Master and Wardens

Our Master for 2024-2025 is James Minett

James was Installed as the Master Plaisterer on 16^th July 2024. He is a retired investment manager, who spent 41 years working in the Square Mile of the City of London. 

He was born in London, the son of a Lt-Commander in the Royal Navy. James attended Langley School, near Loddon. 

In his year out after school, after spending 4 months travelling in the US, he joined Norwich Union’s Investment Department in Norwich before becoming a fund manager at Buckmaster and Moore, later part of Credit Suisse. In 1995, James moved to Carr Sheppards, which was later taken over by Investec and he remained with them until his retirement, managing predominantly not-for-profit and charitable portfolios. He helped to increase the charities team from 38th largest to 10th largest in the sector by assets under management. 

James advised the Investment Committee of the Worshipful Company of Plaisterers for 10 years before joining the Livery Company in 2007. He has most recently served as Joint Chair of the Finance & investment Committee. He is also a member of the Guild of Investment Managers. 

Outside of work, James was a trustee and treasurer of Shaftesbury Homes and Arethusa, which had a venture centre, an ocean-going ketch the Arethusa, children’s homes and excluded from school education services.

He sits on the Investment Committee for the Church in Wales and the Hospital Saturday Fund, a charity which distributes about £2m annually to medical charities.

James is married with three children. He loves surfing and spends as much time as possible surfing in Wales where he also volunteers for Surfability UK, the world’s first and only full-time surf school for people with additional needs.