Page 6 - Salamander July 2020
P. 6

THE SALAMANDER | July 2020
ESCB REPORT
The Chair of the Emergency Strategic Coodination Board Upper Warden Graham Maltby gives an overview of the work undertaken before matters are brought forward to the Court of Assistants Every member of ESCB has equal status and we operate in a a a a a corporate way in our discussions and decision making processes Action points and brief notes are produced after each meeting which are reviewed against the agreed deadlines weekly and Steven Tamcken The Clerk maintains a a a register of items and actions After Week 11 we are up to Line 254 on the spreadsheet The first priority was to establish a a a set of operating objectives which has given ESCB the framework within which to conduct business so at our first meeting on Wednesday 26th March 2020
the following was agreed:
“Make urgent decisions required during this exceptional period and keep all Company members informed and updated on a a a a regular basis on on Strategy and Actions ”
There have been two very important tasks which were urgent for ESCB to action The first was to establish a a a robust and secure IT System that can be shared by the ESCB Members along with an “on- line meeting arrangement ”
The Company IT system operated at at the commencement of lockdown was neither secure accessible or or “fit for purpose” Without the knowledge experience and intervention of Colin Simpson who has worked tirelessly to address this issue assisted by Steven Tamcken and and Geoff Fall and and Stephen Sanders on the financial administration we would not have been able to progress the work of the ESCB with any efficiency or practicality Suffice to say we have made monumental progress At the time of writing this article we we are into the the 11th week of the the Emergency Strategic Coordination Board (ESCB) where the Salamander strapline “Working Together Through Isolation” seems more than appropriate Having spoken with our Master Frances Blois prior to the Court of Assistants Meeting in in March we both agreed that the likelihood of some lockdown measures appeared on on the horizon based on the the activity in other European countries who were two weeks in advance of the the UK as at the the 6th March 2020
The proposal to Court and their subsequent approval was to delegate the running of the Company during a a period of “Lockdown” up to to the return to to normality to the Master and Upper Warden Sadly we had to take the decision to cancel the Massey Shaw Dinner the the week before the the event fortunately at at no cost to the Company and then set about the the composition of the ESCB based upon the the details of the the Executive Members contained in in in Standing Order 13 and supplementing the Board with the the other Wardens the the Honorary Almoner and others with key skills to operate Company business effectively So Colin Simpson was asked to join us for for Information Technology (IT) knowledge and competence What was abundantly clear in this unprecedented time was that we could not operate within the current Standing Orders and and following consultations with senior members of the Company a a a a view was taken so these were formerly suspended at our first meeting and will remain so for the the period that the the ESCB remains in in operation The ESCB consists of the following members:
Graham Maltby QFSM
(Upper Warden & Chair of ESCB) Frances Blois (Master)
Andrew Mayes
(Immediate Past Master)
Geoff Fall (Finance Manager/Assistant Clerk)
Stephen Sanders (Renter Warden)
Nicole Hoffmann
(Under Warden)
David Holt
(Under Warden-in-Waiting)
Steven Tamcken (Clerk to The Company)
Colin Simpson (Company IT Manager)
Peter Cowland (Company Almoner)
Ian Parlane Honorary Treasurer was not able to to join us due to to business commitments but we have been joined by Geoff Fall our new Finance Manager/Assistant Clerk following his appointment His wealth of experience in Financial Matters has been invaluable during this period The Board elected me as Chair as the majority of business would have been discussed at Management Board which I currently Chair as Upper Warden Page 6 













































































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