Board of Governors

(Governor since September 2024)

Until her retirement in 2025, Sarah King worked with cathedrals for almost 30 years, latterly as the Executive Director of the Association of English Cathedrals, a charity which supports the work of the English Anglican cathedrals. Previously she was the Chief Operating Officer at Southwark Cathedral from 1996 to 2005. Prior to moving into the charity sector, Sarah worked for Lloyd’s of London, Thomas Cook, in banking operations for HSBC, and as a management consultant for Deloitte Haskins and Sells, the firm with which she qualified as a Chartered Accountant.

In addition to her role at Eltham College, Sarah is a trustee of BMS World Mission and a Canon and Lay Chapter member at Rochester Cathedral. She is also a member of the Finance, Administration, Investment and Risk Committee of the Church Urban Fund. She was a governor at Spurgeon’s College, the south London Baptist theological college, from 2010 and Chair of Governors from 2012 until 2022, and a trustee and chair of the Friends of Southwark Cathedral from 2006 to 2017.

(Governor since 2020. Member of Senior School Committee)

Paul studied Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Bath before founding the Ludic Group in 2004. He is passionate about improving the way people live, work and learn across time and distance. He works internationally to design and implement digital transformation programmes for many of the world’s largest organisations. Paul is author of the books The Curious Advantage (2020) and ALIVE: Digital Humans and Their Organizations (2018). As an entrepreneur and investor Paul has a successful track record in establishing and growing consulting, learning, creative and technology-based businesses. He currently has one son at Eltham College.

(Governor since 2020. Chair of the Estates and Safety Committee)

Mark studied for his undergraduate degree in Archaeology and Anthropology at Pembroke College, Cambridge and went on to the College of Law (London) before qualifying as a solicitor at a large London Law firm. He then sought a change in career and joined Grosvenor Estates in March 2005 where he re-trained as a Chartered Surveyor. In his 13 year career at Grosvenor, Mark worked on a variety of development projects including the 42 Acre mixed regeneration of Liverpool City Centre (Liverpool ONE), the Peninsula Hotel on Hyde Park corner which is currently under construction and a 1,300 home residential scheme in Bermondsey. Since October 2017, Mark has been the Planning and Development Director at Elysian Residences, an operator, developer and investor in homes for older people. Mark is married with two children and lives in South East London. Outside of work Mark is an enthusiastic sports fan in particular rugby and cricket, and an occasional golfer.

(Governor since 2017. Estates and Safety Committee and member of the Finance Committee)

Until 2018 Peter’s role was as CFO, and subsequently Head of the Family Office at The Grosvenor Estate. Prior to that, Peter had worked for KPMG, including 16 years as a partner in the London office, and latterly as Head of Financial Services. He has also worked in government, as a Finance Director and as a non-executive Board member. He is now non-executive Chair of a financial services business and sits on the Advisory Board of an entrepreneurial property group.

In the not-for-profit world, he has served on several Boards, including Peabody, Medair (an emergency relief charity), and also the Advisory Board of the Judge Institute at Cambridge. Presently, Peter is Treasurer and Vice-Chair of Council at Wycliffe Hall Oxford. He is also a Trustee of the Grosvenor Pension Funds. Following seven years at Eltham, Peter read economics at Queens’ College, Cambridge and has also studied at INSEAD. He is married to Margaret and is a father to a son and daughter, and has 5 grandchildren.

(Governor since 2022. Chair of Senior School Committee)

A committed Christian, Ali is a highly experienced teacher and school leader.  She is currently Deputy Head Pastoral at Winchester College where she oversees the delivery of pastoral care across the College.  She is leading on the implementation of co-education in the Sixth Form that has included the first cohort of day girls from September 2022 and she is playing a leading role in planning for the opening of two girls’ boarding houses in September 2025.  Prior to this, she was Deputy Head Academic, Head of Sixth Form, and Assistant Anglican Chaplain at Benenden School and a member of the school’s Senior Management Team where she had regular contact with the school’s governing body contributing to the school’s Development Plan.  Before moving into school leadership positions, Ali was Head of Politics and a teacher of History.

Prior to moving into the education sector, Ali worked in public affairs as a Research Fellow at the Policy Exchange think-tank where she authored several reports and publications on both education and security policy.  She has an MSc in the Theory and History of International Relations from the London School of Economics and a BScEcon in International Politics and International History from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, including an academic prize.  Ali was educated at Wycombe Abbey School in High Wycombe and went on to become Head Girl.

Ali is a talented sportswoman and a former Junior England, county, university, and school lacrosse player.  She also played football and cricket at university and now enjoys trail running, tennis, sailing and skiing.  She also enjoys opera, the theatre and reading.

(Nominated Safeguarding Governor at Blackheath Prep)

Dean is a consultant interventional radiologist and honorary clinical senior lecturer at King’s College London. He began his early medical training in London, earning Membership of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. Following this, he specialised in radiology and completed his doctoral research at King’s College London. Dean is a Fellow of the Royal College of Radiologists and has been honoured with the Fellowship of the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe for his contributions. Beyond his clinical and academic commitments, he had taken on various medical management and educational roles at King’s College Hospital, London. He finds fulfilment in mentoring medical students and junior doctors, guiding them in their professional growth. Currently living in Blackheath with his wife, Grace, Dean and his wife actively participate as members of their church and local tennis club. 

