Governors
The Governors are responsible for the general direction, management and overall control of the School. Each Governor sits on one or more sub-committee where members of the Senior Leadership Team report into the Governing Body, at their termly meetings.
To contact any of the Governors, please write to the Clerk to the Governing Body, Vanessa Locke.
John Ludlow
Chair of Governors and Finance & Resources Committee
John Ludlow, who is an OG, has a wealth of experience at senior board level. Now retired, John was CEO of AIRMIC, the association of risk and insurance managers, after a successful career as Senior Vice President Business Reputation and Responsibility and Head of Global Risk at the InterContinental Hotels Group. He is a Certified Fellow of the Institute of Risk Management and visiting fellow at Oxford Brookes University School of Hospitality Management.
Catherine Hughes Obe
Chair of the General Education Committee
Ms Catherine Hughes was the Principal of St Bede’s Catholic College, an Independent Academy in Bristol. Having trained as a Mathematics teacher at La Sainte Union Southampton and subsequently graduating from Reading University with a Bachelor of Education, Ms Hughes worked in three Catholic schools before moving to St Bede’s in 1995. She is recognised as a National Leader in Education and brings a wealth of educational experience to her role as a Governor at Downside. Catherine is responsible for Initial Teacher Training.
Alison Martin
Chair of Finance Committee
Alison has an MBA in Education Management for Bursars and is also a Trustee of the Association of Governing Bodies of Independent Schools. She was most recently the Bursar at Warminster School having spent 26 years in a variety of school administrative roles. Elected as Chair of the Independent Schools Bursars’ Association in 2010, previously a Director of the Independent Schools Council and an Executive Director of the Boarding Schools Association.
Jessica Ogilvy-Stuart
Education Committee
Jessica has a PhD in education from Durham University and has worked for many years in Hong Kong where she operates tutorial schools and advises British schools on their Asia strategies. She is an Honorary Norham Fellow at St Hugh’s College, Oxford conducting post-doctoral research which brings her back to the UK. She has previously lectured all over the world and has a wealth of experience in the international education sector.
Charles Griffin
Chair of Estates and Operations Committee
Charles is an experienced chartered building surveyor who has spent 20 years heading up facilities management at the Welcome Trust. His responsibilities included health and safety, environmental management as well as the delivery of large capital projects. His skill set will be invaluable as we become responsible for the management of our own buildings and services. As a past parent, he is well aware of our culture and values and our responsibility to maintain our historic buildings for future generations.
Terri Wilcox
General Education Committee
Terri is a very experienced Teacher and Housemistress who has just retired after 36 years working in the independent school sector. During her career she has had a number of leadership roles including Head of Pastoral Care, Head of Co-curricular and Head of Careers. She has a passion for the importance of good quality pastoral care to bring out the best in every pupil and her expertise brings a very clear understanding of what enhances the educational provision in a school like ours. Terri is the Governor responsible for child protection at Downside.
Anne Barrett
General Education Committee
Anne has extensive experience of inspecting both primary and secondary schools in the UK and abroad. She is currently a Lead Inspector for Clifton Diocese, education consultant and school improvement adviser. She has a particular interest in school governance, including the conducting of post-Ofsted external reviews. Anne is a Bishop’s appointed Director on Clifton Catholic Diocesan Education Foundation (CCDEF) and chairs the Schools’ Standards and Quality group. Anne was formerly Head of School and Deputy Head of an outstanding Catholic secondary school. Prior to this she was a senior adviser for a local authority and was seconded to the Diocese as a secondary RE Adviser. She has a Master’s degree in Education (Bristol).
Robert Jenkins
Finance Committee
Robert, an Old Gregorian, is a Chartered Accountant with career credentials in investment banking and private equity. He has experience across a wide range of business sectors, including natural resources. He also has significant Non-Executive Director experience – in Audit and Remuneration Committee, Chair and Senior Independent Director roles of UK Stock Exchange Premium Listed companies.
Dom Nicholas Wetz
Member of Estate and Operations Committee
Father Nicholas was educated at Belmont Abbey School. After studying Policy Making and Administration at University, he entered the novitiate at Belmont and was clothed in 1985. He taught RE and coached rugby and cricket at the School and subsequently became a House Master and Head of RE. He went on to become Claustral Prior, Parish Priest and Procurator at Belmont Abbey. Father Nicholas was elected as Abbot of Downside in August 2020.
DOMINIC HALL
Finance Committee
Dominic Hall was educated at Worth School before graduating from Durham University with a degree in Information Systems Engineering. In the first part of his career he worked in banking as a Precious Metals Derivatives Trader. Following his time in the City, Dominic co-founded and then ran an online metals market data, news and analysis company. Steering the company over 17 years from founding to eventual trade sale provided him with a wealth of valuable business experience. Dominic also has experience as a Non-Executive Director and is a current Downside Parent.