Elthamians Team

A former fundraising consultant, Saoirse joined Eltham College in February 2021 and brings a wealth of fundraising experience. As a consultant, Saoirse worked with a range of clients across the charitable sector including children’s charities, religious organisations, universities, and schools. Having spent ten years teaching in Ireland, Italy, and the UK prior to becoming involved in fundraising, Saoirse has always maintained a passion for education. Saoirse joined Eltham College from the Stonyhurst College Foundation, where she played a leading role in helping to establish the Foundation and secure major gifts in the first number of years. Saoirse lives in Southeast London and is a Governor at Woodside Primary School in Croydon.

Andrew Beattie joined Eltham College in 1992, and is one of the longest-serving members of staff. He has been the archivist since 2019 and has a superb knowledge of the history and development of the school since its foundation in 1842 as the Boys’ Mission School. Andrew works closely with the Development Office in its work with former pupils as well as with the Communications team, for whom he has written several booklets, including a general history of the school and an account of how the school fared during the two World Wars of the twentieth century (both published on this website). He also gives talks to groups of parents, students, Old Elthamians and local residents about the history of the school and some of its well-know former students. Andrew is editor of the school’s official magazine, The Elthamian, which is published twice-yearly for current students, parents, staff and Old Elthamians. He makes regular contributions to the school’s Scholarship and Oxbridge programmes and is also a children’s author; his novel The Secret in the Tower, for readers aged 10-12, was published by Sweet Cherry Publishing in 2022.

Russell joined Eltham College in January 2022, and as the Development Manager he is responsible for maintaining contact with every living OE across the globe – no mean feat! He should be your first port of call should you need to reach us for any reason. Russell has worked in the independent education sector for over a decade, specialising in alumni relations. Prior to that he worked in the live-events industry, organising a wide range of events for public and private sector clients. Russell is a qualified Mountain Leader and a Duke of Edinburgh Award Expedition Assessor. He enjoys spending his spare time in Britain’s ‘wild country’ areas and fostering a love for the same in today’s youth.

Louise spent over 25 years in the advertising and communications industry, specialising in recruitment marketing and working at senior level with some of the top graduate employers in the UK. Having developed an in-depth understanding of the recruitment landscape – and identifying the gap in effective careers guidance for young people – in 2014 she decided to make a career change, embarking on a Master’s degree in Career Management and obtaining the Qualification in Careers Guidance. Since then, Louise has worked in a variety of school settings, joining Eltham College in 2017. During her time in post, Louise has implemented an innovative Career Learning Programme across the school, providing students of all ages with activities and interventions that enable them to develop a greater understanding of the opportunities available to them beyond school. She also supports those students who go on to apply to the most elite universities, both in the UK and overseas.

Nathalie joined Eltham College in 2019 as a Career Administrator with a focus on developing the Work Experience Programme. Prior to joining she spent over 15 years working as a Human Resources professional in several multi-national organisations including Unilever and General Electric. During her time working in Human Resources she was responsible for Leadership Development in areas of talent, performance and learning. Nathalie’s interest in developing others, and its application in an educational setting, formally started when she studied Psychology with Education Studies at the University of Warwick. Her current role brings together the experience she has gained working in developing careers in the private sector and her interest in providing young people with a greater understanding of opportunities available to them beyond school.