Council members
The British Hallmarking Council was set up under the Hallmarking Act 1973 and came into existence on 1 January 1974. The Act requires that it comprises between sixteen and nineteen members, ten of whom are appointed by The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.
The present members of the Council are:
Chairman
Mr Tom Murray is Law Clerk of the Edinburgh Assay Office. He is a solicitor in Edinburgh. He is a member of the Law Society of Scotland’s Investor Protection Committee, and is the Purse Bearer to the Lord High Commissioner. He has a long family connection with hallmarking.
Secretary
Mr David Gwyther is a partner in a Birmingham firm of solicitors.
Appointees from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Ms Linda Campbell OBE is the Chair of the food authentication and certification company PAI and non-executive director of the Institute of Quality Assurance (IQA). She was previously Chief Executive of the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) and a Director of the British Standards Institute (BSI). She was awarded an OBE in 2003 for services to accreditation.
Mr Mike Drewry was Director of Environmental and Consumer Services for the City of Edinburgh Council. He is a qualified Trading Standards Officer and has held a number of Director level posts in Departments with responsibility for enforcing consumer protection laws and regulations. He is a Council Member of the Trading Standards Institute (TSI) and is one of the Institute’s lead officers with responsibility for hallmarking.
Mr Martyn Pugh is a designer/maker of silverware and jewellery. His business supplies collections of silverware and jewellery and individual pieces to clients both nationally and internationally. He is a National Committee Member of the British Jewellery Association (BJA) and a Committee Member of the Association of British Designer Silversmiths.
Mr Stefan Waclawski is a Director of the multiple retail jewellers M M Henderson Ltd, which has 25 branches mostly in Scotland. He has over twenty-five years retail jewellery experience and is currently responsible, amongst other things, for purchasing, pricing and distribution of gold, silver and diamond jewellery and dealing with the UK Assay Offices.
Mr Eric Melrose is the former Director of Planning and Environmental Services for Aberdeenshire Council having held senior management posts directing trading standards and consumer protection activities in Grampian Council. He has chaired the Metrology Panel of LACORS and was the Scottish Champion of the DTI Consumer Direct service in Scotland.
Mr Adrian Levett is the former head of Trading Standards at Warwickshire County Council. He has chaired several key national and regional trading standards bodies concerned with service delivery, and is a consultant in change management activities.
Mr Derek Lassetter is a Director of Argex Limited which is a company which supplies silver and semi manufactured silver to the jewellery trade, of which he has more than 30 years experience.
Mr Bryn Aldridge is a Director of Trading Standards and Veterinary Services for the City of London Corporation and a Code Panel Member for the Retail Energy Association.
Mr Robert Grice was a Trading Standards Professional for nearly 40 years, retiring as Chief Officer of the Service in 2006. He has an MSc in Criminal Justice and is currently Assistant Divisional Training Officer for West Yorkshire Police in a part time capacity. Robert is a long standing Guardian of the Sheffield Assay Office.
Mr John Pearce is a professional jewellery designer and manufacturer. Australian born he trained in diamond mounting and setting in Brisbane before moving to Europe. John founded Johnny Rocket Ltd in 1997 and quickly built up a reputation in the realms of fashion, music and celebrity. After working with pop and rock celebrities such as Jamiroqui and Kylie Minogue, alongside other well known designers Johnny Rocket is now a well established brand in celebrity circles.
Assay Office representatives (Birmingham)
Ms Kay Alexander is Chairman of the Guardians of the Birmingham Assay Office, and a Broadcaster and Journalist with the BBC.
Assay Office representatives (Edinburgh)
Mr Peter Nussey is a management consultant specialising in human resources issues, and Managing Director of Murrayfield Consultants Ltd. He is a member of the Incorporation of Goldsmiths of the City of Edinburgh.
Assay Office representatives (London)
Mr Dick Melly is the Clerk of the Goldsmiths' Company.
Sir Jerry Wiggin is a member of the Court of Assistants and a former Prime Warden of the Goldsmiths' Company. He served as a Member of Parliament for 28 years until 1997, and in 1972 promoted the Hallmarking Bill.
Assay Office representatives (Sheffield)
Mr Simon Batiste is the Law Clerk of the Sheffield Office, and a barrister with Chambers in Leeds. He has a long family connection with hallmarking.
Co-Opted members
Mr Christopher Jewitt is the Chairman of the Guardians of the Sheffield Assay Office and Chief Executive of a Sheffield tool making company.
Mr Michael Laing OBE is Deacon of the Incorporation of Goldsmiths in Edinburgh . He is a Director of retail jewellers Laing the Jewellers and Parkhouse & Wyatt, and a member of the NAG. He has served on the Education Committee of the NAG for 20 years latterly as Chairman. His OBE was awarded in 2002 for services to hallmarking.
Assay Masters (entitled to attend)
Mr Michael Allchin is Assay Master of the Birmingham Assay Office.
Mr Scott Walter is Assay Master at the Edinburgh Assay Office.
Dr Robert Organ is Deputy Warden of the London Assay Office.
Mr Ashley Carson is Assay Master at the Sheffield Assay Office.
