St Albans New President

New President Assume the Presidency of the Rotary St Albans Verulamium Club On Tuesday, 2nd July, Claudio Duran assumed the role of President of the Rotary St Albans Verulamium Club. The outgoing President, Andrew Thomson, handed over the responsibilities of the office for the upcoming year. Claudio became a member of Rotary in 2018 after being invited by Neil Harris, a long-standing member and fellow Parish Councillor, to give a presentation about Chile to the club members. He started attending the club's weekly meetings and was eventually welcomed as a member. Since then, Claudio has been actively involved in various committees to raise funds to assist those in need.Claudio was born in Chile and moved to the UK shortly after marrying Clare Elvidge 39 years ago. Clare and Claudio are proud parents of seven grown-up children, including two sets of twins and seven grandchildren. In addition to his role as President of the Rotary Club, Claudio also serves as the Treasurer for the Anglo Chilean Society, based at the Embassy of Chile, and as the Company Secretary for the Anglo Latin American Foundation. He was honoured with the Freedom of the City of London in 2016 and is an Honorary Red Cross Volunteer recognized for his efforts to combat poverty in Chile. Claudio is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Carmen.Claudio's main focus as President will be to expand the club by fostering friendships, carrying on the work of past presidents, and ultimately leaving the club in a better state than when he assumed leadership.