Draft Minutes of the Branch AGM 2010

CIArb London Branch

MINUTES OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Wednesday 28th April 2010 (6.15pm)
The Oxford and Cambridge Club, 71 Pall Mall, London, SW1Y 5HD.

1. Attendance and Apologies for absence.

68 members registered to attend; approximately 49 attended. 17 apologies for absence were received from Bruce Leahy, Andrew Cox, Matthew Dando, Jackie Elliman, David Ellwood, Michael Forbes-Smith, Lord Hacking, Richard Honey, Sophie Lamb, Sally Marsden, Peter McNamara, MacDonald Mopho, Nicholas Pryor, Deborah Ruff, Richard Stephens, Nicholas Stewart QC and Tobias Verlende.

2. To approve the minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting.

Approved, having been proposed by Paul Rose and seconded by Grant Jones.

3. Matters arising.

None

4. To receive from the Chairman his Report on the Branch’s activities since the last Annual General Meeting.

The Chairman provided a written report. He gave members brief details of past and forthcoming events, including those set out on the current Programme of Events, all of which either were being presently or would be fully publicised in due course.

The Chairman also informed the membership of the successful Speakers’ Dinner held at The Ivy, an event hosted by the Branch to thank the speakers and host firms who sponsored our events allowing them to be free of charge to the membership. The Chairman repeated his gratitude to the speakers and sponsors.

5. To receive from the Treasurer the audited Financial Statement of the Branch for the preceding financial year ended 31 December 2008.

The Honorary Treasurer’s Report was received by the meeting and distributed to those present. No matters were raised in respect of this Report or the Report of the Auditors. The Chairman explained that there had been a high expenditure this year on administration which had resulted from there being a backlog from the time when there was no paid administration. This was now in hand and there was confidence that the expenditure on this item would reduce in the future.

6. To elect for the forthcoming year members of the London Branch Committee.

The Chairman reported that no contested election had been necessary. Committee members for the year 2010-2011 would be Stephen Bickford Smith, Hew Dundas, Andrew Kasriel, Bruce Leahy, Irvinder Bakshi, Paul Rose, Jackie Elliman, David Ashton, David Greene, Emilia Onyema, Ike Ehiribe, Grant Jones, Melanie Willems, Margaret Bickford Smith QC and Matthew Marsh.

The Officers of the Committee would be elected at the next Committee meeting on 11 May 2010. The Chairman reported that after two years of service he was stepping down from the post but would remain on the Committee.

7. Any Other Business.

None. No notice of any other business had been received either in accordance with Rule 9.3 of the Branch Model Rules or at all.

Thereafter the Senior Vice Chairman, Hew R Dundas, presented the Chairman with a gift from the Branch and from the Committee in an expression of thanks and immense gratitude for the outstanding Chairmanship, diplomacy and services rendered by the Chairman who, in turn, expressed his thanks for the gesture.

The Chairman thanked everyone for their attendance and closed the meeting at 6.40pm

Irvinder Bakshi 30 April 2010
Honorary Secretary