Introducing our new President, Rick Fink.

Please join us in welcoming Rick Fink as president of the Master Butler Collection. Rick is the quintessential English butler. He has worked for many foreign Royal families including the British Royal family. His pedigree and experience put him in a unique position to pass on the highest skills and standards to students interested in pursuing a successful career at the pinnacle of the service offering. 

Rick works at Ditchley Park, one of England's finest country houses passing on his knowledge and skills to master traditional buttling techniques tailored to 21st Century requirements.

From the age of ten, Rick wanted to be a butler, to dedicate his life to his services to the smooth running of some of the greatest houses in the country. When Rick was 18, he joined the Royal Navy as a valet for Rear Admiral Torlesse. He had the honour of serving Prince Philip shortly after his marriage to Princess Elizabeth and Mr Pandit Nehru the first Prime Minister of Independent India.

For 2 years, he was Petty Officer Steward with Admiral Sir William Davis, serving on-board dinner parties which included serving the Kings of Denmark and Norway and the Queen of the Netherlands.

On leaving the Navy Rick worked in large country estates, working for the Honourable Charles Cecil for 11 years. He has looked after and served Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret, Prince Charles, Princess Anne, the late Princess Diana and other members of the British and foreign royal families.

During his long career Rick served many Presidents including Mr de Klerk President of South Africa, President Museveni of Uganda, President Giscard d’Estaing of France, Mr Helmut Kohl Chancellor of Germany, Mr Koffi Annan, General Secretary to the United Nations and several British Prime Ministers from Alec Douglas-Home to Tony Blair.

Following a lifetime, working with Prime Ministers and Royalty, there are few challenges Rick is not capable of meeting. He teaches his proteges, “It is not enough to deal with the expected; we are judged on how we deal with the unexpected”. And that becomes everyones challenges, preparing for a lifetime of the unexpected.