How many of you cycled today? A few but well below the national average. As usual I cycled to work today with all the Rapha clad commuters whizzing past we. The final humiliation being when Nick Hornby performed the perfect undercut at Hyde Park Corner.

We’re in the Rapha Cycle Club and our friends from Rapha are telling me it’s Black Friday early.

Black Friday means a different thing to an investment person but I’m advised it’s a good thing for consumers.

We have a filial relationship with Rapha as Rupert Rittson-Thomas is both a director of Rapha and a non- executive partner of Cerno Capital. Thank you Rupert and thank you Tom Wood and Alistair Fenning.

Cerno Capital is an asset manager. We build globally diversified portfolios of investments for our clients, some of whom are here tonight. In the audience we have financial advisers, institutions, private investors and professional counterparties.

Also present tonight some people from the world of sport

Tonight’s event rounds out a year of activity for us in terms of engaging with women in sport which began with sponsorship of BT Sport ActionWoman awards with Clare Balding, Sue Mott and Eleanor Kelly, has taken us to Twickenham with England Woman’s rugby, Canterbury with England Women’s’ cricket, Glasgow with Judy Murray, Woking Golf Club with the Ladies European Tour and Henni Zuel and in a few weeks to Grafham Water with Hannah White who aims to become the fastest woman on water, powered by wind.

In addition, we have granted a journalist internship to Laura Winter who is one of a new phalanx of writers and broadcasters addressing the imbalance of coverage. Laura is with us tonight. When we think of the women we have got to know, as a firm we are drawn to the motivations of these challengers, as professionals we can gauge their sacrifices and as people we are moved by their stories

Cycling has always been an important activity in Britain, even if success at the top level was infrequent for many years

One group of people have changed this for good: Team Sky

Team Sky was formed in 2010 to draw on the philosophy and practices that projected British men’s’ and women’s’ teams to the top in track events and bring success on the road team, a programme that has culminated in 3 Tour de France wins in 4 years

Fran Millar who co founded Team Sky with Sir Dave Brailsford has been on the bus since the start, an integral part of the delivery of this success so thank you Fran for offering up your time tonight.

I’ll close by thanking Hannah Sharman whose connections formed the path to meeting Fran. To Natasha Mackinlay who has coordinated all of tonight’s arrangements, to Rapha for opening their shop to us and discounting their product and finally to our friend the sports journalist Eleanor Kelly who will moderate. Eleanor has some questions to bring forth the key aspects of Fran’s working life and beyond that she will take questions from the audience. Please welcome Eleanor and Fran Millar.