Professor John Donaldson -

Upper Warden

Former Managing Director and Chairman of Bonham’s, Nick was their senior auctioneer at the auction house for some 30 years and conducted over 3,000 auctions for them. He also undertakes many charity auctions each year and has conducted over 1,200 of these since he was twenty years old, helping to raise over forty million pounds for deserving causes.  He was a founding member of the Society of Fine Art Auctioneers in 1975.

A keen sportsman in his younger days, he played rugby for London Scottish and represented Britain at both Bobsleigh and Sailing in the 70’s. He managed the British Bobsleigh Team at the 1980 and 1984 Olympic Games. He still sails competitively, rides The Cresta Run nearly every year (and has done so since 1963), skis, plays bad golf and enjoys his relatively new sport of scuba diving.
Nick is married to fashion designer Sue and has two daughters Katie and Jessica by his first marriage and a step daughter Olivia. Katie and Jessica are both Freemen of the Worshipful Company of Pewterers, and have, like their father, joined the art world, not as auctioneers but as creators, Katie is a Ceramicist and Jessica a Photographer and Illustrator.

Mr Richard Boggis-Rolfe-

Renter Warden

Captain Paddy Watson Royal Navy - Clerk

Captain Paddy Watson joined the Company in July 2006 after 37 years in the Royal Navy. His sea appointments included 2 years as second in command of a fast patrol boat in the Royal Danish Navy and command of a patrol boat squadron in Oman, where he was awarded the Sultan's Distinguished Service Medal. He saw war service in the Falklands as operations officer of HMS ACTIVE. Subsequently, he served as second in command of the frigate HMS APOLLO and, later, in command of HMS AMAZON. Promoted Captain in 1996, he spent 3 years as Head of Maritime Intelligence on the Defence Intelligence Staff. He then served as Chief of Maritime Operations, NATO Headquarters, Naples. His final appointment was UK Defence Adviser in Brunei, where he was responsible for the UK/Brunei defence relationship. Married to Fitty, he lives in Norfolk with 3 children plus assorted dogs and horses.