Leaders & Governors

William is a graduate of Oxford University and the Founder of Bridgepoint, the FTSE listed company, one of the world’s leading private market investors. He is also the Senior Independent Director at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Europe’s largest comprehensive cancer centre and Chairman Designate of the Lawn Tennis Association, the National Governing Body of tennis in the UK. Two of William’s daughters were at Wellington in the Anglesey.

The Duke was educated at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford.  He has worked for a number of non-profit or charitable organisations.  He was Chairman of the Patrons of British Art at the Tate Gallery (1987–90), a member of the Council of the Royal College of Art (1992–97), Chairman of the British-Spanish Tertulias (1993–98) and Trustee of the Phoenix Trust (1996 to 2001).  He was appointed OBE in 1999 for services to British-Spanish relations.  He has been a Deputy Lieutenant of Hampshire since 1999.  He served as a Commissioner of English Heritage from 2003 to 2007.  He was Chairman of the Governing Council of King’s College London from 2007 to 2016.  Since 2015 the Duke has been a Member of the House of Lords.  He is High Steward of Winchester Cathedral.

The Duke is a member of the Nominations Committee.

Liz is an ordained Church of England priest, Chaplain to his Majesty the King and former Archdeacon of Hackney.

Liz spent several years as Chaplain and then acting Dean of St John’s College Cambridge. She is currently a Non-Executive Director of Berkeley Group Plc, a Trustee Director of The Berkeley Charitable Foundation, and a Non-Executive Director of The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. Liz is on the National Police Chiefs’ Ethics Committee and is a Westminster Abbey Institute Fellow.

Lord Karan Bilimoria CBE, DL is the founder of Cobra Beer and Chairman of Molson Coors Cobra India. In June 2020, he was appointed President of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).

Karan graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce Honours degree from Osmania University in Hyderabad and moved to London. He then graduated in law from the University of Cambridge as a student of Sidney Sussex College. During his time at Cambridge, Karan was a member of the university’s polo team and was awarded a Half-Blue.

Karan founded Cobra Beer in 1989 with the idea to produce a beer suitable for drinking with Indian curry.
In 2004 Karan was appointed a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for services to business and entrepreneurship, and in 2006 he was appointed an Independent Crossbench Peer in the House of Lords and created Baron Bilimoria of Chelsea in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

In Parliament, Karan is active in a wide range of matters including commerce, entrepreneurship, diplomacy, defence, the European Union, the Armed Forces, education, culture, minorities’ contributions, and academia.

Kate is a graduate of Durham University and is Chief Financial Officer of Burberry Plc.  She is a highly experienced CFO having held roles in both public and private companies including Dixons Carphone Plc, TalkTalk Plc and McLaren Group.  In addition to her financial acumen, Kate has extensive experience driving business transformation and strategic development and a deep understanding of public markets. She has particular expertise in the retail sector, as well as an excellent understanding of the luxury industry.  In her early career, Kate was involved in numerous IPOs including that of Burberry in 2002. Kate is a Chartered Accountant and also sits on the Board of Greggs Plc and the British Olympic Foundation, where she is Audit Chair of both organisations.

Kate is passionate about supporting the youth of today and inspiring the next generation to reach their full potential. Kate’s daughter and middle son are current students at Wellington College.

James joined the Governing Body in 2021. He was educated at Blackrock College in Dublin and graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 1984 with degrees in Engineering and Mathematics. He also completed a Masters in Military History in 2019 at the University of Buckingham.

James worked for over 30 years in investment banking with management roles at Citibank, Union Bank of Switzerland, Goldman Sachs and Lloyds Banking Group. He has acted on Risk, Compliance and Regulatory committees. Since leaving executive life, he has taken board roles at Standard & Poors Global Ratings, the National Theatre and Trinity College Dublin, where he sits on the Endowment Investment Committee. He is also the founder and director of Martello Financial Services which supplies expert witnesses to the legal community and their clients to help resolve disputes in financial services.

James’s daughter and two sons attended Wellington. James chairs the Business & Finance Committee.

Emma Goldsmith graduated from Manchester University in English Language and Literature and began her teaching career at Oakham School followed by Rugby School and Bloxham School, before becoming Head of Winchester House Prep School in 2014, and then Dragon School, Oxford in 2021. Emma has held governor roles at Bedford College and Cheltenham College and is currently a governor at Gordonstoun. She has been an ISI Inspector of Boarding and is currently on the Board of Directors of IAPS.

Andrew attended a comprehensive school in Birmingham and then read English at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.

From 1998 until 2008, Andrew was Master of Magdalen College School, Oxford, and from 2008 until 2021, he was Head Master of King’s College School, Wimbledon.

In 2021, he was elected Honorary Principal of King’s College International School, Bangkok, a school he helped found, and appointed Director of the Record Scholarship Trust, a charity enabling bright children from a range of backgrounds to attend leading independent schools.

From September 2024 for one year he has been Interim Headmaster of Whitgift School, South Croydon.

He was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Buckingham in September 2024.

Andrew has a broad interest in UK education, helping establish King’s College London Maths School, and advising governors of various leading schools on headteacher appointments and strategy. He was at one point a weekly columnist for the Sunday Times, and, in 2020, was awarded an OBE for services to education. He also lectures on Charles Dickens in the USA and UK.

Emma’s early career in HR sparked an interest in the psychology of wellbeing and the role leaders, teachers and parents play in promoting thriving and emotional resilience for those around them.  She has a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and her PhD focused on wellbeing.  Since setting up her own consultancy 15 years ago and co-founding a charity in the field, she has worked with a wide range of multi-national, public sector and educational organisations bringing this knowledge to life supporting leaders, educators and parents.

