Liam Randall

Chapter One

Early Life & the Cadet Forces

I was born in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, and grew up in Surrey. My introduction to service came through the Army Cadet Force, where I discovered something that has stayed with me since: that young people, given responsibility and structure, will rise to meet it.

The cadets gave me opportunities that shaped the course of my life. I visited Cyprus to learn about the work of the 2nd Battalion, Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment. In 2010 I was one of two Surrey cadets selected for the national Cadet 150 expedition to Lesotho in support of Sentebale, the charity founded by Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso for the country's orphaned and vulnerable children. We painted classrooms and a school roof, then trekked for three days through the Drakensberg to a peak of 3,090 metres. Before we left I spoke at Lancaster House to an audience that included Prince Seeiso and Sir Ranulph Fiennes. The trip was funded by small donations from the local community — an early lesson in what people achieve when given a clear purpose and trusted to deliver.

In 2010 I was named Lord Lieutenant's Cadet and Cadet of the Year for Surrey, and went on to serve as the county's senior cadet — first as Regimental Sergeant Major, then as Cadet Under Officer.

The cadet forces taught me that service is not about rank or recognition. It is about doing the job in front of you, reliably and well, whether anyone is watching or not.

Chapter Two

The Worshipful Company of Coopers

At the time, the Coopers' Company held an affiliation with Surrey Army Cadet Force, and each year cadets who had shown sustained service could be put forward for apprenticeship to the Master of the Company. That is how I arrived in the City: not through family or connections, but through service.

I was apprenticed to the Master Cooper in September 2011, at the age of 17. The Coopers are one of the ancient livery companies of the City of London, chartered by Henry VII in 1501, though the craft of coopering stretches back centuries further. The livery world was entirely new to me. But I quickly saw the good it does — in charitable work, in education, in keeping a craft and its history alive — and I understood that being trusted with the custodianship of an institution like that was worth a lifetime's investment.

I was granted the Freedom of the Company by Servitude in March 2016. In 2019 I received the Freedom of the City of London and was admitted to the Livery of the Company that same year. During the pandemic I served on the Company's strategic review, working to modernise its operations and champion the role of younger members. I also organised the Society's appeal for St John Ambulance's Emergency Appeal, which with the Company's match funding raised £2,815 at a time when the charity's frontline services were under acute pressure.

My responsibilities within the Company grew steadily. I became President of the Coopers' Society — the body that champions the interests of the Livery to the Court and delivers the Company's events programme — where I focused on strengthening the Society's finances, improving its communications, and making sure its activities served a clear purpose rather than continuing out of habit. In that year the Society's income grew by a third and its membership returned to historic levels.

In 2024 I was appointed Under Warden, and in 2025 Upper Warden — the youngest in the Company's history to hold either office. The Coopers appoint a Warden for two years and then return them to the Livery, which I did in June 2026. With only two years to make change stick, I worked closely with the Court and the Society to modernise how the Company runs, from its systems to the way it welcomes new members and appoints its Court. What that involved is set out under Civic Service.

Chapter Three

The Cask Race & the Cask Group

I co-founded and continue to chair the Coopers' Cask Race, an annual inter-livery competition in Guildhall Yard that has grown each year since its inception; 32 teams took part in 2026. I also helped convene the Cask Group, which brings together the six livery companies of the drinks trade for the first time in years, and my election as Ale Conner grows directly out of that work. Both are described under Civic Service.

Chapter Four

Professional Life

My professional life runs on the same instinct as my civic work: use evidence to find the real problem, then build the solution. I read Politics at Royal Holloway, University of London, and began in management consultancy before specialising in data, insight, and strategy.

I now serve as Head of Impact and Data at Toynbee Hall, one of the country's oldest social action charities. Founded in 1884, Toynbee Hall has been tackling poverty in the East End of London and beyond for over a hundred years. My work focuses on data analytics, digital transformation, and building the tools and evidence base that help frontline services deliver better outcomes for people in financial difficulty.

Much of that is through Debt Free Advice, the London-wide partnership of 18 advice charities that Toynbee Hall leads. In 2025/26 the partnership supported more than 12,000 Londoners and secured £24.4 million in financial gains for them, the highest in its twenty-year history. I lead its impact and evidence work, including the annual Impact Report.

For MoneyPennie, the partnership's in-house Advisor Intelligence platform — AI built to support debt advisors rather than replace them — I wrote the bid that funded it and managed the project. The idea that was mine is MoneyPennie Insight, which applies sentiment analysis to advice sessions to quantify what has always been a qualitative process: showing where clients struggle in the journey and where advisors need training.

Chapter Five

Personal

Away from civic life, I am married with two young children. Within it, I am a member of the Bishopsgate Ward Club and the City Livery Club.