Sarah Czarnecki, the current York and North Yorkshire Chamber [sic] president, and her predecessor in that role, Laurence Beardmore, were both awarded the accolade at the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall.
Ms Czarnecki said: “I am very proud of York and of the city’s business community, so to be honoured among so many centuries of the city’s finest entrepreneurs is a humbling experience.
“I must also pay tribute to my predecessor as Chamber president, Laurence Beardmore, who can reflect on a remarkable career in the city.”
The Company of Merchant Adventurers of the City of York was founded as a guild in 1357 and incorporated under a Royal Charter granted by Queen Elizabeth I in 1581.
The institution promotes enterprise and commercial “venturing,” with a Merchant Adventurer being – historically – an individual who risks their own capital in pursuit of trade.
