Mr David Williams – Interim Chair of Governors
David spent two years as a pupil at Edge Grove, prior to completing his education at Glasgow Academy and Nottingham University. David is an experienced bursar who spent 8 years at Charterhouse, before becoming a Consultant Bursar, and founder of BursarSearch. He is a chartered accountant. His aptitude is underpinned by his background working in the computer and construction industries as a Finance Director, and Managing Director. His career took him on a number of international assignments, including living in Ireland and Finland, and visiting the Far East and USA regularly. However, Heathrow airport lost its attraction every Monday morning and becoming a bursar sounded interesting. Expecting the role to be a gentle pre-retirement job he was disabused of that within a week. Since 2015/16 he has been engaged at 50 schools providing recruitment, interim and strategic advice. Recently retired, his retirement job is rebuilding his own house. He sees the critical importance of schools being commercial as well as providing an excellent education. David has recently stepped down from his role as a Governor at Cranleigh School. He is a member of the Council of Royal Holloway College.
Mr Daniel Emkes – Finance Committee
Daniel was brought up mainly in Surrey, but with 6 years in Calcutta when his father set up a tea company branch there. He was educated at Whitgift and read Economics at Collingwood College, Durham before qualifying as a Chartered Accountant with Spicer & Pegler. He joined his father’s tea broking business in the City and soon took over, traveling widely in East Africa and Asia. After nearly 20 years in the tea industry, he was a consultant briefly before working for Harrow School between 2009 and 2021 as Finance Bursar and then Director of Finance and Systems. He is now a part-time Finance Consultant.
Outside of work Daniel is kept busy by his four grown up children and three grandchildren. Daniel is a keen sportsman and played most sports at school, including 1st XV rugby and represented Durham at water polo, swimming and hockey and numerous sports at college level, including squash and cricket. He played National League water polo for 20 years and currently plays squash and golf. He is also part of the Bedford parkrun core team and has run over 200 parkruns.
Ms Amanda Godfrey – Education Committee, Junior Department and EYFS Governor
Amanda has been a Governor since January 2015. She has over 30 years of experience as a school leader, as a headteacher, executive head and CEO of a multi-academy trust. She began her teaching career in London before moving to Hertfordshire in 1996. Since then she has worked in Hertfordshire and beyond as a National Leader of Education (NLE), Ofsted inspector and worked with schools in Hertfordshire to provide support, training and leadership advice. She has led a number of school improvement initiatives and worked closely with Hertfordshire Local Authority over many years. Amanda has recently retired and enjoys spending time with her family at home in St Albans and walking the South West Coast Path in Cornwall.
Mr Paul Kendall – Deputy Chair of Governors, Health & Safety Governor and Chair of Staff Personnel Committee
Paul has been a Governor since 2010. He is Managing Director of Coupers, a Hyundai and Seat dealer that has been operating in St Albans since 1933. Paul is an Edge Grove Old Boy (1970 to 1976) and has two daughters Emma and Sophie who attended Edge Grove from 2000 to 2009 before moving on to Princess Helena College in Hitchin. He is married to Gerdien and lives in St Albans. He plays and coaches Eton Fives at Aldenham but loves all kinds of sport, especially cricket at Lords.
Mrs Wendy Kent – Finance Committee
Wendy joined the governing body in January 2024. Now retired, a significant portion of her career was with the London Stock Exchange where she held several senior positions. In her final role, she was responsible for all Real Time Data, from product development and management to marketing and sales. She also managed the Regulatory News Service and the Listing Application process. In 2009, she embarked on a change in career, becoming Bursar at Sevenoaks Prep School in Kent. At the same time, she joined Bethany School, where her children attended, as a governor. In 2017, she was appointed the Vice Chair of Governors. Wendy moved from Kent to Hertfordshire in 2023. Keen to continue as a governor locally, she chose Edge Grove for its educational and nurturing environment. Wendy likes walking, yoga, travelling and spending time with her family.
Mr Zahid Khawaja – Chair of the Finance Committee
Zahid was previously a Governor and Chair of the Finance Committee at Edge Grove between 2007 and 2014 before moving overseas; he re-joined with effect from September 2021. With an extensive commercial portfolio, Zahid has served as an executive and non-executive director on company boards and on senior management committees since 1994. He is highly skilled in risk management, corporate governance, business transformation, change management, finance, legal and compliance matters. In non-executive roles, Zahid provides independent challenge, constructive scrutiny and validation of management decision-making and builds positive relationships with key stakeholders. He is a long term resident of Radlett and a past parent at the School.
