Dear Members,
I’m delighted to be writing to you for the first time as the Chair of the MGGB.
For those of you that could join us for the final dinner of the 2015-16 season at Queen’s Club last week, you would have heard me thank Robert Senior for his superb chairmanship over the last year. The excellent programme of speakers he put together really has driven some of the highest attendance we’ve ever seen and he has certainly set the bar exceptionally high for the next season.
My plan for 2016-17 is simply to celebrate the great people of marketing through the industries we work in and influence. First off the starting grid will be Ron Dennis CBE, the CEO of McLaren, on Wednesday 7 September as he takes us through the building the McLaren Formula 1 brand both on and off the track and establishing Britain’s newest and most successful supercar brands.
Ron has been in charge of the McLaren team for more than thirty years, working with many of the great names of Formula 1. He’s also a hugely successful businessman, British Business Ambassador and champion of the arts, culture and creativity.
During the rest of the season we’ll also hear from Will Lewis, the CEO of Dow Jones, Eddie Jones, the Head Coach of the England Rugby team, Steve Rowe, the CEO of M&S, and the Rt Hon David Miliband, in what I’m sure will be a fascinating insight into British and American politics. Details on the rest of the speaker programme will follow in the coming months.
Thank you to all of you who have offered your support thus far and for your continued loyalty to the MGGB. A particular thank you to David Pemsel and The Guardian for agreeing to update and reprint the directory for the next season.
The September dinner is now available to book online, or via Clare, and I’d encourage you to make this a definite must-book before the summer break! As ever, we’ll be in the wonderful surroundings of Claridges who continue to be an excellent partner of ours, keeping a tight control on costs for the last three years. This has allowed us to keep the ticket price static, however you will understand that is not possible to keep up forever and, as such, there will be a small increase of the ticket price this year to £112 + VAT. Thank you in advance for your understanding.
I look forward to seeing you on 7 September to welcome new members, hear from Ron, and begin, what I hope, will be a fantastic 2016-17 season of the MGGB.
My best wishes to you and your family for an excellent summer.
David Wheldon
Chairman
MGGB