GW: How would you summarise the history and current objectives of the Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers?

The Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers of London received its Charter from King Charles II in 1664. Initially founded to regulate the Glass Selling and Pot-Making industries within the City of London, the role of the livery company today is to:

• Maintain cordial relationships within the Company, the City and the wider glass industry.
• Stimulate interest in glass in all its aspects.
• Carry out charitable works, with special emphasis on education.
• Maintain the Company’s traditions, values and customs.
• Provide pastoral care for members in distress.
• Support the Lord Mayor and the Corporation of the City of London.

 The Glass Sellers’ Company ranks 71st in precedence amongst the City’s Livery Companies. Livery Companies started life as Guilds which have flourished all over continental Europe from medieval times and still do. France and Germany have particularly strong and active guilds. Their present-day functions vary considerably, but are all based on trade, craft and professional support. The City Livery Companies are still largely invisible even though aggregate giving is now £75 million per year (Source: Pan Livery Philanthropic Giving Survey 2021).

Representatives of many of the varied interests of the modern glass industry are members of our Livery. For example, British Glass, Cumbria Crystal, FIC UK, Glass Futures, Glass Worldwide, MKD32, Nazeing Glass, O-I, Poulten & Graf and Wilkinson Chandeliers through to people working from sectors which are major users of glass such as telecoms, media and technology. The Company actively promotes the use of glass in arts, crafts, science and technology and supports education and training in all these areas. Today, more than ever, building and maintaining professional and personal relationships is central to who we are.

GW: How relevant is the company today?

The wider glass industries are an essential part of the daily lives of every single one of us. Glass is central to so many industries and sectors. It is used in construction, surface engineering (in the manufacture of cars and aircraft for example), and in the biomedical sector; all modern means of communication rely on glass. The internet relies on the “glass superhighway” of fibre optic cables – currently around 1.5 million kilometres – running under our oceans. It is used in the manufacture of satellites, mobile phones and even 5G antennae. Having stakeholders who represent these sectors is important to ensuring that we remain relevant.

Our charity’s Glass in Society Project aims to encourage students to take up science education through an introduction to glass, glass technology, its uses and behaviour, e.g. in telecoms, medicine or marine and aeronautical design. We are working with the Primary Science Teaching Trust and developed a resource to coincide with the UN International Year of Glass 2022 to help students explore the importance of glass in everyday life, for scientific experimentation, problem-solving and in technology.

The Glass Sellers’ Company also presents several awards supporting artistic glass. Our main prizes are the Glass Sellers’ Art & Craft Award and Art & Craft student award. These are presented biennially for an art piece made essentially of glass and are open to artists and graduates based in the UK. We also work with the Contemporary Glass Society (CGS) to promote the work of new graduates.

All in all, the Glass Sellers’ Company and what it represents is still very relevant today.

GW: Are there initiatives underway to ensure the company continues to prosper and maintains membership for many years to come?

Yes, very much so. We have introduced a Corporate Partnership Programme to encourage involvement from the wider glass industries and give them opportunities to not only support and influence our work but also to participate and network with the wider business community in the City. In the past most major glass manufacturers in the UK were represented as members for example Royal Brierly, Beatson Clark, Pilkington and Allied Glass.

We are carrying out a survey of our members which we hope will give us greater insight into their needs and help us to improve engagement and remain relevant into the future.

GW: How does the company promote and support the glass industry and in which guises?

The Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers of London promotes the use of glass in arts, crafts, science and technology and supports education through our charity. The Glass Sellers’ Company has supported innovation in glass technology since its earliest days. In 1673 the Company employed George Ravenscroft to carry out research to find a process to produce English glass. In 1674 ‘Lead Crystal’ was born when he obtained a patent, from Charles II, for a glass with the desirable quality of a resemblance to rock crystal.

We are keen to be involved in developments in the wider glass industries in the 21st Century and beyond. We are in a unique position as a Livery Company with a long history and track record of supporting innovation in glass. We are ‘Ambassadors for Glass’ in the City and wider society through our membership and charity. We are also ‘Ambassadors for glass education’ through our relationship with schools throughout the country.

We are working closely with British Glass on initiatives to raise awareness of the work of the glass industry. We have been involved with Glass Futures from its inception. I was on the Advisory Board for five years representing the WCGS. We also sponsor the Rising Star Award (previously Apprentice of the Year) at Glass Focus every year. The 2022 winner is Dana Godfrey from Beatson Clark [see interview on page 64]. I am looking forward to meeting her during the course of the year.

As part of the UN International Year of Glass 2022, Glass Futures and British Glass held a lunch at the House of Lords in March 2022 to support the Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers Charity Fund. Attendees included senior representatives from several multi-national glass manufacturers including Beatson Clark, Encirc, Guardian Glass, Saint-Gobain Glass and Vidrala.

