Insurers'
and Blacksmiths'
Companies; he has been President
of the London
Cornish
Association since 2005.
of the Chartered Institute of Linguists
. They have two daughters (Olivia and Gabriella). He lists his recreations as music
, golf
and chocolate
. Another more obscure activity he claims to enjoy is paronomasia or "the use of words that sound similar to other words, but have different meanings – or to be more blunt – puns or punning."! He is also a member of Marylebone Cricket Club
. Sir David and Lady Brewer have a home at Hellandbridge, near Bodmin
, in Cornwall
.
was announced in the New Year Honour's list
in 2007. He is also a Knight of Justice of the Order of St John
.
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
JP
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
(born 1940) is the Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London, appointed by Queen Elizabeth II in May 2008. He was Lord Mayor of London
Lord Mayor of London
The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
between 2005 and 2006.
Early life
Sir David grew up in HampsteadHampstead
Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...
and was educated at St Paul's School, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He later studied at the University of Grenoble
University of Grenoble
University of Grenoble or Grenoble University was a university in Grenoble, France until 1970, when it was split into several different institutions:...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Business
Sir David began his 50-year career with marine insuranceInsurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
company Sedgwick Collins
Sedgwick Group
Sedgwick Group plc was a very large British insurance broker. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index...
in 1959 In 1976 he went to Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
to open the Sedgwick Group's Japan office and lived there for 3 years. He set up the Group office in China in 1981 and obtained the first broker's authorisation for Sedgwick in 1993. He also opened their representative office in Mumbai in 1986 and has travelled extensively in Asia and in particular China. He was Non-Executive Vice-Chairman of Marsh Ltd., the company which bought Sedgwick, from 2007-09. In addition, he has been a Director or Consultant for a number of insurance companies around the world. He is Chairman of the China-Britain Business Council
China-Britain Business Council
The China–Britain Business Council is the leading British organisation promoting trade and investment between the UK and China.The objective of CBBC is to assist any British company or organisation to do business in China...
and holds Non-Executive Directorships of LIFFE Administration and Management (2009–present), Tullett Prebon SITICO (China) (2006–present) and the National Bank of Kuwait (International) (2007–present).
Public Service
Sir David has been a Justice of the PeaceJustice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
since 1979. Prior to serving as Alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
of the Ward of Bassishaw
Bassishaw
Bassishaw is a ward in the City of London. This small ward is bounded on the east by Coleman Street ward, to the south by Cheap ward, to the north by Cripplegate ward, and on the west by Aldersgate ward...
1996-2010, he was a Common Councilman in the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
; and was Aldermanic Sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of the City
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
in 2002/3 . His term of office as Lord Mayor of London
Lord Mayor of London
The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
was 2005/6, and since 2008 has been HM's representative in Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
in his capacity as HM's Lord Lieutenant
Lord Lieutenant
The title Lord Lieutenant is given to the British monarch's personal representatives in the United Kingdom, usually in a county or similar circumscription, with varying tasks throughout history. Usually a retired local notable, senior military officer, peer or business person is given the post...
.
Public life
He is a Past MasterMaster craftsman
A master craftsman or master tradesman was a member of a guild. In the European guild system, only masters were allowed to be members of the guild....
of the Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors
Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors
The Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors is one of the 108 Livery Companies of the City of London.The Company, originally known as the Guild and Fraternity of St...
and a Liveryman
Liveryman
For Livery Companies in the City of London, a Liveryman is a full member of their respective Company.Livery Company members fall into two basic categories: Freemen and Liverymen. One may join as a Freeman, and thereby acquire the "Freedom of the Company", upon fulfilling the Company's criteria...
of the Insurers'
Worshipful Company of Insurers
The Worshipful Company of Insurers is one of the 108 Livery Companies of the City of London.The Company was formed and became a Livery Company in 1979, on the same day as the Actuaries' Company...
and Blacksmiths'
Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths
The Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The organisation was first mentioned in a court record in 1299. A Royal Charter officially granting it the status of Company was granted in 1571. The Company originally had the right to set regulations and...
Companies; he has been President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Cornish
Cornish people
The Cornish are a people associated with Cornwall, a county and Duchy in the south-west of the United Kingdom that is seen in some respects as distinct from England, having more in common with the other Celtic parts of the United Kingdom such as Wales, as well as with other Celtic nations in Europe...
Association since 2005.
Personal life
Sir David married in 1985 Tessa Jordá, PresidentPresident
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the Chartered Institute of Linguists
Chartered Institute of Linguists
The Chartered Institute of Linguists, also known as the Institute of Linguists, IOL and IoL , is a British professional and learned society for education that was founded in 1910. It serves to promote proficiency in modern languages worldwide...
. They have two daughters (Olivia and Gabriella). He lists his recreations as music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
and chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
. Another more obscure activity he claims to enjoy is paronomasia or "the use of words that sound similar to other words, but have different meanings – or to be more blunt – puns or punning."! He is also a member of Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
. Sir David and Lady Brewer have a home at Hellandbridge, near Bodmin
Bodmin
Bodmin is a civil parish and major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated in the centre of the county southwest of Bodmin Moor.The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character...
, in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
.
Knighthood
His knighthoodKnight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
was announced in the New Year Honour's list
New Year Honours 2007
The New Year Honours 2007 for the Commonwealth Realms were announced on 30 December 2006, to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 2007....
in 2007. He is also a Knight of Justice of the Order of St John
Venerable Order of Saint John
The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , is a royal order of chivalry established in 1831 and found today throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States of America, with the world-wide mission "to prevent and relieve sickness and...
.
Honours
- 1999 – Companion of the Order of St Michael and St GeorgeOrder of St Michael and St GeorgeThe Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(CMG). - 2007 – Knight Bachelor: conferred by The Queen at Buckingham PalaceBuckingham PalaceBuckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
. - 2007 – Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck RibbonOrder of the Rising SunThe is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese Government, created on April 10, 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight from the rising sun...
(Japan). - 2008 – Honorary Degree, City University London
- 2008 – Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science (Economics), SOAS.
- 2008 – Honorary Degree, University of ExeterUniversity of ExeterThe University of Exeter is a public university in South West England. It belongs to the 1994 Group, an association of 19 of the United Kingdom's smaller research-intensive universities....
.
Sources
- Seib, Christine. "Business big shot: Sir David Brewer" The Times (London). February 3, 2007.