Staff and Governors

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Governing Body
 

In conjunction with the Head and Senior Leadership Team, the Governors set and review policies, plans and procedures which are designed to ensure the best possible education for all pupils, both present and future. The Governing Body is also responsible for ensuring the proper control of the School’s finances.

 

Governors give their time and expertise freely. They meet collectively as a Board twice in the Autumn Term and once in each of the Spring and Summer Terms respectively.

 

The Chair can be contacted via the Clerk – Rachel Price rprice@stneotsprep.co.uk

  • Chair of Governors

    David Hertzell

     

    David was Managing Partner of city law firm DAC until 2006. He was appointed a Law Commissioner in 2007 until 2014. He chaired the UK Risk Managers Association (Airmic) Captive Insurance Focus Group for several years, was an Airmic Board member and a member of the BSI drafting committee on risk management. He remains a member of the Airmic finance and insurance committees. He is the past president of the British Insurance Law Association, past Chair of the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) Professional Standards Committee and a CII Board member. He chaired the government Taskforce on insurance fraud and is chair of a pension fund trustee board. He also advises insurance governance specialists Mactavish and chairs their Claims Group. As Law Commissioner David was responsible for various commercial and common law reform projects, including the recent major reforms of insurance contract law, the law relating to the supply of goods and services, unjustified threats in intellectual property litigation and the fiduciary duties of investment intermediaries. David received the CII Claims Faculty Achievement award and the British Insurance Achievement award in 2015 and in 2016 the Insurance Fraud Achievement award. He is a visiting professor to Swansea University.

     

    David was educated at George Abbot School, Guildford and Brasenose College, Oxford.

     

    As well as being Chair of Governors David sits on the Finance Committee as well as chairing the Governance & Nominations Committee.

  • Vice Chair

    Barbara Stanley

    Barbara is Vice Chair of the Board, as well as being Chair of the Education Committee and a member of the Finance Committee and the Governance & Nominations Committee. She retired from her post as Head of The Abbey School, Reading, in 2014, following nineteen years as a Head. The Abbey School was her third Headship, preceded by Alexandra College, Dublin, and Bedford High School. Trained as a secondary Geography teacher, all the schools in which she has been a senior manager have included Junior or Prep Schools.

     

    She is the Independent Schools Specialist for the senior education leaders’ professional association ASCL (Association of School and College Leaders) and so sees national and independent sector education policy and politics from close quarters. Outside education, she is a churchwarden, closely involved in Swallowfield and other activities and appreciates being an active grandparent.

  • Safeguarding
  • Clerk

    Louise Sinclair

       

    Louise can be contacted via louisesinclair@stneotsprep.co.uk

Trustees

  • Baz Bennett

    Baz is the Chief Operating Officer at Lord Wandsworth College. Baz has spent most of his career in the Armed Forces and Graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1992. Baz’s Army career appointments have included: Commander British Forces South Atlantic Islands, Commanding Officer 40th Regiment Royal Artillery, Chief of Staff 51 Scottish Brigade, Head Employment Policy (Diversity and Inclusion); Head Strategy Integration in UK Strategic Command and Deputy Chief of Staff, Field Army.

       

    Baz was born in Poole and educated in West Parley and Ferndown. Baz enjoys many sports and has a passion for the outdoors, especially the sea. Baz loves to travel, eat good food, collect art and watch films. He is married to Shona and they have two grown up children.

       

    Baz is a member of the Finance Committee.

  • Wendy Berry

    Wendy is mother to three children. Her two boys, both ex-pupils of St Neot’s, attend Reading Blue Coat and Wellington College and her daughter, also ex St Neot’s, attends Wellington College. In her working life she was a European Product Manager for Dell Computers. Wendy currently works in a voluntary role for British Eventing. Wendy Chairs the Governance & Nominations Committee and also sits on the Education Committee. Wendy is the staff liaison Governor.

  • Madelaine Best

    Maddie graduated from the University of Bath with a BSc in Politics and International Relations, before joining Bradfield College as a Teacher of History and Politics. Her main academic area of specialism is in Gender Politics and she has co-authored a paper on family friendly practices in the devolved legislatures, and continues to read widely in this field.

       

    Maddie is passionate about staying abreast with developments in pedagogy and pastoral care and is the Gifted & Talented Co-ordinator and a Deputy Housemistress at Bradfield. She lives with her husband and family at Bradfield College, where her husband works as a boarding Housemaster. She enjoys walking, skiing, reading and writing plays. Maddie sits on the Education and Safety & Wellbeing Committees.

  • Peter German

    Pete is Director of Admissions & Marketing at Lord Wandsworth College, an 11-18 day and boarding school in Long Sutton, Hampshire, where he is part of the Senior Leadership Team.

