Meet the Team

Paul Tacon, Ruth Cundy, Pat Turvey and Howard Daines

The next time you decide to make a telephone call or dash off an e-mail to the Guild office, remember you’ll be one of hundreds doing just that every day. After all, there is a membership approaching 1,800, of which more than 600 belong to one of the Guild’s three overseas regions in Australia, Hong Kong or New Zealand, or live abroad. There’s also an action packed diary with functions and activities to plan and execute, scholarships to administer and trophies and awards to present. While the never-ending queries and paperwork are dealt with as a matter of routine, visitors and members pop in or turn up to use the premises for meetings. Yes, it’s all go at Cobham House.

So when you do contact the Guild, who will you be speaking to? Heading the team there is the Clerk, Paul Tacon, who is effectively the Guild’s chief executive. The position provides stability at a senior level, as against the Wardens that rotate through the chair. The Clerk is the top man: strategist, policy-maker, negotiator and visible link, along with the Master, with the City. He guides each Master through his year in office and ensures that the Company, and its staff, is running smoothly and to budget. Paul joined the Guild four years ago and is a former Captain in the Army Air Corps who spent 20 months as a flight commander in Northern Ireland. He holds both UK and New Zealand passports and is a graduate of Auckland University holding a BA in European languages. Later he was operations manager of the Lightship Group, a marketing company operating the world’s largest fleet of airships. Paul can generally be found at the Guild premises on three days a week.

Ruth Cundy is the office manager and, as she works full time, is the person most likely to pick up the phone or answer your e-mail. It’s her job to make sure that the office functions effectively. Her role covers the management of IT, supplies, health and safety, hiring out the Court room, chasing around after the various committee meetings, keeping the webmaster informed of changes, responding to mail, and giving advice to youngsters who want to become pilots.  Ruth also acts as membership secretary.

Then come the functions which vary in requirements and size, but for the Trophies and Awards Banquet involves handling arrangements for up to 700 people.

Pat, Ulka and Ruth taking a break shortly before the guests arrive at the Trophies and Awards banquet 2007

“Fortunately,” says Ruth, “we have the Guild calendar arranged such that all these things dovetail together so the workload is spread throughout the year. January and February are fairly quiet and give me a chance to catch my breath and do all those things that I should have done but didn’t have time.

The admin for the AGM in March sets things into overdrive and it’s all systems go from then until the Trophies and Awards Banquet, following which I collapse in a heap for about two weeks, before the Carol Service and ... thank goodness, it’s January again!” Ruth started working for the Guild in 2001.

Ulka Sharma is the Accounts Co-ordinator, taking over from Howard Daines on his retirement in July 2007 and is the second full-time member of staff.  She is responsible for keeping the Guild accounts in good order and looking after your membership dues.

The fourth member of staff is Pat Turvey, who works three days a week. Her role includes taking minutes at the General Purposes and Finance Committee and the Court. She also handles much of the workload associated with the Trophies and Awards Committee, which keeps her busy on and off from January until the banquet in the autumn. Pat says: “It’s great to meet and see all the award winners receiving their trophies & medals. “Meeting days are pretty hectic, but they give us lots of opportunities to meet the members and it is great that they are so friendly. Pat has been with the Guild for 13 years.