The First Board Meeting

A burgundy coloured leather book stamped with gold letters:

 'C Brandauer & Co Limited'

DIRECTORS' MINUTES

begins with the first recorded minutes, written in perfectly formed copperplate, of the newly formed Company.  This first meeting of the Board of Directors of C Brandauer & Co Ltd took place on Tuesday 3 December 1901 at 11am at the offices of the Company, 401 New John Street West, Birmingham.  Those present were Mr Frederick C J Brandauer (Chairman) [generation 2], Mr Joseph Letiere Petit [generation 1], Mr Joseph Henry Petit [generation 2], Mr Mullard (Secretary pro tem) and Mr Smith.

The following points from the meeting are of particular interest:

Minute 2 explains that Mr Charles Johannes Immanuel Brandauer [generation 2] of Vienna was unable to attend and sent a proxy allowing his brother Mr Frederick Brandauer to vote for him during the following 12 months.

Minute 3 states that Mr J L Petit reported that the registration of the Company was effected on November 9th 1901, and produced the Certificate of Incorporation and Minute 4 adds that the registered offices of the Company were 401-414 New John Street West, Birmingham.

The original subscribers of the Company who held one share each, valued at £1, were as follows:

- Mr Charles J I Brandauer
- Frederick C J Brandauer
- Mrs Josephine Brandauer
- Rosine Brandauer
-Mr Joseph L Petit
- Joseph H Petit
- Charles F N Petit
- Mrs Jane Petit

Other information of interest is that the Company banked with the Bank of England (Birmingham branch) and during the meeting appointed as solicitors to the Company - Messrs Wragge, Holliday, Godley, Barrow and Horton and auditors to the Company - Messrs Howard Smith, Slocombe & Co.  Further shares were also allocated to the male subscribers, not including Charles Petit.  The Brandauer family held "A" preference and ordinary shares, and the Petit family held "X" preference and ordinary shares.  There were 120,000 preference shares and 120,000 ordinary shares in total.

The next meeting was to be held on 7 January 1902 when further share certificates were signed and sealed with the Company seal. 

I was a director of C Brandauer & Co Ltd for many years and the agenda of that first Board Meeting in 1901 covers many of the items to be found on the agenda of current Board meetings in the 21st century.  However, the appearance of those first minutes differ substantially to how they are now produced and saved for posterity on a computer.