An Evening with the Chairman

Instead of the usual cultural lecture, this Wednesday the Institute put on an evening of celebration of its centenary, dedicated particularly to Richard Jacques, our current chairman. We heard from Jacques, our Director, Julia Race, and the main sponsor of our cultural programme, Michael Griffiths, during the evening, which was a relaxed and sophisticated affair - an appropriate celebration for a special year.

Jacques, a partner at Brunswick and formerly a diplomat in Brussels representing UK industrial interests, has headed the Institute's board of governors since 2008 and so it has clearly been a position close to his heart. He gave a short speech on how he became so enamoured of Italy and, later, Florence in particular. He outlined his fascination with books written about, as well as written by, Italians, such as Andrea Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano series and Muriel Spark's writings on Florence among others. This love for literature and discovering cultures makes him a passionate advocate for the Harold Acton Library, which stands as one of the most important libraries of English works in continental Europe. He also reflected on the success of the Centenary in its salutary effects on membership and visitor numbers, with the hope that by the end of the Centenary we will have reached 100 life members. To this end, we also heard briefly from Debra Williams, head of the International School of Florence, who explained why she recently became a life member. The Institute's wide membership base, as Jacques made clear, shows that a physical space of culture and learning is still as relevant as ever despite ever-increasing digitalisation. He also talked of the difficult times the Institute has lived through, from the diplomatic crisis around the years of its foundation to the financial crisis of 2008, which is testament to its continued appeal and high repute. Julia Race echoed these sentiments, drawing particular attention to the importance of promoting cultural exchange across generations - something the Institute embodies so well. And so, as we raised a glass to our chairman, with a slideshow of the year's highlights running in the background, we couldn't help but feel immensely lucky to be part of not just of the British Institute of Florence as an organisation, but part of a lively community whose popularity seems here to stay. Here's to the next century!