Our Chancellor, Dr Fiona Hill CMG, has received the civic honour of Freedom of the City of London and was admitted to the Livery of the Haberdashers’ Company.
The Freedom of the City of London is one of the City’s oldest surviving traditions and remains a distinctive honour.
Fiona becomes a Livery member of the Haberdashers’ community, whose members use their skills, time and resources to support young people and communities.
For Fiona, the honour has strong personal resonance, connecting memories of her North East childhood with the Haberdashers’ long tradition of education and philanthropy.
My great-grandmother was a seamstress, and my mother and grandmother made many of our clothes, so haberdasheries and fabric shops were a big part of my childhood. My close friend and mentor Angela Stent, whose family emigrated from Nazi Germany, was educated at Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for Girls. The excellence of that education is reflected in her life and accomplishments. Growing up in North East England, visits to London were rare, special adventures. To be given the Freedom of the City is therefore a great honour.
The Haberdashers’ Company brings together more than 1,000 members from a wide range of backgrounds.
Its members are united by a commitment to giving back. Through their time, expertise and resources, they support the Company’s schools, churches and charity partners across the UK.
Each year, the Company distributes more than £4.5 million to advance its purpose of empowering young people from every background to fulfil their potential.
This funding is complemented by governance support and direct programmes drawing on the energy and experience of Haberdashers’ members.
I am absolutely delighted that Fiona is becoming a member of the Company, her knowledge, as well as her commitment and passion for supporting future generations to succeed, closely chime with the values of this ancient organisation. We are so proud to have her on board.
Born in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, Fiona is an acclaimed foreign affairs specialist, author and authority on Russian and European geopolitics.
She has advised three US Presidents and is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
She was installed as Durham University’s 13th Chancellor in June 2023.
Image caption (left to right): Alderman Sir William Russell, Dr Fiona Hill CMG, Lucian Hudson, Durham University, City Councillor Leyla Boulton, Senior Editor, FT, and Alderman Alison Gowman CBE.
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