Governor biographies

David Robertson became Prime Warden of the Fishmongers’ Company in June 2018. He retired in 2015, after more than 40 years working in the financial services sector for such well-known firms as Binder Hamlyn, Panmure Gordon, Morgan Grenfell, Williams de Broe and Mirabaud. He and his wife, Susie, live in Lower Froyle, Hampshire.

Michael Goff was appointed a Governor in 2014.  Michael is an OG (Farfield 1968-73), a past Chairman of the OG Club and was the OG Governor from 2008 to 2011.  He is married to Julia and their children, Charlotte and William, both went to Gresham’s. He is a chartered accountant running a family business distributing fuel oil throughout East Anglia and the South East and has a large farming interest in Mid Norfolk, where he lives.  In the past he has been a governor of Taverham Hall Prep School and Chairman of the Governors of Catton Grove First School in Norwich.

James Dyson is the Chairman and Founder of Dyson. Working with Dyson’s 4,550 engineers and scientists he develops products which solve problems ignored by others through the application of science and technology. Dyson is currently investing £2.5 billion in new technologies and £200m into a new Technology Campus in Hullavington, Wiltshire. Dyson employs 12,500 people and has its own operations in 82 countries. Dyson products now span autonomous household vacuums, connected air purifiers, fans and humidifiers, lighting, hand dryers, hairdryers, and by 2021, electric vehicles.

Sir James was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2015, and in the 2016 New Year Honours was appointed to the Order of Merit. James was awarded a CBE in 1996 and a Knight Bachelor in 2007. James holds honorary doctorates from the University of Bath, Imperial College London, University of Brunel and the Royal College of Art. He is a trustee of the James Dyson Foundation, a charity he set up in 2002 to encourage design and engineering education and run the international student design competition: the James Dyson Award. The charity has donated £60 million since its conception. In 2017 he opened the Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology, offering school leavers a full time job at Dyson whilst they study towards a Bachelor of Engineering degree.

James fforde was appointed a Nominated Governor in September 2015 prior to which he was an Ex-Officio Governor during his term as Prime Warden of the Fishmongers’ Company. He is a businessman and entrepreneur, who after graduating from Durham University trained as a chartered accountant and then joined CVC, the private equity firm.  In 1990 he became CEO of Aqualisa, the shower manufacturer, which he turned around and sold in 1993.  Since then he has established several new businesses including a funding initiative for higher education, a national student accommodation chain, the vehicle finance company, Moneybarn and the innovative property management company, Herddle.

James Maunder Taylor was appointed a Nominated Governor in June 2017.  He is a Chartered Surveyor with more than 20 years’ property experience having previously worked in the Far East, EMEA and the UK for Jones Lang Lasalle, Tramell Crow Savills and Cushman and Wakefield.  In 2009 he was appointed director of Kingfisher Property where he is responsible for arranging senior debt for both property investment and development opportunities for all commercial and residential classes. He is registered with the Financial Conduct Authority. James is married with two school-age children and lives in Northamptonshire.

Anna Dugdale has been a Gresham’s parent since 2011. Anna is Group Chief Executive of the R G Carter Group. Anna is a Trustee of Priscilla Bacon Norfolk Hospice Care, is an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of East Anglia and is a Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Norfolk.

The Rt Revd Jonathan Meyrick, the former Dean of Exeter, was consecrated Bishop by the Archbishop of Canterbury at Westminster Abbey in June 2011. He joined the Board later that year and sits on the Education Committee. Bishop Jonathan has been given Area Responsibility for the episcopal oversight in the Archdeaconry of Lynn (North and West Norfolk), Diocesan wide responsibility for Social and Voluntary Concerns, Youth and Children’s work, Healthcare, Prison and Industrial Chaplaincies and the link with Papua New Guinea. In addition to his present responsibilities as Bishop of Lynn he is to become Provost of the Sussex Schools in the Woodard Group (Ardingly, Hurstpierpoint and Lancing) and the House of Bishop’s Representative on the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England. Plymouth University awarded him an honorary doctorate in Education in recognition of his place in the life of the community in Devon.

Graham Able joined the Board of Governors in 2013.  He grew up in Norfolk and read Natural Sciences at Cambridge before entering the teaching profession at Sutton Valence in 1969. He was awarded a Master’s degree from Durham in 1983 for research into boarding education. Graham was appointed Second Master of Barnard Castle in 1983 and Headmaster of Hampton School in 1988. He retired after 13 years as Master of Dulwich College in 2009 and become the CEO of the Alpha Plus Group. Graham is Senior Vice-President of Dulwich College Management International, a former Chairman of HMC and former President of the International Boys’ School’ Coalition.

Martin became a governor in October 2018.  He is a Chartered Surveyor, having worked in property for 30 years.  Specialising in Planning and Development, Martin’s career has focused upon residential development and investment, having worked for Savills, and national and regional house builders.  He now runs his own property business, in Norfolk, where he lives with his wife and two daughters.

Martin has educated both of his girls at Gresham’s, through both the Prep and Senior School.