       

    Having studied at the University of the Arts, London, he began his career in education at Yateley School before moving to Frensham Heights where he managed Marketing & Admissions. Passionate about education and empowering young people, Pete has worked with a number of charities within this field. He has spoken at conferences and delivered training for ISBI and EMCdigital and is part of a TEDx organising team which brings together a range of influential thinkers and innovators. Pete is married to Leah and they have two young sons. Pete is a member of the Marketing Committee.

  • Danny Gowan

    Danny was born and educated in New Zealand. He is married with 4 adult children and lives locally in North East Hampshire. From 1979 until 2016 he practiced law in London principally in the field of International Construction and Engineering Arbitration. From 2000 until 2011 he was his firm’s Senior partner.

       

    In addition to being a Governor for St Neot’s, Danny is also a Governor of Lord Wandsworth College where he chairs the Campus Committee and sits on the Finance Committee and is a Director of Stern Farms Ltd which oversees the Estate farming business on behalf of the College.

       

    He was part of the group of Lord Wandsworth Governors who were actively involved in the discussions with the St Neot’s Board leading to the Collaboration Agreement between the two schools

  • James Philpott

    James Philpott was appointed as a Governor in March 2022. He currently works as the Bursar at St Augustine’s Priory in West London.

       

    He previously worked in a wide range of general management roles for major international law firms (Allen & Overy and Bird & Bird), consultancies (Deloitte, K2 Intelligence) and property businesses (MGMT Holdings).

       

    James grew up in Bath where he attended King Edwards School, before reading History at Christ Church, Oxford. He returned to Oxford in mid-career to take an MBA.

       

    James is married to Rebecca (a Registrar at a boy’s boarding school in Berkshire) and has two teenage sons who both attended St Neot’s and are now at independent schools in Reading.

       

    His passion other than history is sport. He played rugby and golf for Oxford and represented his college in all manner of teams, ranging from darts and netball to hockey and cricket. His sporting endeavours continue through golf and cricket. He still (just!) plays league cricket in Hampshire for Hartley Wintney CC, where he also coaches the U11 Girls Squad, and he is Chairman of the North Hampshire Cricket Development Association.

       

    James chairs the Finance Committee.

  • Martin Todd

    Martin held a number of senior global roles within ExxonMobil Corporation in the last few years of a 36 year career with them: main Board Director of the UK and Ireland companies, manager of European Retail operations, Commercial Manager of the Global Aviation unit, among them.

       

    His career in the downstream business took him to positions in the USA (twice), Brazil, Brussels and Chile where he was Lead Country manager.His experiences included Sales, Advertising and Marketing, operational roles, Supply Trading, coordination of South East refining and supply, and several analytical roles. He also worked on the small group charged with implementation of the merger between Exxon and Mobil in 2000.

       

    Since retiring in 2014, he has completed an MA at SOAS (London University) in Chinese history: started up and operated a Charity (JBVC Foundation) on behalf of Johnson Beharry (VC), whose goal is to permanently assist youngsters to leave gangs in London: chaired the Lancing College alumnus Society as well as their Football Club, and currently remains on the Lancing College Foundation Council, charged with fundraising for bursaries and Projects.

       

    Before joining ExxonMobil, Martin was born and received his early education in Hong Kong, before prep school in East Sussex, Lancing College and Brasenose College Oxford. Martin chairs the Marketing Committee and is also a member of the Finance Committee.

  • Graham Tongue

    Retired following 41 years in Agri Business on landed Estates for private Clients in Cheshire, Lancashire, Devon Hampshire, Suffolk, Kent, South Wales. Graham is a Committee member of the Country Landowners Association; former external examiner, Harper Adams University.

       

    Raised on family farms in Gloucestershire before qualifying as a Chartered Surveyor, Land Agent and Valuer from the Royal Agricultural University.

       

    Graham is married to Alison, with two children both of whom boarded at St Neot’s and two grandchildren.

       

    Graham sits on the Finance Committee and the Safety & Wellbeing Committee. In addition Graham is a Governor of Lord Wandsworth College where he sits on the Campus Committee.

       

    Previous involvement as administrator of an educational charity. Now taking on charitable work assisting the local Church.

       

    A keen traveller and gardener.

  • David Walker

    David holds a 1st class B.Sc in Physics and Philosophy from the University of Bristol and has held a number of teaching and leadership positions, mainly in the independent sector. He has recently returned to Wellington College as Deputy Head (Pastoral and Wellbeing) after previously spending 10 years at Wellington College between 2006 and 2016. In the meantime he was Head of School at an independent school in Cambridge as part of a group of independent schools.

       

    David chairs the Safety & Wellbeing Committee and is the Safeguarding Governor for St Neot’s.