On 26 April 2021, Domestic and General Chief Executive Officer and friend Ian Mason passed away suddenly from a heart attack aged 59. His loss has been deeply felt across the business, his professional network, and of course, his family.
Through his passing his friends and colleagues have all shared stories about Ian and the impact he made. A proud Geordie, Ian had a tremendous sense of humour and passion for people, which was evident in every interaction he had – no matter who he spoke to.
Ian’s story is one of inspiration to many. From a working-class background, he left school at 16 to join the workforce and took a job working in the stores of a chemical business. It was not long before people saw his potential and encouraged Ian to pursue further studies in chemistry so he could move from the stores to the labs.
He went on to study at the University of Cambridge. He said his time there changed his life, and it was always his desire to help people like him and address educational and social disadvantage.
In his memory, Domestic & General and CVC have set up the Ian Mason Scholarship, which will provide fully funded spaces to the Cambridge Foundation Year, a philanthropic programme to help gifted young people from disadvantaged backgrounds achieve their potential.
To remove any financial barriers or concerns, Foundation Year scholars will be provided with a grant to pay for all fees and living costs. £28,500 will support a scholar on the Foundation Year; to date, gifts in memory of Ian Mason have already fully funded two Foundation Year scholars.
Can your business help support disadvantaged young people to study at University? They are aiming to raise £250,000 through employee donations from Domestic & General and CVC, and through a silent auction at Ian’s memorial event hosted at Domestic & General’s head office in Wimbledon on 28 September 2021.
If you would like to offer high value auction prizes such as experiences, hampers and entertainment tickets, to raise funds for their extraordinary cause then please contact
Alexandra Pierce, Group Head of Communications at Domestic & General, who can provide more information and next steps: alexandra.pierce@domesticandgeneral.com.
On behalf of the Domestic & General Executive Committee, thank you
