Our Governors

Should you wish to contact one of the Governors, please contact Nikki Davidson, Clerk to the Governors, at [email protected] who will forward your communication to the relevant Governor.

Mr Richard Tufft, Chair, member of Finance/Estates, Risk Committee, Pensions

Mr Andrew Bannister, Chairman of Finance/Estates Committee, Pensions

Governor since February 2014. His son left Thorpe in 2011 to go to the Oratory. Andrew is a Chartered Accountant (FCA) and recently retired after many years’ experience in business. His wife, Gillian, was also involved in the school.

Mr Richard Coward, Risk Committee, ICT group

Governor since 2003 (Chairman from 2005 to 2015). He is an old boy of the school and both sons also attended Thorpe in the 1990s and went to Oxbridge. Richard has recently retired from running a consultancy company which dealt with energy and telecommunications solutions.

Mr Roy MacMillan, Marketing Strategy group

Mrs Rennie Raja, Travel Plan, Safeguarding

Governor since January 2019. I am a mother of three children, two girls and one boy. My son is a current student in year 7 at Thorpe House. I am currently Chair of the Parents' Association and have been since 2015. I thoroughly enjoy my role, as it gives me great pleasure to be able help make a difference to the school. Before I had my children I used to work in credit control as a debt collector. I am currently director of RMJ properties.

Mr Mike Wakefield, Finance/Estates Committee, Alumni, Pensions

Governor since September 2018 and until recently working world-wide in the logistics industry.

Mrs Ruth Webber, Safeguarding, Education Committee, Health and Safety

Governor since September 2016. A former primary teacher and a non-executive director of her husband's family engineering business. Ruth is heavily involved in many community-based projects in the local area. Ruth's son went through the school and left in 2015 to go to Berkhamsted. Currently the governor responsible for staff welfare.

Dr Noel Parnis, Pensions

Governor since March 2021. His son left Thorpe House in 2015, and went on to study Physics at Warwick. Noel is an Electrical Engineer, and after a successful career in telecommunications, is currently teaching at Brunel University London

Mr Andy Bristow, Staff Welfare Governor, Education Committee

Governor from September 2021. Andy has more than 30 years of teaching experience, the last 20 of which have been at Dr Challoners’s Grammar. As both Head of Science and Sixth Form Tutor during this time, he has overseen numerous ex-Thorpe boys successfully progress on to the next stage of their educational journey.