Trustee Biographies

Committee Structure

To assist in achievement of the aims and objective of the Charity, the Governors of the Foundation have formed three non-executive committees under the titles of Care and Grant; School; Finance and Audit. Each committee has the power, subject to Governors' agreement, to add to its number up to three co-opted members who are able to offer special experience relevant to the particular field of that committee. An Investment Sub-Committee assists in monitoring the Investment Fund Manager's performance and reports to the Finance and Audit Committee. These committees oversee the operations of the Foundation which include financial and risk management.

Governors (Trustees)

Les Binns

After Service in the Royal Navy returned to Hull, Yorkshire, to continue nursing, gaining qualifications in both general and mental health and reaching Assistant Matron grade.

Came to Suffolk in 1972 as Senior Nursing Officer, Ipswich Hospitals, taking over the local hospitals unit as Director of Nursing, becoming Executive Director when the unit obtained Trust status.  Retired in 1995 but remain Associate Director (Voluntary) of the Suffok Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust.

Served as a magistrate from 1977 to 2000 and remains a Justice of the Peace.

Became Town Councillor in 1999, re-elected in 2003 to Town and District Councils, and again in 2007.  Representing Woodbridge as Town Mayor in 2000 and 2008.

John Carrington

Educated at East Ham Grammar School (1958 - 64), The London School of Economics, Edinburgh University and the London Business School.

Career: mainly in telecommunications with BT plc (joined when still the GPO in 1967) and Cable & Wireless plc. Founding CEO of Cellnet (now O2) in 1983 and Mercury One-to-One (now T Mobile) in 1989. Management Board of C&W
responsible for the Caribbean, South America, Africa and S E Asia 1993 - 95. Group MD Mobile Systems International plc 1995 - 97. Since 1997 non-executive Chairman or director of a number of telecommunications or IT companies.

John is a Past Master and Chairman of the Charitable Trust of the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists, a Liveryman of the Clockmakers' Company and Fellow of the British Computer Society.

John is married to Lindi and has one son, also John, who attended Woodbridge School

Mrs Wendy Evans-Hendrick

Member of Care and Grants Committee.

Graduated from London with a BA (Hons) in Town Planning.  After spending a short period of time as a Town Planner moved into the field of Housing Association Development firstly in Norfolk and then in Suffolk

She has been Director of Development & Property Services for Orwell Housing Association for the past 14 years and also acts as the Director of Development for the e² development consortium working on behalf of 3 other Associations operating across East Anglia.

She is a Trustee of a homeless charity St Johns Housing Trust, enjoys reading, yoga and supporting Ipswich Town Football Club.

Mr Roger Finbow

Member of School Committee. Chairman of Woodbridge School Enterprises Limited.

Education: Woodbridge School 1963 - 1970: Head of School 1970. Mansfield College, Oxford: MA Jurisprudence. Attended College of Law, Guildford 1975.

Career: Joined Ashurst Morris Crisp (now Ashurst) 1975 as a trainee solicitor. Partner since 1985, specialising in corporate and competition law. Recruitment partner 1989 to 2004. Head of sports group. Corporate Managing Partner 2004 - present.

Directorships: Director of Ipswich Town plc and Ipswich Town Football Club Limited since 1996; member of Mansfield College Development Board; member, College of Law Advisory Panel; board member, City Solicitors Educational Trust.

Personal: Married to Nina, Chairman of fundraising for the Prince's Trust, Suffolk and a Director of Dance East. Three daughters, two who attended Woodbridge School.

Interests: Cars, motorcycling, collecting model cars, football and other sport, ballet, collecting modern art, keeping fit.

Air Vice-Marshal Sam Goddard

Chairman of Governors of the Seckford Foundation. Member of all Committees.

Sam was born in 1943 and educated at Nottingham High School.

In 1963 qualified as a pilot in the Royal Air Force and has flown Hunter, Harrier, Jaguar and Tornado aircraft. From 1984-86 he was commanding officer RAF Cottesmore which operated the Tri-National Tornado Training Unit for the RAF, German and Italian Air Forces. His ground appointments have been mainly in the Ministry of Defence and from 1989-93 he held the post of Director of Air Armament. Following a NATO appointment in Southern Germany from 1993-96, he was Senior Directing Staff (Air) at the Royal College of Defence Studies in London until his retirement from the Royal Air Force in 1998.

From 1996 until 1998 Sam was a member of Council and of the Finance and General Purposes Committee of the Royal air Force Benevolent Fund and Chairman of the Royal Air Force Club.

