Richard Sermon, who is a Chartered Secretary, is Chairman of Gryphon Corporate Counsel Limited and a group of associated consultancy companies involved in marketing and public relations, corporate governance, international trade development and executive search.

In 1979 he was co-founder and CEO of the City public relations firm Shandwick Consultants Limited. Six years later he was one of the two vendors to the market upon the flotation of Shandwick plc, which became a global market leader. He was CEO successively of the group’s UK, European and International businesses before assuming a non-executive role in 1996. He was additionally Public Relations Advisor at Goldman Sachs International from 1992 to 1996.

He has served variously as Senior Independent Director of the international insurance broking FTSE250 company, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group plc, as a non-executive director of Newmond plc, a £300m management buy-out from Williams Holdings, and as a non-executive director of the MoD’s Defence Storage and Distribution Agency. In the not for profit sector he is currently Chairman of The Home Improvement Trust and of London Youth.

He is a Past Master of The Wheelwrights’ Company and currently serves as Master of The Chartered Secretaries and Administrators’ Company.

Richard is a Joint Honorary Secretary of City & Guilds, a member of Council, and sits on the Executive and Nominations committees. He is also Chairman of the Advancement & Strategy Committee. He was awarded Honorary Fellowship in 2003.