Page 6 - July 2020

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 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 register of items and actions. After Week 11 we are up to Line 254 on the spreadsheet.
The first priority was to establish 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 regular basis on Strategy and Actions.”
There have been two very important tasks which were urgent for ESCB to action. The first was to establish 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 the commencement of lockdown was neither secure, accessible 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 Geoff Fall 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 are into the 11th week of 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 March, we both agreed that the likelihood of some lockdown measures appeared on the horizon based on the activity in other European countries who were two weeks in advance of the UK as at the 6th March 2020. The proposal to Court, and their subsequent approval, was to delegate the running of the Company during a period of “Lockdown” up to the return to normality to the Master and Upper Warden. Sadly we had to take the decision to cancel the Massey Shaw Dinner the week before the event, fortunately at no cost to the Company, and then set about the composition of the ESCB based upon the details of the Executive Members contained in Standing Order 13, and supplementing the Board with the other Wardens, the Honorary Almoner and others with key skills to operate Company business effectively. So Colin Simpson was asked to join us 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, following consultations with senior members
of the Company, a view was taken so these were formerly suspended at our first meeting, and will remain so for the period that the ESCB remains 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 join us due 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,
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