Governors

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The Chairman of the Council of Governors, Mr Patrick Sherrington, can be contacted via the Clerk at Francis Holland Schools Trust, 35 Bourne Street, London SW1W 8JA or on +44 (0)20 7730 8359 (between 9.00am and 5.00pm Monday to Friday).

* indicates Safeguarding Governor

Further details about individual Governors can be found below:

Mrs Fiona Angel is currently the Senior Deputy at Dulwich College with over 20 years academic and pastoral leadership experience at independent schools and maintained schools. Fiona is an ISI Team Inspector alongside carrying out regular work sitting as a teacher panellist for the Teacher Regulatory Agency, considering allegations of serious misconduct by teachers. Fiona acts as a trustee of a small charity Beder, focussed on raising awareness around mental health and suicide prevention. Fiona lives in Dulwich with her husband Michael (also a teacher) and has three children George, Scarlett and Rufus, the eldest two are at university.

Fiona is one of two safeguarding governors for Francis Holland Schools Trust.

Dr Frances Baawuah is a General Practitioner with over 20 years of clinical experience. Frances is a Partner of two large inner-city London Practices. She trained at Bristol University (MBChB) and is a member of both the Royal College of Physicians (MRCP) and Royal College of General Practitioners (MRCGP). Frances is also a trustee of Hello World, a charity focused on providing education to marginalised communities, globally. Frances is an alumna and was Head Girl at Francis Holland School, Regent’s Park.

Frances is one of two safeguarding governors for Francis Holland Schools Trust.

Committee: Chair of the Education Committee and member of the HR & Remuneration Committee

Richard Backhouse has been the Principal of Berkhamsted Schools Group since January 2016, and was previously Principal of Monkton Combe School for 10 years, following spells at Bradfield and Oundle Schools. He has served on various committees of the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC) and contributed to several educational publications including Insight (the HMC magazine). He is a trustee of the Wren MAT, is a trustee of TISCA (a charity which promotes Christian faith within education), and a non-executive director of the UK arm of an Australian business which provides study skills tuition to UK schools. He has an MA in Economics from Cambridge.

Committee: Education Committee

Dr Charlotte Barker is an Academic Clinical Fellow (ACF) in Pharmacogenomics at King’s College London and is undertaking postgraduate Specialty Training in Clinical Genetics. After studying Medical Sciences as an undergraduate at Cambridge, she went on to complete her Medical Degree at the University of Oxford. She was previously an ACF in Paediatrics at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and a Clinical Research Fellow at St George’s, University of London, where she completed her PhD. Her PhD research was focussed on paediatric antibiotic dose optimisation strategies. She is a member of the British Pharmacological Society, the British Society for Genetic Medicine, and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

Committee: Finance and Estates Committee

Mike Cuthbert has a BSc in Building Surveying from South Bank Polytechnic, an MBA from University of Strathclyde, is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, and a member of the Chartered Surveyors’ Livery Company. He has worked across the UK specialising in the management of major construction projects and providing strategic development advice to public and private sector organisations, including the Bank of England and the Cabinet Office. He was a senior partner of Deloitte Real Estate.

Committee: Finance & Estates Committee

Novella De Renzo graduated from Bocconi University with an MSC (Hons) in Economics. She qualified as a Chartered Accountant in Italy, and subsequently in England and Wales, and has spent 20 years in the corporate sector, specialising in operating models, transfer pricing and international tax. She is a partner at PwC. She is a current parent of FHS.

Nathalie du Preez is a technology executive and NED, having served as COO of Quill Content (acquired by Webedia, then Jellyfish) and blow LTD (acquired by Holland & Barrett). She has now ventured into more entrepreneurial endeavours, founding a fintech startup servicing the healthcare sector (set to launch in 2024) and Luminary Leaders, which offers career exploration and guidance for state school students. She sits on the board of Desenio (a public e-commerce business based in Scandinavia), on the Advisory board of Wunderkind (a performance marketing company based in New York), and serves as an executive coach for up-and-coming female leaders and NEDs. Prior to tech, Nathalie worked at Goldman Sachs, Colgate-Palmolive and Net-a-Porter in New York and London. Originally from South Africa, she moved to the US for her studies where she completed a BSc in Economics magna cum laude from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and an MBA with Distinction from Harvard Business School.

Committee: Deputy Chair of Governors, HR & Remuneration Committee (Chair), Governance & Nominations Committee

Anthony Fincham has an MA in Modern History from Oriel College Oxford. He is a solicitor and was a partner at CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP and predecessor firms for 35 years until his retirement in 2019. He now conducts mediations as a member of ArbDB Chambers specialising  in workplace disputes. He is President of the Law Society Cricket Club, and a trustee of Support Through Court. Previously a Trustee of the Cardinal Hume Centre, an  External Advisor to the Faculty of Modern History at Oxford University and a member of the Employment Law Committee of the City of London Solicitors Company.

Committee: Education Committee

Professor Claire Gwenlan is an experimental particle physicist, and a Lecturer and Tutorial Fellow in Physics at Oxford University. She has an MSci in Astrophysics from the Department of Physics and Astronomy at University College London (UCL) and a Ph.D in High Energy Physics from UCL. She has held Postdoctoral and Advanced Fellowships at Oxford University. She has extensive research interests and is a member of large international scientific collaborations, including the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. She currently undertakes many teaching related roles and is a member of several relevant committees including the Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Education, Training and Careers Committee. She has authored or edited many principal papers, conference contributions and articles.

