Master of the Merchant Venturers on whether they are an all powerful elite club, or just charitable business people

The Society of Merchant Venturers often gets talked about inconspiratorial tones. Forced into the limelight by the toppling ofColston, the Merchants have come under greater scrutiny for past andpresent practices. According to the Society, they are opening up more tothe public, confronting their history and diversifying their membership.They say that far from controlling the city they are just successfulprofessionals who donate time, skills and money to worthy causes. Butalong with relatively low profile members, they also count some of thecity's biggest corporate big-whigs, controversial bosses, ConservativeParty donors and a leading climate change denier. Why does the Societystill exist and what are the roles it plays in the city today? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.