Married to Val and with two sons, he has his home in Felixstowe.

Interests include golf, gardening and attempting to master the intricacies of the computer.

Mr Bill Mayne

Vice Chairman of Governors. Member of all Committees.

Bill was educated at Merchant Taylors School, Northwood, and then completed an Honours Degree in Agriculture at Wye College London University in 1974.

He joined Pauls plc after University and has worked in the malting industry, the pet food industry and in agriculture. He is currently Chief Executive of BOCM PAULS LTD, the UK's leading animal feed business.

Bill lives near Woodbridge with his wife Jacqui following their return to Suffolk from Surrey. His children attended Woodbridge School.

Rev Kevan McCormack

Member of Care and Grants Committee

Education: Certificate in Theology, Southampton University. Date of Ordination: Deacon 1980 and priest 1981.

In October 2001 Kevan became the rector of St. Mary's Parish Church, Woodbridge and was appointed Hon. Chaplain to Ipswich Town Football Club in May 2002, Hon. Chaplain Suffolk Coastal District Council in November 2002 and Hon. Chaplain Woodbridge RBL in November 2003.

Vice Chairman St. Mary's School Governors

Previous Experience:

1980-81 Curate, Ross-on-Wye, Diocese of Hereford; 1981-83 Curate, Ross-on-Wye with Brampton Abbotts, Bridstow and Peterstow, Diocese of Hereford; 1983 Curate, Leominster, Diocese of Hereford; 1984-87 Team Vicar, Leominster Team Ministry, Diocese of Hereford; 1987-2000 Chaplain, Royal Hospital School, Holbrook, Ipswich, Suffolk Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich; (1991-1996) also Housemaster, 6th Form Boarding House

Personal: Single with two black Labradors

Interests include: Walking, cooking, gardening, music, reading and good food

Mr Chris Parker

Member of School Committee

Chris attended Windsor Grammar School, Bristol University and Cambridge University.

He taught at both state and independent schools before headships at Batley Grammar School, then Nottingham High School until his retirement in 2007.

His other posts included: HMC/OFSTED Lead Inspector; Chairman of the ISC Assisted Places Committee; Chairman of the HMC/GSA/ISBA Assisted Places Working Party; Chairman of HMC Assisted Places Committee; Chairman of HMC Bridges and Partnerships Committee; Member of the university courts of the Universities of Nottingham and Loughborough; Governor of Nottingham Trent University; Chairman of the Government Advisory Group on Independent/State School Partnerships.  Member of the Permanent Forum on Independent/State School Partnerships and Chairman of its Grants Evaluation Committee. Co-chairman of the ISC/LGA Committee. 

Chris was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours, June 12^th 1999, for “services to education”.

Chris is married to Maggie and they have two sons, both of whom are corporate law partners, and three grandchildren.

In his spare time Chris enjoys watching sport, photography, cycling, walking and travelling.

Mr Jonathan Ripman

Chairman of School Committee, member of Finance and Audit Committee.

Education:

School: 1966-1971 Rugby School. University: 1972-1975 St Catharine's College, Cambridge.Law School: 1975-1976 The College of Law, Lancaster Gate, London.

Qualifications: June 1975: MA (Cantab)

Legal Career: Training Contract: Gotelee & Goldsmith Solicitors and qualified in 1981 with a partnership in 1983.Areas of Work: Commercial Litigation with a Niche Practice in Road Transport Law.

Professional Bodies and Societies and Appointments etc:

Law Society Council Member; Public Relations Officer Suffolk and North Essex Law Society; Parliamentary Liaison Officer Suffolk and North Essex Law Society; Chairman Trustees of the Cancer Campaign in Suffolk; Chairman Steering Group PACT (Parents Conciliation Trust); Governor Seckford Foundation, representing the University of Cambridge; Chairman of the School Governors Woodbridge School; Suffolk College Corporation Member; Chairman Local Advisory Board SGRfm

Married to Felicity, with three children all attended Woodbridge School.

Interests: Walking, running, music, film, reading.

Dr Nicola Trepte

Member School Committee.

Attended boarding schools in Eastbourne and Brighton whilst her parents worked abroad. She was successful in securing her training at St Thomas's Hospital, Westminster. Qualified in 1988 MBBS.

Trained to be a General Practitioner and completed her MRCGP exam in 1994. Following a career change she then further trained in hospital medicine and took a post as a full time Consultant in November 2000. She has recently been awarded a fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians.