Dr Simon Hay is an education technology founder and CEO with experience as a non-executive director, trustee, school governor and Chair.  He founded Firefly Learning to solve his own frustrations as a GCSE student and built it as a sideline while studying for an MA in Computer Science at Oxford and a PhD from Cambridge, and during a stint on the trading floor at Goldman Sachs.  As CEO, he led it through rapid growth, two rounds of venture capital and the acquisition and integration of two other start-ups to a successful exit to a US-based strategic investor.  He has also volunteered as a governor and Chair at a Church of England primary school in London and a flying instructor with the RAF Air Cadets, and serves as a non-executive director of HFL Education, the UK’s largest school-owned company offering school improvement and business support services.

Committee: Governance & Nominations Committee

Susanne Nedas has been the Managing Director of a group of family property companies since 2000. She is a past pupil and past parent of Francis Holland School, Regent’s Park. She chaired the Parents’ Association from 1996-2000, and was the Chairman of its Millennium Library Committee and a member of the Clarence Gate Development Committee in the 1990s. She was a Director of Newpin St Paul’s, a charity based close to FHS Regent’s Park, supporting families with children aged under five years, from 1999-2004. She currently has a grand-daughter in the Junior School at Francis Holland School, Sloane Square.

Committee: Finance & Estates Committee

Esther Regina is an Architect with an M.Sc in Architecture and is a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects. She has 15 years experience in design, planning and construction, ranging from design development for large scale commercial and mixed use developments to high end residential refurbishment as well as new built projects, mainly in RBKC and Westminster. Currently Associate Director of BLDA Architects and non executive Director of a residential property management company, both since 2011.

Committees: Chair of Governors

Patrick Sherrington is a solicitor whose 40 years of international litigation practice, has encompassed periods working in both the United States and Hong Kong. He managed the Asia Pacific and Middle East operations of his firm for five years and, before that, was for 11 years the Global Head of the Litigation, Arbitration and Employment practice. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a CEDR accredited mediator on whose Board he sat between 2004-2017. He has taught at two universities in the USA and has served as a Council Member of the Law Society of Hong Kong including for three years as its Vice-President. He sits as a Deputy High Court Judge in Hong Kong (since 2017), was Chair of Council at Wycombe Abbey from 2009 until March 2020 where he continues to serve as Chair of Wycombe Abbey International Limited. He is currently Chair of the Board of Barefoot College International and a Governor of Sutton Valence School.

Committee: Education Committee

Dr Mary Short was Headmistress of St Helen’s School until her retirement in 2019. She gained wide experience of London academic day schools as a teacher of History and Politics at City of London School, Head of History at St Paul’s Girls’ School, and Pastoral Deputy Head at Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for Girls. Having studied History at UCL, she gained a PGCE at the Institute of Education, before becoming one of the first women admitted to St John’s College, Cambridge. Her PhD is in twentieth century British political history. She is a Fellow of the GSA and was co-chair of its Education Committee. She is a governor of a London prep school, and trustee of the North Foreland Lodge Trust (which provides financial support to girls in independent schools). Her first teaching position was as a temporary, maternity cover, teacher at Francis Holland School, Regent’s Park.

Committee: Education Committee

Dr Helen Spoudeas is a consultant paediatric endocrinologist at Gt Ormond St and University College Hospitals and honorary senior lecturer at UCL with specific interest in the neuro endocrine consequences of childhood brain and other tumours. She qualified from St Bartholomews Hospital London MBBS, is a fellow of the Royal Colleges of Physicians (FRCP) and Child Health (FRCPCH) and obtained her doctorate from London University MD. She has over 30 years medical experience (20 in paediatrics), maintains a keen interest in teaching / lecturing, was regional adviser to paediatric trainees at London deanery and was an FHS parent.

Committee: Education Committee

Revd Dr Andrew Walker is Vicar of St Mary’s, Bourne Street having been in ordained in 1985. He has a BA (Hons) in Theology from Durham University, a Diploma in Counselling, an MA in Spirituality, a Diploma in Charity Management, and a Doctorate in Theology and Ministry from Kings College London. His career includes several teaching related roles, including presenting conferences or providing training for various Diocese and he has been an associate lecturer with Sarum College as well as Christchurch University, Canterbury. For three years he was Director of the Healing and Counselling Centre associated with St Marylebone parish church. His book Journey into Joy is published by SPCK, and On Retreat by Bloomsbury.

Committee: Chair of Governance & Nominations and member of Finance & Estates Committee

Julia Woodham-Smith has an MA (Hons) in Classics from New College, Oxford: the first woman ever to be offered a place at New College. She is Managing Partner and Advisor in Woodham-Smith & Company a strategy consulting firm and has over 20 years advisory experience at board level (UK and international) in strategy, operations, customer and commercial insight, specialising in growth strategy. Pro bono work includes advising Beat, the eating disorders charity, and AUW, the Asian University for Women. She is an FHS alumna, and a former FHS parent.

Sloane Square
Regent’s Park

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