(Governor since September 2023. Member of the Blackheath Prep Committee and member of the Finance & General Purposes Committee)

Prior to joining the Eltham College Board of Governors, Dan had been a Governor of Blackheath Prep since 2021. He is a member of the Nominations and Governance Committee. Dan is a City solicitor with 20 years of experience in the law. He lives locally and has two daughters, with the younger daughter still at Blackheath Prep.

(Governor since September 2023. Member of the Senior School Committee and member of the Estates & Safety Committee)

Prior to joining the Eltham College Board of Governors, Marc had been a Governor of Blackheath Prep since 2021.  Marc is Head of Legal (Europe) in Pantheon Ventures (UK) LLP’s Legal & Compliance Team. Prior to joining Pantheon, he worked within the London office of Paul Hastings (Europe) LLP, in the Corporate (Investment Funds) team. Marc holds a BSc (Hons) in Natural Sciences from Durham University and a LLB (Hons) from Nottingham Law School. Marc is admitted as a Solicitor in England and Wales.

(Governor since September 2023. Chair of the Blackheath Prep Committee and Nominated Safeguarding Governor, Eltham College)

Prior to joining the Eltham College Board of Governors, Tim had been a Governor of Blackheath Prep since 2021.  Tim taught at Clifton College before becoming Head of Chemistry and Housemaster at Felsted School, and then Head of Science at the Dragon School, Oxford. Following a return to Clifton, first as Director of Studies and later as Senior Deputy Head, he was Headmaster of Colet Court (St Paul’s Preparatory School) from 2007 to 2016. In the summer of 2020, he retired from his position as Head of Geneva English School, where he had established a new secondary school on the foundations of an existing primary.

(Governor since 2017. Chair of the Finance & General Purposes Committee and member of the Estates & Safety Committee)

Andrew was educated at St Lawrence College Ramsgate and St Catharine’s College Cambridge. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and was a Partner at KPMG till 2014. Presently he is Chair of Kingdom Bank and Northgate Warwick Limited. He is a non-executive director and chair of audit committee for Asta Managing Agents and for ClearBank UK PLC. Pro bono appointments include Chair of Gospel Support and Homes Trust. He is Married to Fiona (formerly captain of hockey at Durham University) with three adult sons.

(Governor since 2021. Nominated Governor for the Baptist Missionary Society and Finance & General Purposes Committee)

Olusegun trained and qualified as a Chartered Management Accountant (ACMA) and has worked in both private and public sectors at all levels of management with different levels of responsibilities – charities, government and healthcare. Olusegun has experience in all aspects of accounting: strategic financial management, monitoring budgets, project management, governance and risk management. He also has experience in education management.

Olusegun served as a Deacon/Trustee and Church Treasurer for over 24 years until recently stepping down. He has served as Non-Executive Director on the Board of London Baptist Association for a number of years. Olusegun still serves on the Board of the London Baptist Property Board, is a Council member with BMS World Mission and a Trustee/Treasurer of a local North London based church charity.

(Governor since 2017. Chair of Junior School Committee)

Brian read History at Durham University, then studied for the Law Society Finals at Guildford College of Law before working for a large law firm in the City of London for seven years. Now Brian oversees administration for a large church in London and is a trustee of various charities including the London Diocesan Fund. He is married to Claire, a former RS, Ethics and Philosophy teacher at Haberdasher Aske’s School for Girls. They have four children, one of whom is at Eltham.

(Governor since 2022. Member of the Blackheath Prep Committee)

Sarah is a senior research fellow at the Knowledge Lab, part of UCL’s Institute of Education. She is currently leading a three-year research project exploring how young people use generative AI in their day-to-day lives. Her research interests lie in the adoption and use of emerging digital technologies and socio-technical cyber security (how different groups in society use, manage and adopt cyber security – and how these groups are impacted when it fails). She has consulted on the use of digital technologies in peacekeeping and mediation for the United Nations, researched on the impacts that schools have on data protection for children for the 5Rights Foundation, and on the societal impacts of ransomware for the UK Government, amongst other projects.

She has a background in financial services, working in and managing technology risk and controls and regulatory compliance functions. Sarah has voluntary board and governance experience, being both Chair of the board and a volunteer at the Breastfeeding Network (a national infant feeding charity); she was previously a governor of a state school in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

Sarah has an MA in Literae Humaniores from Oxford University. She has an LLB, an MBA from the Open University, an MPA in Digital Technologies and Public Policy from UCL and a PhD in Computer Science at the University of Kent.

(Governor since 2025. Member of the Junior School Committee)

Rupert is Head at Thomas’s Battersea – a prep school of 600 pupils aged 4 to 13. Having worked in both the independent and maintained sectors, with stints at Wimbledon Park Primary School and Northcote Lodge, now Broomwood Boys, Rupert enjoys leading a school community whilst working closely with other prep and senior schools, gaining insight and invaluable experience in future schools admissions processes.

Holding a Masters in Theology, a PGCE and an MEd in Educational Leadership, Rupert brings an academic approach to a distributed and situational style of leadership. His philosophy very much aligns with the Thomas’s aspirations of a strong set of values, a breadth of education, and academic excellence – with the overall goal to equip all pupils with optimism and readiness for the future, to become net contributors to society, and to flourish as successful, conscientious and caring citizens of the world.

Bursar and Clerk to the Governors, Tel 020 8557 1455 Email. [email protected]