Interests: Playing Bridge, Tennis, Singing and very busy with two small children! Extremely well travelled thanks to parents' various postings abroad.

Nicola is married to a Consultant Anaesthetist and has two children.

Mr James Wellesley Wesley

Chairman of Finance and Audit Committee.

Educated at Eton College and Magdalene College, Cambridge, MA in Economics.

Following University, James joined Morgan Guaranty Trust Company of New York as a commercial banker before moving to Granville, a private UK based investment bank, in 1983. He was appointed a Director in 1988 and Managing Director in 1996. Following Granville's sale to private US investment bank Robert W Baird in 1999, he became Head of Baird's Equity Capital Markets operations in the UK. In 2005 he joined Bridgewell. He is now a senior advisor for Teteathers, a mid-market investment bank.

He is also Chairman of Harris Hill, a recruitment consultancy that specialises in recruiting people for the charity and not-for-profit sector.

Director (1996-2002), Citilife Limited, a charity set up to provide work for long term unemployed.

Married to Tizy with five daughters, one of whom is currently at The Abbey; the others are all old girls.

Interests: Sport; fishing; gardening.

Mr John White

Member of  Care and Grants Committee.

Educated at Reading School and Leeds University.

After a brief initial career in local government finance, during which he qualified as an accountant, John moved into computing with ICL.    He then spent a couple of years in project management with an insurance company before joining the management consultancy division of Coopers and Lybrand.  After a few years he became a freelance project manager working predominantly in the NHS.

John and his wife moved to the Woodbridge area in 1999 and  he became a Woodbridge Town Councillor in 2007.  His interests include playing tennis, golf and snooker.

He was treasurer of Woodbridge Tennis Club for 7 years, is secretary to the Management Committee of Woodbridge Museum and does volunteer work for Suffolk Wildlife Trust.   He is a trustee of the newly formed Saxmundham, Woodbridge and Thorpeness Tennis Partnership.

Professor Jane Wright

Member of School Committee.

Jane graduated from Queen Mary College, University of London in 1979 and qualified as a solicitor in 1982. Having completed her Articles with Slaughter and May in the City of London. She took a career break while her children were of pre-school age. Returned to the University of London in 1990 to read for a Masters Degree in law.

Following graduation decided upon a career change to pursue her academic interest in law. Jane was appointed to a Lectureship at the University of Essex in 1992 and was made a Professor in the Department of Law in 1992. Her work encompasses lecturing, researching and writing and she has written several books and journal articles, focusing particularly on aspects of human rights law. Her academic work has frequently taken her abroad to teach human rights law, particularly to the new democracies of Central and Eastern Europe and also to Asia. She was appointed Dean of the School of Law in 2001 for a term of three years following which she plans to have a period of sabbatical leave for research.

Married to Bob with two children, both who attended Woodbridge School.

Interests revolve around family and dogs and include walking, reading and cinema.

Co-opted Committee Members

Mr Cliff Cocker

Member of Care & Grants Committee

Born in London June 1930 and moved to Dagenham, Essex in 1936, evacuated to Felixstowe and then Wales during the Second World War.
Most of my working life was spent associated with ships and shipping as an engineer finishing up my seagoing career as Chief Engineer on World Trading Cargo ships.
Following retirement from project managment at RAF Bentwaters and Woodbridge became involved in local politics becoming Woodbridge Town Mayor 1999-2000 and then Chairman of Suffolk Coastal District Council 2007-2008.
Also involved with the Deben Family Centre, Coastal Accessible Transport Service, and Chair the Trustees of The Poor Houses Almshouse Trust. 
Married with 4 children, 2 boys and 2 girls, both boys having been pupils at Woodbridge School, one as a day boy, the other in the 6th Form College, both of them now living abroad, one in Malysia and the other in New Zealand, the girls have decided to stay in the UK.
My hobbies now are limited with walking and DIY but mainly caring for my wife Shirley with 53 years of marriage.

Mr Richard Cooper

Member of School Committee.

Born and brought up in Suffolk, Richard was educated at Ipswich School and Wye College, London University. He gained his Masters Degree in Agricultural Economics from Cornell University, New York State in 1981. From 1982  he  worked in various sales, marketing and general management roles within BOCM PAULS, the UK’s leading animal feed manufacturer. After nearly twenty years in the West Country, he returned three years ago to his native county and now divides his time between BOCM PAULS, where he is Group Commercial Director and Martindale CRE, a property consultancy based in Buckinghamshire..

