Welcome From Chair Of Governors

After graduating in mathematics from Trinity College, Cambridge in 1975 my career was mainly in life insurance management. I was Chief Actuary at Royal Sun Alliance and a Vice-President of the Institute of Actuaries. I retired from full-time work in 2017 and am currently Chair of the Supervisory Board of the Royal National Pension Fund for Nurses.

In the 1990s, I was a parent governor at Holbrook Primary School in Horsham, where I have lived since 1978, apart from some years working in Cape Town and Liverpool.

I am married with two adult sons and a grandson. In later life, I gained master’s degrees in Genealogy (Strathclyde) and English Local History (Oxford) and was a volunteer adviser for Citizens’ Advice. I am currently carrying out research into and writing about trade and finance in Elizabethan Sussex. I am a committee member of the West Sussex Archives Society and a volunteer poetry reader for the National Trust at Bateman’s, the former home of Rudyard Kipling.

I am recently retired, having spent 40 years working in the life insurance industry. I am a former Council member and Vice-President of the Institute of Actuaries. I currently have a small non-executive role at Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society and am a tribunal panel member at the Financial Reporting Council. I am also an adviser with West Sussex Citizens Advice and a volunteer for the National Trust. In the 1990s, I was a parent governor at Holbrook Primary School in Horsham.

After graduating from the University of Bristol, I became Head of Classics at Aldro School in Godalming. Since then, I have worked at Christ’s Hospital, where I taught classics and was Head of Years 10 & 11. I currently teach at RGS Guildford.

I spent my working life in two careers: Marketing at Sun Alliance Insurance Group for 25 years, followed by 20 years building and running a Mail Order company in Horsham, founded by my wife and me.  I retired fully in 2017, leaving our company in the hands of my son, and it continues to expand.

I was a Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute by examination and have a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Open University but I see my practical experience of managing all aspects of a business as most helpful in my role as a Governor of Muntham House.  I am Chair of the Resources Committee.

In my spare time, I enjoy singing and have done so for most of my life, participating in several choirs; I am a committee member of Christ’s Hospital Choral Society.  I am a keen genealogist who enjoys walking, cycling, swimming, and holidaying in Portugal, where we have a second home.  

I have previously served as a parent governor at Heamoor Primary in Penzance and William Penn in Coolham, but unfortunately, employment circumstances have meant these roles have been short-lived. My professional career started as the Director of Sport at Chichester University, then into secondary school teaching (Science and Chemistry), to professional rugby as firstly a forwards coach and then six years as the Director of Rugby, and then back into teaching. I have taught at Christ’s Hospital since September 2016, and I became a houseparent in September 2018. Thoroughly enjoying the houseparent role and see this as a key learning experience in support of my ambition of progression into an SLT position. I married in 2010, and we have three young children: two sons and a daughter. All of them will be attending William Penn from September 2020.

Always keen to challenge myself and to advance my knowledge, hence why I have three separate MSc degrees and a very understanding wife!

The majority of my working life was spent at Sun Alliance Insurance Group, mainly in systems development, but in the latter stages as Manager, UK Operations for direct business. Taking advantage of the merger with the Royal Group, I left work for a year backpacking around Australia and New Zealand. Diving the Barrier Reef and some rock climbing sorties.

Returning to the UK, Harvey Jones Consulting Ltd. was established with a business plan to “meet new people, do new things, and have fun”. Various contracts were tackled, including the restructuring of a “committee” run by a charity to a modern business run by a management board. Alongside the consulting, I was able to indulge in a passion for the outdoors, climbing and trekking, perhaps the highlight of which was the 3 first ascents at over 6000 meters in the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan.

My career began with an apprenticeship at a flight simulator company, which enabled me to obtain a degree in mechanical engineering (BEng Hons). I then undertook a PGCE in Design Technology, which led me into my teaching career in 1995. My teaching experience has been spent for nearly 30 in Education. This has included working as head of department in a mainstream school in prior posts, teaching Design Technology, Engineering and Motorcycle Mechanics.

I have worked at Muntham House School for 15 years and have enjoyed every minute. I have extensive experience working with a diverse range of pupils in these settings and can share my knowledge and expertise with my colleagues. I have demonstrated a strong understanding of education practice and maintained high standards of teaching and learning.

My hobbies outside of school include Jet skiing and Motorcycling, and I am currently renovating my house in my spare time.

I started working at Muntham in January 1980 and retired from teaching at Muntham in September 2011. I spent all my teaching career working with a variety of children with extreme special needs, mostly helping them manage their behavioural difficulties. I started teaching years 7/8 and was the first occupant of the log cabin, teaching primary children 7/11 years. The school supported me to achieve an Advanced Diploma in Education and a Med in 2001.

I was involved in the school’s extraneous duties programme, which meant I had the privilege of working with the pupils in a social context outside the classroom evening and weekend programmes.

Three years after retiring, the school management supported me in continuing staff training and support, which enabled me to relax and leave behind a wonderful experience of living and working at Muntham.

If you knew my story, you’d know why I fiercely believe in social equity. That every person, regardless of where they were born or what circumstances they face, deserves dignity, opportunity, and a fair chance to succeed.

I thought I was going to be a scientist, having studied Microbiology for 5 years. But then, as luck would have it, I pivoted to the social sector, which gave me a path to channel something I hadn’t yet named: my inner drive, my anger at social injustice, and my deep desire to do something for those who are often left behind. That moment marked a big shift in my life, where I moved from studying the world under a microscope to trying to change it, one student at a time.

Over the last 14 years, I’ve translated this belief into meaningful action, from running a school for children living in slums in India, to scaling nationwide school improvement programmes in England, to leading emergency interventions that improved learning across Global South. I currently work as the Director of Student Success at The Brilliant Club, wherein I support thousands of students to transition to university and succeed once they are there. 

During my free time, I love hiking, creating different art forms, being a philomath and enjoying the company of my two wonderful girls. 

Muntham House is a truly special place, run by dedicated and caring professionals and it's my honour to serve as the Governor in the Education Committee.  

Having qualified as a Solicitor in 1983, I in 1988 I moved in-house as a solicitor in ICI plc. I worked on the removal of CFCs, amongst other things. In 1991, I entered the oil industry and was involved in initiatives such as phasing out lead in leaded petrol. I helped set up a Chemicals Industry-specific college, which is still going today.

I became the Senior Solicitor at Hays plc when it was a large conglomerate. After spending four years divesting/selling the various businesses to leave it as a recruitment company, I left in 2004. I have also worked in-house at Givaudan UK and then moved into private practice as a partner at Brachers (in Kent) till 2015, and from then at Stevensdrake (Crawley), where I now work part-time.

I also work two days a week as Company Secretary/Legal Advisor to Podback Ltd, a UK coffee trade joint venture non-profit company I set up with Nestle and Douwe Egberts. I have also been a trustee director of the Hays plc £1b pension scheme since 2008.

I became a Governor as I wanted to contribute locally and use my experience to the community's advantage.

Awaiting information.