Barbara Matthews MBE, BSc, Chair of Trustees
| Appointed: 2014 Committees: Chair of the Chairs' Committee; Chair of the International Committee; Member of the Finance & General Purposes Committee, Education Committee |
 An Old Uppinghamian, Barbara studied at Durham University and City University, London. She retired from Nottingham Trent University in 2022, where she had previously been Pro Vice-Chancellor (Culture), Executive Dean for Culture and head of the College of Art, Architecture, Design and Humanities. Prior to this, she was Pro Vice-Chancellor and dean of Arts, Design and Humanities at De Montfort University. Barbara spent six years at Arts Council England where she held the posts of director, theatre and interim executive director, arts, with responsibility for policy and strategy development. Barbara was executive director of the Royal Court Theatre and earlier in her career produced the work of international theatre company, Cheek by Jowl. She also has experience of festival programming and West End theatre production. In 1993, she was honoured with an MBE for services to the arts. |
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Educated at Rossall School and University College, Oxford, where he read English and won three rugby blues, Keith has since worked entirely in the independent boarding sector – in California, Scotland and England. Having been a housemaster at Marlborough College, he became head of Loretto School and later Bedales, which he led for 17 years. Voluntary responsibilities have included chairing HMC Projects, a charity that brings 50 students from former Eastern European countries to UK boarding schools on full scholarships. Keith’s interests include sport, Scottish hill farming and the arts (especially theatre). His three children have all been boarders in UK independent schools.
An Old Uppinghamian and parent of an OU, Stephen is an Honorary Fellow of Trinity College Oxford, where he read Classics. A winner of Rugby blues in 1983, 1984 and 1985, Stephen is currently President of Oxford University Rugby Club.
Clare Colacicchi read Modern History at Somerville College, Oxford before becoming a Solicitor. She spent her early career at Macfarlanes before joining Hewitsons where she has specialised in trust, tax and charity law. Clare is a former Worldwide Chairman of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) which provides education, training, representation and networking for over 20,000 members worldwide. Clare has a special interest in education having recruited, trained and mentored many solicitors and having been a Governor of a University and an independent girls’ school.
Chris Dalliston was installed as Dean of Peterborough in January 2018. Prior to taking up this appointment, he was dean of Newcastle for 14 years, where he oversaw significant improvements in the cathedral’s facilities for worshippers and visitors. He also led a partnership with the city council and others to re-invigorate the historic heart of the city. Having studied Modern History at Peterhouse, Cambridge, he worked for the Ford Motor Company before entering St Stephen’s House, Oxford to study Theology and train for ordination. His many interests include poetry, music and Norwich City FC.
Miki Fairfax is a current school parent. Educated at Benenden and Newcastle University where she read Economics, Miki has a background in finance and banking, with expertise in financial risk management. Her career has taken her from the trading floors in London to becoming the Director of an Edinburgh-based fund manager investing in real estate across the UK and Central Europe. She now has a portfolio career that includes serving as a professional pensions trustee with BESTrustees as Trustee of several pension schemes, Director of Mindrum Farm, a diversified, family-owned regenerative organic farm based in Northumberland, and independent adviser to a wealth management firm. 
The first female lord lieutenant of Rutland, Sarah is a philosopher and ethicist who recently served the county as high sheriff. She has worked for many years in the voluntary sector, including for Macmillan Cancer Support for Rutland, supporting people with life-limiting illnesses, and for Warning Zone, which introduces children to the dangers of modern life.
Having read Classics at St Hugh’s College, Oxford and completed her PGCE at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, Katharine has spent her entire career as a member of staff at Uppingham. During that time she has been Head of Classics, Housemistress of The Lodge and of Fairfield, and has served on the Boarding House Management Committee, Salaries Committee, Games Committee and Charity Committee. She has also been involved in many areas of the school’s co-curricular life, including helping to run a community service section and coaching a number of different sports. She currently lives in Uppingham and enjoys attending school plays and concerts as well as pursuing her own sporting and musical interests..jpg)
Nick is an Old Uppinghamian and parent of three OUs. A Chartered Surveyor with broad experience in the property and construction industries, Nick read Land Management at the University of Reading before a career in commercial property with Knight Frank. He now runs a private housebuilding business based in the South Midlands and has extensive planning and construction experience in the region.