He was previously a governor of Landscore County Primary in Devon and for several years ran the youth section of his local rugby club outside Bath.

On the School Committee his particular focus is on financial management.

Richard is married with two grown children and lives at Culpho.

Interests include horticulture, jogging, cycling and a passive following of rugby and cricket

Mr Simon Elmer

Member of Finance & Audit Committee

Simon was born in Waldringfield and educated at Orwell High School, Felixstowe. On leaving school he studied at the Undiversity of East London gaining a degree in Land Management. Following a period in local authority, Simon joined Savills' London office. In 1993 he joined Hillier Parker and in 2000 moved to Cushman & Wakefield, one of the top three global real estate advisors as partner in charge of Asset Management with an annual turn-over of €30million. Simon is an equity partner and serves on the UK board at C&W.

Simon is married to Sue; they have four children, three who currently attend Woodbridge School. Their youngest daughter aged 3 will follow in their footsteps.

Mrs Martina King

Martina's portfolio career includes; Chairman; Radio Advertising Bureau, Non Exec Director; Johnston Press Plc, Non Exec Director; Capita Plc, Non Exec Director; IMD Plc, Treasurer of the Marketing Group of Great Britain, Trustee Ahoy Centre.
Her full time posts included; Managing Director of Yahoo! UK and Ireland, October 1999. CO Yahoo! Europe in 2002; MD Europe in 2003.
Martina spent six years at Capital Radio as Sales Director and Managing Director. Her Career began in Sales at the Observer newspaper, followed by 10 years at The Guardian.

Martina is married to Simon; they have two daughters who attend the Woodbridge School.
Hobbies include; running, tennis and cooking.

Dr John Lynch

John initially read Economics at Nottingham University  changing to medicine at Bristol and  obtaining his Mb Chb in 1991  followed by senior house officer jobs in the South West  including  working in paediatrics at The Bristol  Childrens Hospital  and the regional paediatric renal transplantaion unit at Southmead. John joined Framfield medical practice in 1996 and as a partner of the practice lead the project team to develop the new integrated medical centre on the Notcutts site in Woodbridge .

John has held positions on the primary care trust executive committee, he is a member of the out of hours delivery service  and a shareholder in Deben Health Group a consortium of 5 local practices  providing and commissiong health care in the local area. John is also a director of Waterton pharmacy and is involved with the Cambridge medical undergraduate teaching programme .

John is married to a fellow doctor and has 3 children at the school .

His interests are sailing, bridge and golf .

Mr Mac Miles

Member of Care and Grants Committee.

Educated at Brockenhurst Grammar School followed by two years National Service. Joined Sir Robert McAlpine as pupil civil engineer followed by various engineering companies both at home and abroad. Appointed Managing Director, British Steel Piling at Claydon, Ipswich, position held until retirement. During this period was President of the Construction Equipment Committee of Europe, Chairman of Suffolk Branch of Institute of Directors and a Trustee of the Deep Foundation Institute of America.

Since retirement, has been a member of the Woodbridge Town Council, House Chairman of Abbeyfield Orwell Extra Care Society, past Chairman of the Sutton Hoo Society and past Chairman of Suffolk Coastal Conservative Association.

Married to Liz with one daughter, who was educated at Woodbridge School.

Mrs Helen Myerscough

Member of Finance and Audit Committee

Education: School: St Alban’s High School for Girls  University: 1982-1985 University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, Agricultural Economics.

Qualifications: Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and the Chartered Institute of Taxation.

Career: Trained and then worked for KPMG, Deloittes and Grant Thornton. Commencing a career training in audit, Helen moved to specialise in corporate transaction taxation, ultimately as a tax partner.  Helen’s career included working on the “Guinness investigation” and advising the government on the privatisation of British Energy.

Helen is a business mentor for the Princes’ Trust and a pupil mentor for Farlingaye school

She is married to Martin with 3 young sons, in Queen’s House/The Abbey.

Her interests include sailing, badmington, pilates, skiing, golf and travel.

Mrs Clare Newton

Member of School Committee.

Clare Newton graduated from Bristol and became the editor of the schools' publishing division at Longman Group, a position she held for 5 years. Currently she runs a traditional breeds' farm with Norfolk Horn sheep, British White cattle and Saddleback pigs. She is currently churchwarden of Cotton church.

Married to Roderick, who is a circuit judge, and parent of 4 children, all who have been educated at Woodbridge School. Both daughters were music scholars at the School and currently her eldest daughter is a repetiteur scholar at St Catherine's College, Oxford.