GOVERNOR PROFILES

Andrew Boggis - Chairman
Andrew Boggis was Warden of Forest School, east London, from 1992 to 2009. Prior to that he taught in Salzburg, Hitchin and at Eton College, where he was also Master-in-College (Housemaster to the King's Scholars). A modern linguist, he was educated at Marlborough College, New College, Oxford and King's College, Cambridge. He has been a governor of a number of schools, including the Skinners' Company's School for Girls in Hackney, King's College Choir School and the Purcell School for Music. In 2006 he was Chairman of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, an association of Independent School headteachers. He is currently Master of the Skinners' Company.

Alison Monk – Vice Chairman, K College Governor
Alison Monk is presently Vice Chairman of the Governors. She is Deputy Principal of K College, which has recently merged with South Kent College to cover Ashford, Dover, Shepway, Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks. Her back ground is Nursing and Nurse Education followed by a move to Further and Higher Education, where she gained a passion for second chance learning and the importance of skills for all in industry. In her present role she is responsible for Curriculum and Quality across all aspects of the College's educational provision. This encompasses some 5000 16 -18 years olds and 8000 adult learners. In recent years she has been actively involved in managing all aspects of a major new build project at the College in Tonbridge. The support she brings to the Academy is an expertise in vocational learning and the focus on business and employer engagement which is central to the strategic direction of the College.

Simon Cooper – Foundation Governor
Simon Cooper is Global Business Development Director for the healthcare division of a Top 50 advertising agency. He was born in Lincolnshire and educated at The Skinners' School in Tunbridge Wells, Worcester College, Oxford and Queens' College, Cambridge. He has a PhD in biochemistry and his career developing Nurofen and Strepsils for Boots before moving into marketing, communication and corporate development roles.

Simon Everson – Foundation Governor
Simon Everson was appointed Headmaster of the Skinners’ School in January 2006. He was born in Hertfordshire and educated at Solihull School, Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge and Nottingham University. He has a degree in English Literature, a Masters in English Literature, a PGCE, the NPQH Headship qualification and a Masters in Philosophy.

Mari Mason – Foundation Governor
Mari Mason has been Head of Chemistry at The Skinners’ School since 2005. She trained as a teacher 14 years ago and her first teaching post was at Tunbridge Wells High School. Her loyalty to this original school first led her to get involved with the Academy at its first inception. She has served as a governor at several local schools including a time as Chairman at Bishops Down School. Before teaching she worked as a personnel manager for a large publishing multinational. She has a degree in chemistry from the University of Kent and studied for her PGCE at Brunel University. Mari has lived in Tunbridge Wells for 24 years and both her children have been educated in local schools.

Lynda Myers – Foundation Governor
Lynda Myers is a Member of the Skinners' Company, Vice Chairman of Governors at the Skinners' School, and a governor of her local primary school. Having lived in the Tunbridge Wells area all her life, and as a mother of three children, she is very aware of what the The Skinners' Kent Academy needs to bring to the community. Lynda is " proud to be actively involved in this exciting journey of transformation in the lives of the students."

Roger Parkes – Foundation Governor
Roger has been an active governor of the Skinners' School for over 20 years and Chairman of Governors of Paddock Wood Primary School for over 25 years. He is a maths graduate and spent seven years teaching at all levels up to university entrance. He has had a varied career as a district personnel officer in the NHS. He then went into general management with a large firm of city stationers. For the past 20 years he has been an independent financial adviser specialising in investment.

David Roberts – Foundation Governor
David Roberts is a third party liability mutual marine insurance specialist employed by Charles Taylor Consulting PLC. He was educated at Tonbridge School, the University of Exeter and the University of Western Australia. He is a solicitor, a member of the Skinners' Company and lives in Tunbridge Wells.

Caroline Roe – Foundation Governor
Caroline Roe is a mother of three teenagers and had a long career in the shipping and hotel/restaurant business. She is the Chairwoman of her local area branch of the NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children), a trustee of the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, a parish councillor and is involved in many other local charities. Caroline is on the Court of The Skinners' Livery Company with which her family have been involved for many generations.