Juliet is Director of Quality Assurance for one of the country’s leading Multi-Academy Trusts where she has specific responsibility for safeguarding. Prior to joining the Trust, she fulfilled various roles throughout the education sector working in schools as a teacher, senior leader and a governor. Wider experiences in education have included training new teachers and she has inspected on behalf of both school inspectorates. Her work as an education consultant led to collaborations with various international government education departments in developing and implementing new school inspection regimes in North America, the Middle East and the Channel Islands. After a first degree in teaching, Juliet completed an MBA and also has additional expertise in supporting pupils with special educational needs.
Dylan was educated at Uppingham and University College, Oxford where he read Modern History. His career in industry took him to live and work for over twenty years in Italy, Peru, Japan, Hong Kong, Switzerland and Australia, for companies as varied as Coats Viyella, Tetley Tea and Staples. More recently, Dylan has served on the Board of a number of young companies, often as Chair. He is currently Senior Independent Director at Oxford Latinitas, which teaches Latin and Ancient Greek to students tackling classics degrees with no prior exposure. He is also a Senior Advisor in Career Transition at Lee Hecht Harrison.
Charles was educated at Uppingham and is parent of two OUs. He studied at the University of Southampton and the European Business School, London. Charles is head of investment counsellors at RBC Wealth Management in the UK. He is responsible for leadership and management of RBC's discretionary and advisory investment business and is a member of various investment, governance and oversight committees.
Christopher has two degrees from the University of Durham and enjoyed a long career in teaching. He was head of Leicester Grammar School between 2001 and 2018 and is currently CEO of the Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS)..jpg)
Adam is parent to a Fairfield OU and was educated locally to Rutland, at Stamford School. Having had to forfeit university, he is passionate about education: is a former school governor, an advocate for diversity, equity & inclusion and currently runs an e-learning business.
Jon is a higher education consultant with extensive experience in quality assurance and developing practice in learning and teaching. His most recent academic roles were as Professor of Bioscience Education and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Student Experience) till 2019 at the University of Leicester. Jon has led on a range of educational research projects, including on assessment and feedback, academic integrity and the student experience. _sq%20crop%20for%20web.jpg)
Edward, an Old Uppinghamian, studied Politics at Durham University before being called to the Bar in 1998. Following a career in family law he became the Member of Parliament for Crew and Nantwich in 2008, during which time he was Parliamentary Private Secretary for the Home Secretary, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children and Families (awarded Minister of the Year during this time in recognition of his work on fostering and adoption) then Minister of State for Children and Families from 2015 to 2017. %20cropped.jpg)
A current parent with four children at or formerly at Uppingham School, Adrian To is based in Hong Kong and has worked in London. He studied property, valuation and management at City, University of London and is a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors. Adrian is a Director, Residential with Swire Properties Limited, responsible for sales and marketing, leasing and property management of a residential portfolio in Asia. He was also a Member of the Buildings Committee of the Chinese International School in Hong Kong.
Dominic was educated at Uppingham and Magdalen College, Oxford, where he read Jurisprudence. After a period as a freelance choral musician, he practised as a barrister and corporate lawyer before joining the corporate finance division of Barings. He worked for many years at Rothschild, and most recently set up the London office of a US investment bank, where he advises on mergers and acquisitions in the media and education sectors. Dominic is an active angel investor and, as part of a diverse portfolio, is a shareholder in a UK educational technology business.
An Old Uppinghamian who has also been a member of the school’s parent community, Lucy studied English at the University of York. She then worked in employee development for retail group Liberty, and for a financial management consultancy in London, before moving back to Leicestershire. Since then, Lucy has worked in primary education, and was a school governor for a number of years.