FECMA History

Sir Roger Clark (FCA, FICM, FIPA, FCIS)

31 March 1947 ‐ 21 October 2002

After leaving Uppingham School, Roger trained as a chartered accountant in the City of London with Moore Stephens. After completing his articles Roger joined WH Cork Gully, the firm founded by Roger’s grandfather and well known for its insolvency work. He was made a partner in 1971, and stayed on when the firm merged with Coopers & Lybrand nine years later. In 1994 he returned to his original firm, Moore Stephens, as a corporate recovery partner. While there he arranged the merger with Booth White, retiring in 1999.

Roger first became involved with the City of London Corporation when he was elected to the City’s Court of Common Council in 1978. He became an Alderman in 1983, was a Sheriff from 1992‐93 and served as Lord Mayor of London from 1996‐97. In the course of the next year Roger attended on average 10 functions a day, and made 400 formal speeches and 800 informal ones. Besides his duties in the City and the UK he travelled widely overseas, entertaining civic dignitaries and leading figures in India, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, the Gulf States and USA. He undertook numerous charitable activities on behalf of the Cancer Research Campaign (including a two week sponsored bike ride from John O’Groats to Lands End) and still found time to accept offers from the UK armed services to drive a tank, fly in an RAF jet as it re‐fuelled in mid‐air, and sail in a Royal Navy submarine.

Whatever else he did, however, Roger always seemed to have time for the UK Institute of Credit Management (ICM - later to become the Chartered Institute of Credit Management - CICM - receiving the Royal Charter in 2015).Was it the organisation whose activities he cherished most? It certainly seemed like it. His strong sense of duty meant that he would always make time ‐ somehow ‐ for an ICM matter, however large or small. He became a Member in 1971 and a Fellow six years later. He was first elected to the ICM Council in 1974 and remained on it, in one capacity or another, until his death. He was Treasurer from 1975‐83, Vice Chairman of Council from 1983‐85, and Chairman of Council from 1985‐87. He served as a Vice President from 1989‐99 and succeeded Paul Mudge as President in June 1999. He had been a member of the Institute’s Technical Advisory Committee since its inception in 1986, and of the Conference and Seminar Committee (and its predecessor) for even longer. He represented the Institute on ministerial and other delegations and had a major hand in attracting eminent people to speak at Institute events. It was Roger who pressed the Institute’s Council to seek charitable status, it was Roger who recommended the setting up of the ICM Benevolent Fund, and it was Roger whose drive and foresight established the Federation of European Credit Management Associations (FECMA) in 1986.