Emma’s experience focuses on sharing the practical skills of emotional resilience and wellbeing,  She has trained thousands of educators, leaders and parents and developed programmes to support schools and organisations who recognise the importance of wellbeing, emotional resilience and thriving – often working alongside academic partners to evaluate what makes a difference.  Emma is also a Governor of Dr Challoner’s Grammar School and a Trustee of Family Links – a charity promoting emotional health within families.

Jill joined the Governing Body in 2018. She attended Benenden School and graduated from Durham University with a BA degree in Economics (2:1), where she also won the Adam Smith Economics Prize.

After university, Jill joined S. G. Warburg & Co Ltd in Corporate Finance where she stayed until 1995. After a career break to look after her young children, she joined UBS AG as a Managing Director in 2001 as Client Adviser to the CEO of UBS Investment Bank and thereafter spent ten years in Group Strategy.  Since leaving UBS in 2012, Jill has held a number of non-executive positions including being a Member of the Council of the National Trust, a Member of the Council at Durham University, a Non-Executive Director at the ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants of England & Wales), a Non Executive Director of the Competition and Markets Authority and Board roles at listed investment and property companies including Ruffer Investment Company. She was appointed by H. M. Treasury as an External Member of the Prudential Regulation Committee of the Bank of England in 2018 and has been reappointed for a second term.

Jill is married and has six children. Her interests include finance and financial regulation, economics, public policy, consumer protection and competition regulation, long distance running, skiing, wildlife conservation and research into cancer.

Jill’s business, strategy and regulatory experience is a strength on the Governing Body both with its UK interests in independent and state schools and internationally. She chairs the Investment Committee and is a member of the Business & Finance and Nominations Committees and the International Board.

Mark joined the Governing Body in 2018. He is an Old Wellingtonian and a former Wellington College parent. 

Graduating from Bristol University in 1985, he was called to the Bar in 1986. He was appointed a Recorder of the Crown Court in 2004, Queen’s Counsel in 2006, and as a Circuit Judge in 2023. Mark’s practice encompassed Crime, Financial Crime, Professional Discipline, Sport and Reputation Management.  

He is a trustee of the Arundel Castle Cricket Foundation and the Hazelhurst Trust. He is Vice Chair of the ECB’s Cricket Discipline Commission, and Chair of the MCC’s Disciplinary Panel. 

Mark chairs the Social Responsibility & Community Committee and is a member of the Nominations Committee.  

Ginny is a fully qualified teacher of some 30 years standing.

Ginny is an experienced Headteacher and holds the National Professional Qualification in Headship.  She led St Crispin’s School in Wokingham www.crispins.co.uk  which is a large mixed comprehensive secondary school for ten years.  Her leadership was rated as outstanding and is described by OFSTED as providing “… absolute clarity on the school’s focus for improvement and has created the conditions for all staff to feel included in driving standards forward”.

Currently Ginny is CEO of The Circle Trust www.thecircletrust.co.uk which is a Multi-Academy Trust currently of nine schools, nearly ten (and growing!)  Schools span from Infant Schools with nursery provision to Secondary Schools with Sixth Forms and include over 4,000 pupils and 500+ employees.  The Circle Trust also holds responsibility for separate Special Educational Needs Units for pupils with EHCPs specifically for the needs of ASD and total communication.

She also serves as a Trustee for AQA the country’s largest exam board.

Since 2022 she has been a Lead OFSTED Inspector.

In 2024 Ginny was given an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Reading for her work in Education.

Helen joined the Governing Body in 2017. She attended Harrogate Ladies College and Stockton Sixth Form before going on to study Natural Sciences and Chemical Engineering at Cambridge University. Helen started her career with Mars where she spent 19 years, culminating in her role as European Marketing Director, leading category strategy development across Europe. She joined Lloyds TSB in 2003 as Director of Group Marketing responsible for the group brand portfolio and marketing and the retail customer experience. She then spent five years as Chief Marketing and Product Officer at Yell Group UK driving the transformation of the business from a print publisher to a digital marketing services organisation for SMEs. Helen has additionally served as a non-executive director on the main board of the Department of Work and Pensions and worked for the Cabinet office. She also sits on the Henley Business School Strategic Advisory Board. Since stepping down from Yell Plc, Helen has taken a number of Non-Executive roles. She is Senior Independent Director at Kin and Carta Plc and Reach Plc and is a NED and Remuneration Committee Chair at Skipton Building Society and IG Group PLC.

Helen is a former Wellington College parent. Helen chairs the International Board and is a member of the Business & Finance Committee.

Chris joined the Governing Body in 2021 and became Chair of the Wellington College Prep Committee in January 2023. He is an OW and has an MA in Military Studies.

Chris spent 39 years in the Army. As a young officer, he spent time in Germany, Northern Ireland, Botswana and Norway. After Staff College and a tour in the MOD, he took command of 9 Parachute Squadron Royal Engineers when they deployed to Bosnia and then Kosovo.  On promotion, he commanded 23 Engineer Regiment (Air Assault) during the Second Gulf War.  He later commanded 8 Force Engineer Brigade for 2 years which included 6 months in Afghanistan in 2009.  After time back in the MOD, he was promoted in 2013 to command the Army Recruiting and Training Division.  He joined the Army Board in 2016 and was the Army’s Director of Capability from then until Summer 2019.  He was promoted to Lieutenant General and became Deputy Chief of the General Staff in August 2019. He left the Army on completion of that tour in December 2022.

Beyond Wellington, Chris is now a Senior Advisor to PA Consulting Group  and a NED for a Private Equity backed broadband provider.

Chris was appointed an MBE in 2000, OBE in 2003, CBE in 2010 and KBE in 2021. He was also appointed a Commander of the US Legion of Merit in 2022.  He is married and has two daughters.