Birmingham Assay Office is pleased to announce the appointment of a new trade Warden, Andrew Morton, Managing Director of WB The Creative Jewellery Group Ltd (part of the Heimerle + Meule Group). This follows the retirement of long-serving trade Warden, Martyn Pugh.
Andrew has always had a passion for British design and production and has worked in senior operational roles in leading jewellery manufacturers, including Gallery, G&A and Abbey Crest. In 2008, he was appointed as Managing Director of WB The Creative Jewellery Group, comprising Weston Beamor (Casting, Bespoke CAD Design, 3D Printing) and Domino Jewellery (Casting, Semi-finished and Fully-Finished Fine Platinum, 18ct White, Yellow and Rose Gold Jewellery).
Andrew was subsequently appointed as MD of Gecko Jewellery, following the Group’s acquisition of the Silver and Gold jewellery wholesale business in 2012. He has a Diploma in Management Studies and is a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths and a Freeman of the City of London.
Andrew said, “I am proud and pleased to have been appointed to sit as a Warden, following my service as a Guardian of the Standard of Wrought Plate in Birmingham. I believe that The Birmingham Assay Office is a crucial part of the UK jewellery industry and I look forward to providing commercial and sector-specific insight to the Assay Master, as part of the Assay Office’s Non-Executive board. I am pleased that I am able to do my part to contribute to the continued safeguarding of this important institution.”
Doug Henry, CEO and Assay Master commented, “Andrew is very well respected within the trade and brings with him a wealth of commercial knowledge and experience that will help support the future growth of the Assay Office.”
He added, “I would also like to thank Martyn Pugh for his contributions to the business over the last several years in his role as Warden. He has been a significant contributor to the major decisions taken by the Wardens committee over the last decade. His impact on The Birmingham Assay Office also extends to shaping the very fabric of the building, with Martyn playing a pivotal role in the design and manufacture of our impressive Guardian Timepiece hanging in the atrium of the building.”