Richard Sax - Foundation Governor
Richard Sax was educated at Tonbridge School and St John's College, Oxford and served as an officer during his National Service. He recently retired as a family law solicitor in the City and a family judge (19 years). He is a board member of Cafcass. He was a governor of The Skinners' Company's School for Girls in Hackney for 10 years. He is a liveryman of The Skinners’ Company.

Andrew Harfoot – K College Governor
Andrew Harfoot is a chartered marketer and the Managing Director of Tonbridge based Springboard Marketing Limited. He is a director of West Kent Chamber of Commerce and is the Institute of Directors' National Marketing Advisor. He represents K College on The Skinners’ Kent Academy Board.

Sian Carr – Principal, Skinners’ Kent Academy
Sian is the first Principal of Skinners’ Kent Academy in Tunbridge Wells which opened in September 2009. Prior to taking up this post, she was Operational Director, Stakeholders & Networks, at the National College for School Leadership in Nottingham. Her role involved developing a leadership network for all school leaders which enabled the voice of practice to be heard and shared. Before this she was Director of the Eastern Leadership Centre based in Cambridge, a charitable partnership company which promoted excellent leadership development opportunities across the East of England. She had previously been Head of the Sandon School in Chelmsford in Essex, for seven years. Sandon School was an 11-18 mixed comprehensive. Sian’s earlier teaching career was spent in four London schools. Passionate about making a difference to the lives of young people, Sian believes that strong, positive and focused leadership at all levels in a school is essential to its success and improvement.

Natasha Morling – Skinners’ Kent Academy Parent Governor
Natasha has worked in education for the last five years. She currently works at Southborough Primary School where is a teaching assistant, specialising in art. She is looking forward to working with the other governors, and particularly to helping evolve the drama and arts provision at the Academy. Natasha is a mother of two children.

David Fitzsimmons – Co-opted Governor
David was educated at Shrewsbury School, Cambridge University and Stanford, he had a distinguished career at BP from 1978 to 2004, where he held a series of senior executive positions. Subsequently he spent four years as Chief Executive Officer of Novera Energy, a UK renewable energy company. He lives at Penshurst.

Samantha Axtell - Co-opted Governor
Samantha Axtell was educated at Oxford University, where she also coxed both the Men’s and Women’s crews in the Boat Race. She has had a wide ranging career in the world of business – two spells with the management consultant Bain & Co, founding her own business, including a cookery school, and most recently as Chief Operating Officer of the Goodwood Estate Company. She lives in Chichester.

Dominic Filleul - Co-opted Governor
Dominic Filleul was educated at Tonbridge School, he qualified as a solicitor and now practices in London as a partner in Lattey & Co. He lives in Penshurst and his children are being educated in Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge.

Edward Goodchild - Co-opted Governor
Edward Goodchild was educated at Winchester College and Birmingham University, he has had a wide ranging career in the City, including spells as a stockbroker and in personal wealth management. He lives in south west London.

Sarah Hohler - Kent County Council Governor
Sarah Hohler was born and brought up in Tunbridge Wells. She read PPE at St Hugh's College, Oxford, taught in Ghana, worked in publishing in Hong Kong and London and has lived in New York and Brussels. She has been a Kent County Councillor since 1989, including service as Deputy Leader Chairman of Education.  She has four daughters.

Anthony O'Brien - Staff Governor

Anthony was born in Cork in the Republic of Ireland and was educated by the Presentation Brothers in Colaiste an Spioraid Naoimh. He attended Cork Institute of Technology where he recieved a certificate, diploma and degree in software engineering. He then attended University College Cork where he completed a PGDE in mathematics and IT. He taught in The Howard School in Rainham where he held a number of roles including Gifted and Talented Co-ordinator, Deputy Head of Year and Deputy Head of Maths prior to taking the role of Head of Faculty for Mathematics and ICT at The Skinners' Kent Academy.