Mr Charles Lilley – Estates Committee
Charles joined the governing body in 2013. He is a solicitor working in IT consultancy as the Commercial and Legal Director of James Harvard Limited. He was previously Head of Legal at Sopra Steria UK in IT and Business Process outsourcing services and before that in the chemical industry at Courtaulds. He is married to Maarit and lives in Chiswick. They have a daughter who attended The Lady Eleanor Holles School in Hampton and Leeds University and a son who attended Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith and Edinburgh University. Charles is an Edge Grove Old Boy (1970-1976) who went to Haileybury and then read Law at Newcastle University. He has a particular enthusiasm for sport, playing all sports through school, rugby through University and for a few years beyond, and golf and tennis in more recent years. He is an enthusiastic spectator whenever he has the opportunity. He also has a keen interest in music and the arts.
Mrs Sue Maughan – Education Committee and Pastoral Committee
Sue is both a past parent of Edge Grove having had three children attend the school between 2004 and 2021, and a previous member of staff holding the post of Development and Alumni Manager between 2017 and 2023. Sue has a degree in chemistry from Exeter university and worked for Glaxo Wellcome as an analytical chemist before having her children. Since then she has become an ambassador for the Smile Train charity and has continually raised money and awareness for them since her own child was born with cleft palate. Her fundraising has continued at the school, having organised the last four school balls and many Friends of Edge Grove events. Her passions lie within parental and community relations, fundraising and the pastoral care of both pupils and staff.
Mrs Samantha O’Sullivan – Education Committee, Middle Department Governor and Safeguarding Governor
Samantha is a parent of two children who attended Edge Grove between 2007 and 2017. In that time she was on the first FOEG committee and also on the 75th anniversary ball committee. Before having children, she worked for Marks & Spencer as a store manager and in the marketing department at their Head Office. She later retrained as a teacher, obtaining her PGCE in 2012. She then worked in the state education sector most recently as a Year 3 teacher at Fair Field Junior School in Radlett. Samantha has also gained a Masters degree in Education and Learning, allowing her a greater insight into the practices of great teachers. She is presently studying for a doctorate in education at the Institute of Education, UCL. She has the benefit of being a former parent with a good understanding of the pupil experience at Edge Grove combined with the professional understanding of a teacher. She lives in the shadow of the school, and while studying, she can hear the children at break time from her kitchen, making Edge Grove a very big part of her life.
Mr Andrew Robson – Chair of the Estates Committee
Andrew has been a Governor since 2012. He is a former pupil of Edge Grove, Haileybury and the Royal Agricultural College. He is presently Senior Partner of Sidleys Chartered Surveyors of Oxford and is personally responsible for managing a variety of clients’ property interests in agriculture, residential, commercial, retail and education. His firm particularly specialises in the modernisation and alteration of listed educational buildings. Andrew is married with two sons who have now flown the nest. He is a keen tennis player and was a keen cricketer but appears to have been retired by his local selectors meaning that he now spends more time on the golf course at Leighton Buzzard. He is a lifelong Arsenal fan and enjoys long walks in the country with his wife and their spaniel.
Mr Ian Sheldon – Chair of the Education Committee
Ian is currently the Senior Deputy Head of Queenswood School and was elected to the Governing Body in 2019. A physical chemist, he was educated at Bedford and Oxford, where he worked on simulating the electron transfer reactions taking place in photosynthetic bacteria in his Masters year. He moved to Cambridge to train as a teacher and since obtaining his PGCE, has taught at Haileybury, Bedford School and now Queenswood. He has now returned part-time to the Faculty of Education at Cambridge and is studying educational assessment with the intention of completing an MEd in due course. Through the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Ian developed a passion for hill walking and wild country which continues to this day.
Mr Jeremy Stevens – Estates Committee
Jeremy has been a Governor since 2014. He is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors with over 35 years experience of the property industry. He is joint owner and Managing Director of Warrant Investments Plc a property investment company based in Watford specialising in the commercial, residential and leisure property sectors. As a property owner, Jeremy has a client’s perspective of property and legal issues and will be able to provide guidance with regard to Estate and New School developments. Born in Enfield and having lived most of his life in North London, in 2007 the family moved to Chalfont St Giles. He is married to Lesley, an Interior Designer and has twin sons William and Christian who both attended Edge Grove. William was Head Boy in 2014. Jeremy is a keen supporter of England and West Ham United and enjoys all sports, particularly cricket, football and skiing. He is a member of Radlett Cricket Club and a qualified Level 1 Umpire. Further interests include collecting antiques, British black and white films and walking the family dog.
Mr Bill Tweddle – Finance Committee
Bill retired from the City in 2016 having worked in the City for 36 years as a shipbroker (in London and Tokyo), investment banker (in London and Hong Kong) and more latterly as a Client Director at Schroders. Aside from managing his investments he is still active in various trustee/charity work and currently is a pension fund trustee (since 2010) as well as Chairman of a charity raising funds for Church restoration at Sandringham, Norfolk. He particularly enjoys being a Governor at Edge Grove as a way to give back to the school that gave him such a fantastic all round education between 1966 and 1972. He is married with two grown up children and one granddaughter. He is a keen sportsman particularly in golf and skiing.
