Governors

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 School 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. As well as being a key part of Edge Grove’s Board of Governors, David is also a Governor at Cranleigh School and a member of the Council of Royal Holloway College.

Mr Aarif Asiz

New to Edge Grove’s Board of Governors, Aarif heads Human Resources for Diageo-Europe, Global Finance, shared services and Digital and also leads the global HR transformation function at Diageo. Prior to this,  Aarif spent over eighteen years at GE, where he progressively assumed leadership positions in various businesses across the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa.  Aarif earned a post-graduate degree in management from Symbiosis Centre for Management & HRD (SCMHRD), India and holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. Furthermore, he is a certified Black Belt in Six Sigma. Passionate about driving organizational change and fortifying leadership capabilities, Aarif’s accomplishments include leading a cultural transformation initiative at Diageo India, which was featured as a case study in the Harvard Business Review titled “Uniting Spirits: The Path to a New Culture at Diageo India.”

Aarif’s son Ayaan attended Edge Grove, and was Head Pupil in Year 8, before moving on to St Paul’s School at 13+.

Mrs Miranda Barnett

Miranda is new to Edge Grove but was a governor at a primary school in Borehamwood for 16 years including 5 years as chair. She lives locally in Radlett and grew up in Elstree.

Miranda qualified as a barrister and worked as a lawyer for 25 years before taking a year out to study in the US. She now works for the Government, heading a team that looks at the impact of possible futures on strategy and operating models. She is also qualified as a workplace mediator and an executive coach.

Miranda is married to Daniel and they have an Australian Labradoodle and three human children who are all at various stages of higher education. She spends a lot of time at the theatre, enjoys baking and aspires to travel a bit more.

Mr Gareth Burger

Gareth is the newest addition to the Edge Grove Board of Governors. Born in South Africa, he qualified as a Maths and Science teacher at the University of Witwatersrand before completing a Masters in Educational Management in the UK. He has been at St Albans School for the past 22 years where he is currently Assistant Head: Co-curricular and Head of Third Form; ensuring pupils enjoy a fulfilling, well rounded and happy education remain a key priority of his in his role. In addition to this, he has also worked in the 13+ entry point for over 10 years and continues to work together with prep schools in ensuring the successful transition of young pupils into secondary education. He is currently also a governor at two SEN schools, St Lukes and The Collett. He currently lives in Welwyn Village with his wife Jessica, son Jonty and daughter Imogen. Supporting the Springbok rugby team and trying to stay fit remain his two guilty pleasures.

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 Park Run core team and has run over 200 Park Runs.

Ms Amanda Godfrey – Education Committee, Junior Department and EYFS Governor

Amanda has been a member of the Edge Grove Board of Governors 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.

Mr Nick Marchant

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.

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.

Mrs Gillian Dippenaar – Clerk to the Governors