The British have never been known to shrink from a challenge, and the intrepid members of the United Kingdom's HBS Club of London are no exception. When the club was bested by alumni of INSEAD in a winetasting contest last year, club president Mark J.H. Weedon (MBA '69) organized "a tutored tasting, conducted by an obliging wine merchant, to get ready for this year's challenge."

Winetastings are just one of many kinds of recreational and more substantive events designed to reach Weedon's goal of increasing participation of young members. "We have 1,150 members out of 2,070 alumni believed to be in the United Kingdom," he says. "We chase the missing 920 annually and seek help from the School on contacting recent grads working here, but we also hope that our programs, reputation, address book, and the low annual fee (twenty pounds) will attract new members.

The club chooses intriguing venues, such as the House of Lords, National Theatre, Tower Bridge, London Zoo, and Somerset House, for its annual summer and Christmas parties. An annual ball, golf days, and Sunday visits to historic buildings bring members together to socialize. Monthly dinners, featuring provocative speakers representing business, sports, academia, civil and military services, politics, and religious organizations, inspire thoughtful conversations. Recent forums on private equity and the Internet, along with debates on single currency and health care, have been very popular, Weedon says.

Weedon is also proud of the club's Friends Scholarship, which is led by former club president David M. Dutton (MBA '69) and administered through the Fulbright organization. "Each year we give one or two MBA students from the United Kingdom a significant contribution to help them through HBS, provided they return home at least short term," Weedon explains.

"Despite the demanding weekday evenings of our members," concludes Weedon, who runs BoardSearch, a top-level executive search and career transition advice firm, "our membership is flourishing, and the quality and variety of all our events is improving.

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