Leadership & Governance
The Chair of the Governing Body may be contacted via the Clerk to the Governing Body, Charterhouse, Godalming, Surrey, GU7 2DX, or via email.
Governors
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Mr Kwaku Awuku-Asabre, BSC, DIP.LAW |
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| Kwaku is a Barrister at Matrix Chambers, London, specialising in Financial Crime and Media Law. He is an Old Carthusian who studied Economics and Philosophy at LSE. Before pursuing a career in the law, Kwaku worked in London as a fixed income analyst at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. |
| Mr Durell Barnes, BA |
| Durell is an experienced educationalist. After more than 20 years teaching in HMC schools, latterly as deputy head in two different schools, he moved to the Independent Schools Inspectorate where he spent ten years as Deputy Director/Head of Communications. For the last ten years he has been Head of Governance and Compliance at RSAcademics, a leading consultancy company, and he undertakes reviews of governance and training for school leaders and governors in the UK and overseas. Durell has served as the Chair of the Independent Schools Examinations Board and has extensive experience as a governor of state maintained, charitable and for profit schools in the UK and overseas. |
| Mr Mark Bishop BA, MA, MBA |
| Mark was educated at Charterhouse before graduating from St Edmund Hall, Oxford in 1984, He began his teaching career at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford before becoming the Deputy Headmaster at Caterham School. In 1996 he was appointed Headmaster of Trinity School, Croydon, part of the Whitgift Foundation. After 10 years of headship, he became the Chief Executive of Perrett Laver, a global Executive Search company before returning to the world of schools as the High School Principal and Executive Headmaster of YK Pao School, Shanghai, one of China’s leading international schools. Mark has been a Governor of several independent schools and for many years was an Independent Schools’ Inspector in the UK. Mark joined the Governing Body in September 2023 and was elected as Chair from March 2024. |
| Mr Stephen Browne, MA, MBA, PGCE, MCSI |
| A former member of the teaching staff, Stephen spent 20 years in private client and charity investment management, mostly as a director and shareholder of Waverton Investment Management. He left the industry at the end of 2022 to join technology start-up company Devyce as Chief Financial Officer. A Cambridge University graduate, Stephen began his career teaching Latin and French at Repton and subsequently at Charterhouse. |
| Mr Michael Crawford, FCA, MBA |
| Michael is a Windlesham House alumnus from where he went to Wellington College and then Exeter University to study Chemistry and Law. He qualified as a chartered accountant with KPMG and went on to obtain an MBA from Cranfield University School of Management. After working as an accountant in London and Hong Kong, he embarked on a career in equity fund management working at Morgan Grenfell, Deutsch Bank and Bessemer Trust before founding Chawton Global Investors where he is currently managing partner. He returned to Windlesham as a Governor in early 2023 and joined the Charterhouse Governing Body in August 2025. |
| Mr Craig Decker, BSC |
| Craig is a technology consultant advising early-stage companies in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and communications, following senior leadership roles at Cisco, BroadSoft, Cosine and Ascend. Craig joined the Amesbury School Governing Body in 2023 and, as Chair, helped lead the team that reviewed strategic opportunities for the school and worked closely with Charterhouse throughout the merger process. He now sits on the Charterhouse Board of Governors and continues to support Amesbury as Chair of its School Sub-Committee. A long-standing member of the school community, Craig had both his children educated at Amesbury. |
| Mrs Clare Ferguson, MEng |
| After graduating from Oxford University with a degree in Engineering Science, Clare spent many years at NM Rothschild and Credit Suisse in credit risk, banking finance, and sales and marketing, specialising in strategy development and risk management in the precious metals markets. Clare spent nine years as a Trustee of ACS International Schools, serving as Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee, the Senior Independent Director, Boarding Governor, and a member of the People Committee. She is a Trustee of the Hyde Charitable Trust, a Trustee of Action Medical Research and a Director and Trustee of Holyport College. Clare is also a Director of Charterhouse International Ltd. |
| Mrs Helen Goatley, BA |
| Helen is a solicitor, former Chairman and partner in a nationally recognised law firm. She read law at Durham University. She has over 20 years’ experience as a charity trustee and previously spent six years as a governor at a Godalming primary school. She lives in Godalming with her husband, has two adult children who grew up locally and knows the area and community very well. Helen helped lead a merger of two law firms to create a new top one hundred business and brings expertise and understanding of change management and leadership to her role as Governor. As a result of a long career representing children and adults with acquired brain injury, she also has a working knowledge of safeguarding law and the healthcare and social care sectors. Helen serves as the Safeguarding Link Governor for Charterhouse. |
| Mr James Goldsmith, BSc, MRICS |
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James is a Director at Savills UK Limited and Head of Strategic Investment Advisory with over 30 years’ experience advising predominantly international investors in respect of their strategies for UK real estate markets. He is an Old Carthusian and studied at the University of Reading. |
| Mrs Sarah Greasley, MA (Cantab), CITP, FBCS, CENG, FIET |
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Sarah Greasley was educated at St Swithuns School, Winchester, and Jesus College, Cambridge. She has held senior technical executive positions at IBM, Direct Line Group and Amazon Web Services. She is a Fellow of the British Computing Society and a Fellow of the Institute of Engineering and Technology. She is also a Trustee of British Exploring Society and the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew. |