Over the years we have awarded Honorary Membership to individuals who have made a major contribution to glass. In 2022 industry stalwarts Professor Alicia Duran and Professor John M. Parker were elected as Honorary Liverymen. They were both instrumental in the United Nations designating 2022 as the International Year of Glass and the successful progression of IYOG.

Our annual Ravenscroft Lecture is always on a glass-related subject and aims to raise awareness of the myriad uses and properties of Glass. This year it was called “From Mesopotamia to the Metaverse” and given by Professor Paul Morrissey. It was an overview of how glass has revolutionised telecommunications through fibre and how it will continue to enable future growth in the metaverse where wireless technologies are just not fast enough.

I hope that these initiatives will help us to raise awareness of our work and the continued support that we offer to the glass industry and its supply chain.

GW: What is your history with the company?

I joined as a Freeman in 2001 and became a Liveryman in 2002. During my 20-year journey to becoming Master I have been involved in a number of initiatives, chaired both the membership and glass committees and served as a trustee of our Charity. This has given me a significant insight into the workings of the Company and our Charity. It has also given me the opportunity to get to know members and the wider City community.

My brother [Rohan Chanmugam] and I through our business, Clevercoms, sponsored the first exhibition organised by the Company in 2005 to showcase the work of winners of our Art & Craft Prize. It was an honour to be able to work with the renowned glass artist Peter Layton (now an Honorary Liveryman) on this project. It opened a whole new world for me. I have also worked on initiatives with British Glass over the years and this together with being our representative on the Advisory Board of Glass Futures from its inception meant that I was able to get a good insight into the glass manufacturing sector.

I also had the privilege of being invited to be on the team which worked with the College of Arms to develop the Company’s Coat of Arms in 2009. This was a fascinating experience. Not sure if I should say this – but it was fun.

GW: What does it mean to you personally to be Master in 2022/23?

It is a great honour to be elected as the 278th Master of the Glass Sellers’ Company. Representing the Company and being its ambassador is an enormous privilege.

The reason I am here today is because I was given opportunities to participate. I will never forget Past Master Bill Cook, former Director General of British Glass, trying to convince me to take over from him as Chairman of the Membership Committee and join the Court back in 2012. I wasn’t so sure I was ready for the responsibility. The Court is the governing body of the Company, equivalent to a Board in the corporate world. He told me that it would be good for my personal development. He was right of course. My professional and commercial experience have been useful in my various roles in the Livery and vice versa. The Livery offers opportunities to give back to society. It is also an important part of the heritage of this country and the City. We have so many opportunities to engage with business and society because of how glass is evolving. I am excited about being an Ambassador for glass and hopefully I can grasp some of those opportunities for our Company.

GW: What will be your main goals during your tenure?

The theme for my year is ‘inclusion’. Encouraging people from diverse groups to join and participate in our Company. It is important that it better reflects society to ensure that it is vibrant and relevant.

[Another goal is] better engagement across the board with all our stakeholders – our members, the City and the wider glass industries.
I believe that this is essential after the experience of the last two years. How we engage with our stakeholders needs to be different. We need to work with them to make sure that we are relevant.

I work in the telecoms and technology sector – which wouldn’t function without glass. All modern means of communication rely on glass, and it makes the Internet of Things possible. So, educating the Livery, the City and even the wider glass community that glass is vital to modern communication is particularly important to me.

GW: How important is it that liverymen include representatives from the UK based glass manufacturing companies?

It is especially important that our members and corporate partners include representatives from glass manufacturing companies. Their participation will help to ensure we are involved in developments and are able to continue to actively support the industry going forward. In the past glass manufacturing companies were closely linked to the Livery. I have been given ‘the Master’s copy’ of our history published in 1966 (there is also a 2014 version). Looking through the list of Court and Livery, what struck me was the representation from glass manufacturing. There were several familiar names, such as, two members of the Ide family, three Pilkingtons and two from the Williams-Thomas family. Their presence meant that the Glass Sellers Company and the glass manufacturing sector were working hand in hand.

GW: How could the company be of even more value to the glass manufacturing community?

Working more closely with the industry through British Glass and being involved with Glass Futures will hopefully help us to find opportunities to provide greater value to the sector. Through our role as Ambassadors for glass and glass education, we will continue to help with raising awareness of how essential glass is in today’s world, provide opportunities for education and actively support opportunities to gain greater recognition for the manufacturing community through our links with the City of London and sectors which are major users of glass.

Image: Maria Chanmugam with wardens and members of the court at the installation dinner in London last December.