William Alden MBE

Born in Oxford, William was educated at the Dragon School and Marlborough College, before reading Literae Humaniores (Greats) at Merton College. He did a short-service commission with the 13th/18th Royal Hussars and in 1980 joined his family firm, the Alden Group, which specialised in the digital processing and manufacturing of academic books and journals with businesses in Oxford, Banbury, Didcot, Northampton and Finchley.  Eight years later, after studying for an MBA at Cranfield, he took over as Managing Director and converted the company into an international business, adding operations in Chennai, Southern India and Penang in Malaysia. He sold the business in 2008, sadly bringing to an end an Oxford family firm that was founded in 1832.  William became a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers in 1986, served on the Court from 2001 and was elected Under Warden in 2008. However, rather than becoming Master, he chose to take on the role of Clerk, in which he served from 2010 to 2021.

William has had a life-long interest in education and training. Locally he served as a Governor of the Oxford College of Further Education, Headington School and St Clare’s Oxford. He served on the Audit Committee and the employer advisory panels for the School of Publishing and the Business School of Oxford Brookes University and was a Director of the Heart of England Training and Enterprise Council. Nationally he was Chairman of the Print and Graphic Communication National Training Organisation and a Director of the NTO National Council. William was awarded an MBE for services to vocational education and training in 2000.

Other charitable activities have included the Oxfordshire Friends of the Home Farm Trust, the Family Nurturing Network, Soldiers of Oxfordshire, the Abingdon Sea Cadets and Emmaus Oxford, where he was Chairman of the Trustees from 2005 to 2009. He was appointed a DL in 2004 and served as High Sheriff in 2012-13.

Now fully retired, William focuses his time on playing Real Tennis, looking after his allotment and taking care of his five grandchildren, all of whom live in the USA.

William lives in Iffley with his wife, Sally and he is a member of the East Oxford DL group.