| Mrs Sarah Hartnell, ba |
| Sarah is a qualified solicitor with a Jurisprudence degree from Oxford and a Post Graduate Diploma in Competition Law from Kings College, London. After training in the City of London, she spent the majority of her career working in house leading consumer, regulatory and competition legal teams at Centrica plc. In those roles she managed multi-disciplinary teams of lawyers and non-lawyers, was responsible for key strategic business and M&A projects and regulatory investigations collaborating with the executive team throughout. |
| Mr Simon Laver, BA, MA, MBA |
| Simon was educated at Oxford and London Business School/Dartmouth, with recent part-time study for a BSc in Viticulture & Oenology at Plumpton College. He co-founded Perrett Laver in 2002, building it into a leading global search firm with 21 offices and clients in over 70 countries, and taking it to 75% employee ownership. Simon has advised on education, science and research leadership worldwide — over 500 university leadership appointments, around a third of the top 100 Vice-Chancellors/Presidents, and more than 30 Russell Group VC searches. He has held Chair/Trustee roles at two INGOs, one a DEC member and he has chaired a government panel on UK R&D talent attraction. Simon established Gatcombe Estate Vineyard on the Isle of Wight while restoring the historic Georgian landscape park and gardens. |
| Mr David Macey, FCA |
| David is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and was educated at Sandroyd School and Charterhouse. His professional career spanned 40 years with Saffery LLP advising charities, financial services entities and property related businesses. He served on the Management Board of the partnership and as Chairman of the firm and has held a number of professional trustee and executor positions. He continues to act as a professional consultant. David is a trustee of the Carthusian Trust and the Observer on behalf of the Governing Body of the School for the London Charterhouse charitable body. His non-business interests include the Chairmanship of the British International Harmsworth Trophy, the motorboat equivalent of the Americas Cup, a committee member of the Old Carthusian Yacht Club and is past Chairman of the British Powerboat Racing Club. |
| Mr John Olsen, BA |
| John is an Old Carthusian and a graduate of Durham University. He has spent his career in corporate reputation management consultancy and now acts as an independent adviser, with a particular focus on the education sector. He served as a Governor of Halstead School for fifteen years, including ten as Chair. He has a strong interest in young people’s mental health and wellbeing, and acts as a board advisor to the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust, a leading mental health charity. John is Vice Chair of the Governing Body and is a Director of Charterhouse International Ltd. |
| Mr David Royds, BSc |
| David is a graduate of the University of Exeter and an Old Carthusian. In 1985 he founded the Matrix Group, a broadly spread financial services business involved in fund management, property investment, investment banking, renewables, data management and venture capital. He is currently Chairman of Novia Global PLC, an international online wealth management platform. David is a Director of Charterhouse Enterprises and Charterhouse School Design & Build. |
| Mr Hugh Sturges, BA, ACA |
| Hugh graduated from Exeter University with a degree in Economics, qualified as a Chartered Accountant and then worked in audit in the UK and Bermuda until entering the world of business. Spending much of his career in the Drinks Industry in Finance and general management roles, his last fifteen years of full time employment were as Chief Executive in high end consumer facing businesses where service standards, culture and values were of the utmost priority. Now semi-retired, Hugh retains an interest in the consumer sector with one or two directorships and also devotes time to working in the SEND/disabled sector. |
| Mr Michael Walton, MA, MBA, FRICS |
| Mr Walton is an Old Malvernian, a graduate of Cambridge University and a postgraduate of City St George’s University. He is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment. He has spent his career in real estate investment management and has for the last 22 years been Chief Executive of his own business that advises Governments and Institutions on real estate investment throughout Western Europe. He served as a Governor of Edgeborough School for five years, including three as Chair of the Strategy Development Committee. He attends the Schools’ Health and Safety Management Committee meetings on behalf of the Governing Body. |
| Co-opted committee members* |
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Ms Karen Davies, MA MBA Dr Thomas Durno, MA, MPhil, PhD Mrs Caroline Brown, MA, PgoL, LPC Ms Edith Monfries, BA FCA Mrs Pam Mundy, BA MEd Miss Leanne Rowlands, BSc Mr Andy Skinnard, BA Mrs Jill Tait-Harris, BEd Mrs Louisa Wilkins, MA *Co-opted members are not Governors and are therefore not Trustees of the Charity. |
The Senior Leadership Team
Head & CEO |
Dr Alex Peterken, MA, EdD |
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CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER |
Mr Phil Grainge, MA, ACMA, CGMA |
Principal Deputy Head |
Ms Sam Brunner, BA, MA |
Deputy Head (Academic) |
Dr Anna Camilleri, BA, MA, DPhil |
Deputy Head (Pastoral) |
Mr Edward Poynter, BA, MEd |
Deputy Head (Safeguarding,
|
Mrs Alex Colclough, BA |
Deputy Head (Co-Curricular) |
Dr John Warren, MA, VetMB, MRCVS |
Director of studies |
Mr Simon Allen, MA, MEd |
Assistant Head (academic data & innovation) |
Mr Chris Bradford, MPhys, MAEd |
Assistant Head (Pastoral) |
Miss Leanne Rowlands, BSc, PCET |
Assistant Head (Teaching staff development) |
Mrs Louisa Wilkins, MA |
Senior Head of House |
Mrs Rebecca Pugh, BA |
Director of Admissions |
Mrs Iona Hutchinson, BA |
| Director of Human Resources | Mrs Jane Drew, AE, BSc, Chartered FCIPD |
| Deputy CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER | Mrs Karen Silcox |
Director of
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Mr Chris Hibbs, BA, MCIOF, FRSA |
Director of Wellbeing
|
Ms M Jolly, MA |
DIRECTOR of international education |
Ms Karen Davies, MA, MBA |
