Sir Hugo Brunner retires as President

A wise and good humoured contributor to the life of the Society

29 March 2017

We are proud to pay tribute to Sir Hugo Brunner KCVO on his retirement as President of the Oxford Civic Society. Hugo’s early career was in publishing, initially with the Oxford University Press and later in senior posts in the private sector. He was appointed High Sheriff of Oxfordshire in 1988 and Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire in 1996. The Civic Society came to his attention when as Lord Lieutenant he was persuaded to launch OxClean, which he did with his Lord Lieutenant’s sword! Hugo’s involvement was very appropriate: his mother had helped to start Keep Britain Tidy.

After retiring from the Lieutenancy Hugo was elected a Vice President of the Society in 2009 and became President in March 2010. He has been an enthusiastic supporter of the blue plaques project, chairing the Oxfordshire Blue Plaques Board.

The President is not formally required to take part in the monthly Executive meetings, but Hugo has not only been a regular attender but also a very active, wise and good humoured contributor. He has played an important part in the Society’s development and we hope that he will continue to be active in the life of the Society.