Ex-director at BAML now devoting self entirely to life of Freemasonry

Some people leave banking for fintech. Some leave for venture capital. Some leave for hedge funds.  And some, some leave to become.....Freemasons.

Such is the case with Karl Debenham.

Between November 1996 and November 2015, Debenham worked for Merrill Lynch (later Bank of America Merrill Lynch) in London, latterly as head of global valuation for BAML's equity research team.

Debenham retired last November. Since then, he has busied himself with, "a new career as a full time Freemason," promoting the "philosophical and charitable objectives of various Masonic and Rosicrucian Orders: diffusing light to all that seek it."

What are these philosophical and charitable objectives? Historically, Freemasonry has been seen as a somewhat arcane order, but the United Grand Lodge of England now has its own website which says its (all male) members are instilled with values, "based on integrity, kindness, honesty and fairness." More obscurely, it says this is achieved using, "a series of ritual dramas – a progression of allegorical two-part plays which are learnt by heart and performed within each Lodge" and based around ancient stonemasons' customs.

Debenham's part in all this is unclear, although in 2014 (whilst still at BAML) he was seemingly a "grand guard" in the Masonic Order of Athelston. Conspiracy theorists, eat your hearts out.

Photo credit: "Veiled in allegory" The Masonic Lodge. [Fuji X100] by Colin Frankland is licensed under CC BY 2.0.