Edward Gould was appointed to the Board in 2012.  He has spent his career in education and retired as Master of Marlborough College in 2004. He is an Honorary Associate Member of the HMC and was Chairman in 2002.  This was accompanied by work for the Independent Schools Council serving on the Governing Council after which he was elected Chairman for 2006/7.  He was Co-Founder and Chairman of the Boarding Education Alliance for independent and state schools, a member of the 14-19 Reform Working Group under Sir Mike Tomlinson, a Board member of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, Deputy Chairman of the English-Speaking Union of the Commonwealth and Chairman of the United Learning Trust, a multi- academy trust. He served on the 2005-2010 government’s Ministerial Task Force on Gifted and Talented Education and the National Council for Educational Excellence. He is currently Chairman of Harrow International Schools Ltd.

Alex de Capell Brooke joined the Board in December 2016.  Alex is CEO of the Great Oakley Estate which has been owned by the de Capell Brooke family since 1575.  The Estate is circa 5000 acres situated in 3 parcels around the town of Corby, near Uppingham & just South of Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire. The Estate is mixed, the majority farmed in hand, and a dairy where milk is produced for Stilton Cheese.

In 1987 planning permission was sought by Alex’s father, a former teacher, for the construction of a school on part of the farm, just behind Great Oakley Village.  In 1991 The Brooke City Technology College opened its doors to 1300 students, at a time when educational attainment in Corby was very low with only 6 people in the whole borough of Corby going to University.

Since 1991, what is today known as The Brooke Weston Academy, has gone on to become one of the leading state funded schools in The United Kingdom, and is the lead school within The Brooke Weston Trust which now operates 9 other schools, with over 7000 young children to educate and over 1000 members of staff.

The Brooke Weston Trust, set up and created by the de Capell Brooke & Weston families is a non- profit making educational charity.

Nigel Flower joined the Board of Governors in 2019 and is Chair of the Prep and Pre-Prep Committee. A pupil at Gresham’s from 1968-73, he returned to teach English and coach cricket and hockey in 1991, after a period of furniture making after university. In 2006 he was appointed Deputy Head, and apart from nearly a year as Acting Head, remained in post until his retirement in 2016. Nigel can often be found on his boat at Morston, or at Sheringham Golf Club.

Simon Gorton is a past parent and was appointed a nominated Governor in 2012.  He is retired from the Police Force after serving several of the north Norfolk towns from Stalham to Holt over the past 31 years.  He currently owns and runs Sloley Estate near Norwich.

Virginia joined the Governing Body in 2015 and is a member of the Fishmongers’ Company. She now lives in London but grew up in Suffolk. Her niece and nephew are both OGs. She was the UK Director of the British-American Chamber of Commerce and more recently was the Head of Grants at The Henry Smith Charity where she was responsible for the management of the £23m Grants programme. Since retirement she has remained involved in the charity sector advising charities and was a founder member of the Development Council at the Young Vic theatre.

David Jones became a Governor in 2014. He is a member of the Court of the Fishmongers’ Company. He is a partner of Oldfield Partners, international investment specialists. He is Chairman and a founder of New Model School Company, an independent company providing excellent education at affordable fees. He is married with three children – two at school and one at university.

Paul is an OG (Kenwyn & Tallis 1982-1990) and became a Governor in 2012. Having read Modern History at University College, Oxford he began his career in the insurance market before entering the investment industry in 1997.  Having run leading specialist UK equity funds at Cazenove Capital and Schroders, he founded Tellworth Investments  in 2017. He is married with three children, lives in Suffolk, and is a keen runner.

James Morgan is an OG (Crossways and Woodlands 1980-89) and joined the Board of Governors in 2013.  A solicitor specialising in advising HNW individuals, particularly landowners. Previously a managing partner of West and north Norfolk law firm Hayes+Storr, James is founder of a specialist private client firm Morgan Trusts and Tax Planning Ltd.  James is also Treasurer and Chairman of the OG Club. James has held various political and charitable posts in Norfolk in recent years and is a trustee of Gresham’s linked charity The London Children’s Camp.

An OG (Crossways and OSH 1973-1980) and English Speaking Union Scholar from Gresham’s to a US private school in 1980/81 before Nottingham University.  A recent Gresham’s parent, Stephen Oldfield is an Advisory Partner at PwC and is PwC’s agrifood leader in the UK and CEE. Stephen joined the Board of Governors in 2012 and sits on the Finance & General Purpose Committee.

Susan joined the Governing Body in 2016. For 20 years, she was a Consultant Paediatrician at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn.  She was also the lead for the Eastern Neonatal Network. Her work covered all aspects of acute Paediatrics, including Child Protection. Her main areas of interest were neonatology and cardiology. She graduated from the Westminster Medical School, University of London.  Once qualified, she moved to East Anglia to specialise in Paediatrics, working in Norwich and Cambridge and she also spent a year at Toronto Sick Children’s Hospital – before joining the Paediatric department in King’s Lynn. Her husband, David Barton, was a local GP in Swaffham. Their 3 daughters, Ruth, Josie and Maddie all attended Gresham’s.

Rosamund Walwyn joined the Board in December 2016.  Her initial training as a teacher was at Homerton College, Cambridge and her early career gave her a broad range of experiences with all ages of pupils from 3-16 years, in a variety of day and boarding, as well as special schools.

In 1993, Rosamund began teaching at Town Close School in Norwich and in 1998 she was appointed Head of the Pre-Prep. She became a member of the IAPS Pre-Prep Advisory Group and chaired the IAPS Pre-Prep Head’s Conference. Since 2000 Rosamund has also worked as an inspector for the ISI, inspecting the provision for both junior and EYFS children.