Paul Viney is former Chairman of Woolley and Wallis who have been holding auctions in Salisbury since 1884. They were the first regional auction house in the UK to sell a lot over £1m which they have now done eight times with an 18th century Chinese jade buffalo sold in 2009 heading the list at £4m.

Paul was educated at Rugby and began his career at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford before working for the National Trust at Waddesden Manor, the former Rothschild home near Aylesbury. He then joined Phillips Auctioneers where he was Vice-President in New York for three years and European Director from 1986-92. In his career he has taken over 2000 auctions.

For 26 years from 1984-2010 Paul conducted the annual Children-in-Need auctions with Terry Wogan and others live on Radio Two, raising over £5 million for the charity. He appeared as a specialist on The Antiques Roadshow from 1993-2013 and was Chairman of the Society of Fine Art Auctioneers 2009-2013. His interests include golf, the First World War poets and the songs of Tom Lehrer.