Governors

I am an experienced corporate lawyer and a founding partner of Square One Law, a firm that I now chair. As well as being qualified in both Scottish and English law, I also qualified as a chartered accountant with Arthur Andersen before working for Ernst & Young in Newcastle. I have also been a partner with Eversheds and Muckle.

I spent a year on secondment with Bank of Scotland at the time of its merger with Lloyds Banking Group and worked on secondment with the Scottish Football Association.

I am currently Vice Chair of security company The Protector Group Limited; a director of Mercer Street Marketing and Consulting Limited, Pink Boutique Limited and Point Blank Cold Brew Limited; plus a trustee of the Durham Foundation; chair of South Northumberland Cricket Club and The Newcastle Cricket Centre; and was chair of the audit committee of The Sage Gateshead for 10 years.

I am a retired Headteacher and care passionately about young people and their education. I have sat on the Schools Northeast Advisory Board and have worked as a National Leader in school improvement as well as being an Ofsted Inspector.

I am a mother of two children and live and work on a farm. I love training my dogs both to work and compete and am passionate about sport both playing and watching. I am Chair of the Northumberland County Cricket Board as well as being their safeguarding lead.

Currently I Chair the management committee of The Woodlands School which is the Durham County Council Provision for both permanently excluded pupils and those identified as close to permanent exclusion.

I qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse in Newcastle in the early nineties. Later, I joined Reg Vardy plc and went on to spend the next 25 years in the motor industry - the last 15 of which included being MD of Benfield Motors and latterly COO of Lookers plc.

My charitable activities have included a spell on the NE committee for Prince’s Trust as well as active fundraising for 353 (a small charity supporting the families of members of the armed forces who suffer from PTSD) and Children in Need.

I’m delighted to now Chair the RGS Bursary Campaign Committee and look forward to supporting more bursary students to access the outstanding education provided at the school. I believe RGS can play a leading role in education across the region and help create the value generators of the future who will shape the improving economic and social fortune of the North East.

I am a London-based barrister who specialises in civil disputes and government matters.

I was awarded a bursary to attend the RGS Sixth Form between 2009 and 2011, and enjoyed my time at the RGS immensely. I have taken a keen interest in the development of the school and its bursary campaign since leaving in 2011.

I am currently instructed as a junior barrister for the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and take a great deal of interest in national and political events which impact equality and accessibility across all groups and generations.

I like to spend any remaining free time reading, travelling, keeping fit and going to the theatre.

After an education at local schools in Northumberland, I read Geography at Nottingham University. My first employment was with the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street in London, where I worked mainly as a researcher in the Overseas department, drafting economic reports, briefing IMF directors and looking after foreign visitors.

In 1986, my wife and I left London and converted Embleton Hall in Longframlington to a Country House Hotel, which I ran for 28 years.

In my retirement, I am the Manager of a small country inn, The Percy Arms in Chatton.

In local politics, I was elected as District Councillor for Longframlington and Brinkburn in 1991 until its demise in 2008. In 1993, I was elected as a councillor for the Shilbottle area on Northumberland County Council where my main interests are, and remain, education and planning. I am currently chairman of the North Northumberland Planning Committee and Vice Chairman of the Strategic Planning Committee.

My interests are food and drink, travel, tennis and the garden.

As a former pupil, Head Boy in 1999, and currently a parent to two children in the Junior School, my connection with the school is deeply personal, providing me with a well-rounded insight into educational matters.

My professional journey has traversed through real estate, operations, and finance. With a background as a Real Estate Investment Banker, qualification as a Chartered Surveyor (RICS), and my current role as Director of Operations at a prominent retail company, I offer a diverse set of experiences that I believe can contribute to the role.

During a rewarding six-year tenure as the Chair of the Trustees of the DragonFly Cancer Trust, I had the privilege of contributing to impactful initiatives that touched the lives of those in need.

As a proud Geordie, my passion for the North East is strong, driving my commitment to enhancing the educational experience for students in our region. I look forward to actively participating in various aspects of school life and contributing to the ongoing success of our institution.

Born in North Shields, I have been a teacher for 30 years. Since April 2016, I have been Principal of The Grammar School at Leeds; before that, I was Head of Senior School and then Principal of The British School of Brussels.

My career includes teaching and leadership roles in a range of independent and maintained sector schools, the first two of which were in the North East.

My first degree is in English Language and Literature and I also hold a Master in Educational Leadership.

I have two children, living and working in the South East, and in my spare time I am active in my local church, enjoy the theatre and walks in the Yorkshire Dales.

I love history (which inspires me), current affairs and politics (which often do the opposite!)