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Back to Journal Article by Daniel Salbstein

Your Society is very privileged to have Lord Browne of Madingley, Group Chief Executive of BP plc, as its Honorary President. BP plc is the leading Company by market capitalisation on the London Stock Exchange, the second largest oil company in the world, and the biggest British investor in the Russian Federation.

Your Society has again been honoured, four people of great distinction having accepted our invitation to be Honorary Vice Presidents. In alphabetical order they are Professor Geoffrey Hosking, Fellow of the British Academy and Senior Professor of Russian history at SSEES (UCL) in the Federal University of London, The Right Honourable Sir Malcolm Rifkind K.C.M.G. Q.C. formerly Britain’s Foreign Secretary, The Right Honourable Lord Robertson of Port Ellen G.C.M.G. former Secretary General of NATO, and The Right Honourable Baroness Williams of Crosby former leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords.

It is a particular pleasure to welcome as one of our new members Sir Roderic Lyne G.C.M.G. Britain’s previous Ambassador to the Russian Federation.

Meetings and the reservation of seats

Three of the first six meetings in this session have been booked to capacity, which is most welcome. Please note however that seats are reserved only if payment has been received. A promise to pay on the night will not guarantee you a place on the night if all the available seats have been paid for in advance of the meeting. Too often a few members say they will pay on the night, but they then fail to appear. Meanwhile we have turned away other members who had been willing to pay in advance.

We always do our utmost to accommodate everyone who turns up on the night, subject to fire regulations, because sometimes members who have prepaid fail to appear.

My advice to all members is “Book early and book often!”

Retaining our existing members and recruiting new members

Again I request ALL members to pay their annual subscriptions by setting up a Bankers Standing Order rather than paying by cheque. You save three pounds per year, and our Hon Treasurer is saved the time and expense of sending out repeated reminders. With every programme we now enclose a short programme. Please make photocopies of the side with the meetings, where it is explained how seats for meetings can be booked, and how potential new members can join the Society.

We need ALL our members, and that means YOU, to act as recruiting agents, to enlarge the membership of the Society.

Thank you all very much for your continuing support.


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