James Sharpley PSGD

Assistant Provincial Grand Master

James Sharpley

 

James Sharpley was born in Essex in 1952 and moved to Hertfordshire at the age of 16 where he began a 5 year engineering apprentiship in the automotive industry. On completion and having attained corporate membership of the Institute of Plant Engineers and the Society of Operations Engineers he joined the family business in metals refining and manufacture and latterly in property investment. To date he is a director of several companies and the MD of Sharpley Investments Ltd. His Masonic career began in 1983 with his Initiation into the Dacorum Lodge No. 8631 and where he became the Worshipful Master in 1990 and Secretary in 1992 and has not missed a meeting to date. James is also a member of 18 other lodges and chapters in several different orders. His Provincial career began in 1997 as a Provincial Grand Steward, followed by promotion to PPSGD in 1999 and appointment to Provincial Junior Grand Warden in 2003. This was followed in 2006 with appointment to Assistant Provincial Grand Master, a position he still holds today. His interests in masonry have resulted in James being honoured with Grand Rank in craft to PSGD, in Chapter to GStB, in Mark to PGJD and Royal Ark Mariner Grand Rank.

James married his wife Heather in 1973 and has three grown children and a wonderful granddaughter, Paige. His sporting interests were in the martial arts and he attained black belt standard in karate in 1986 and instructed for some 5 years before masonry took hold of his interests and has since left little time for anything else. Holidays in the sun with Heather are very precious and sightseeing of historical interest are always sought out on these occasions. James has feelings that to be effective in all walks of life, one has to have a strong sense of duty and commitment in all that one does. ‘Nothing will happen or be achieved unless somebody makes it happen.’ With this approach he was delighted to be invited by the PGM to join the executive team and to contribute in taking this wonderful province forward.