Our trustees

  • Fr David Armstrong is a white man with silver hair and glasses. He is wearing a clerical collar with a black shirt and suit. He stands in front of a bookcase and a framed image of a seated man.

    Rev’d David Armstrong

    Fr David is the Rector of St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate, the latest in a line of radical and forward-thinking incumbents of this Anglo-Catholic church. His 19th century predecessor, Rev’d William Rogers founded the Central Foundation Schools, hence the historical connection.

    David has established St Botolph’s as a leading provider of services and support for the growing homeless community in and around the City of London. The church is liberally inclusive and at the centre of community in Bishopsgate. David has forged strong links with businesses in the City as well as livery companies. He is Honorary Chaplain to the Worshipful Company of Bowyers, Company of Coopers, the Bishopsgate Ward Club, and Veterans Aid. He has close links to the Honourable Artillery Company, whose St George Chapel is in St Botolph’s church, and the London Rifles veterans. In addition to Central Foundation Schools, David is a director of the Bishopsgate Institute, Religious Advisor to the Coopers’ Company and Coburn School, and on the board of various charities.

    Before being ordained, David worked in commercial communications. Following senior positions in the comms industry, David co-founded and directed a Westminster-based PR and lobbying firm and continues to provide his politically astute insights to the company, and others, as a pro-bono consultant. David is a trained journalist and before working in the comms industry, worked as a news and political reporter in Northern Ireland.

    David’s passions are social justice and inclusion, and he works to make St Botolph’s a place of sanctuary for all in the City.

    David was appointed as a trustee in 2019 and is on the Investment committee.

  • Dami Ayeko is a brown woman with long black hair wearing a black jacket over a white, black and pink dress. She is standing in a stonewalled corridor and smiling.

    Dami Ayeko

    Dami graduated from Imperial College, London with a master’s degree in Mathematics. She is currently a portfolio manager for investments in the financial services group at British International Investment, the UK’s development finance institution providing finance to private companies in emerging countries. She is responsible for a portfolio which covers investments across Africa and Asia.

    Before her current role, she worked at the Bank of England where she was a senior risk specialist. She previously worked in market risk at Goldman Sachs.

    Outside of her paid work, she volunteers with three charitable organisations. Alongside her role at Central Foundation Schools for London she is a trustee for the Dulwich Estate and London (UK) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated.

    Her hobbies include reading, cooking and travel.

    Dami was appointed as a trustee in 2022 and is on the Investment and Fundraising committees.

  • Stephen Brown is a white man with glasses and sandy coloured hair. He wears a blue shirt, dark trousers and a checked tweed jacket with a red poppy. He is smiling as he stands with his hands behind his back against an exposed brick wall.

    Stephen Brown

    At heart, Stephen is a physicist, but his maths wasn’t good enough, so he turned to accountancy and then to banking. He spent much of his career with American banks with whom he was very lucky to see some of the world including a five-year posting to Chicago. He is currently the Chief Risk Officer at the Bank of England.

    Stephen lives in London with his wife and, occasionally, one or more of their four daughters depending on who is in town. He enjoys singing in his local church choir; long country walks with the dog, Japanese food and messing about on the piano.

    Stephen was appointed as a trustee in 2018 and is the chair of the board and on the Finance & Audit, People & Nominations and Fundraising committees.

  • Avril Calder, a white woman with white hair wearing a black jacket, pink top and spotted scarf, is standing in front of a window and an exposed brick wall and smiling.

    Avril Calder

    Avril was a magistrate for 35 years, sitting exclusively in Inner London in two specialised courts dealing with both young offenders and children in need of care and protection, adoption and aspects of domestic violence.

    She cooperated as an associate partner in several European Union initiatives dealing with children as well as being an independent expert providing training to professionals in the field of child justice and arranging and addressing conferences worldwide on the same issues. Currently she serves on advisory committee boards both for Penal Reform International and Child Law Network.

    Avril is the board lead for the events programme working with staff at both schools to invite high profile speakers, and to arrange student trips. This much valued programme brings students from the schools together, provides extracurricular input that widens and enhances the education offered in the Foundation’s schools.

    Avril was appointed as a trustee in 2022 and is on the People & Nominations and Fundraising committees.

  • Simon Dodds is a white man with glasses and grey hair. He wears a pink shirt, dark jumper and trousers. He is smiling as he stands with his hands behind his back against an exposed brick wall.

    Simon Dodds

    Simon has been a governor of Central Foundation Boys' School since November 2016. He became chair of governors in 2021, at which point he joined the board of Central Foundation Schools of London. Simon is a long-time resident of Islington with deep family links to East London, which gives him a special connection to the Foundation and its community.

    Simon is active in the not-for-profit sector as a supporter and adviser to a number of charities. Amongst other roles, he is on the board of trustees of Brent Centre for Young People, a mental health charity. 

    Simon is a corporate lawyer by background. He spent the greater part of his professional career in the legal and compliance functions at Deutsche Bank, a major financial institution. At different times, Simon was Global Head of Compliance and co-Global General Counsel. Simon is currently Of Counsel at the international law firm, A&O Shearman.

    Simon was appointed as a trustee in 2021 and is on the People & Nominations and Fundraising committees.

  • Tom Doherty is a white man with dark hair wearing a white shirt and navy half zip  jumper. He is smiling as he stands against an exposed brick wall.

    Tom Doherty

    Tom is a public affairs consultant, and a former civil servant based in London. During his time in the Civil Service, Tom was an adviser in the 10 Downing Street Policy Unit, HM Treasury, the Cabinet Office and the Foreign Office specialising in business, technology and regulatory policy. He has previously worked overseas in Brussels in the UK Mission to the European Union and was part of the team that negotiated the UK's relationship with the European Union.

    Tom is a mentor for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds through the Patchwork Foundation and is a former student of Central Foundation Boys’ School.

    Tom was appointed as a trustee in 2024 and is on the Finance Committee and the Education Working Group.

  • Hilary Evenett is a white woman with short blonde hair wearing a black top and glasses. She is smiling as she stands beside an exposed brick wall.

    Hilary Evenett

    Hilary studied law at Oxford and qualified as a solicitor with Clifford Chance, an international business law firm where she was a partner for over 20 years and is now a senior director. She has spent her career in the financial services sector working principally with insurance and reinsurance companies, and asset managers and banks.

    Hilary also plays a leading role in Clifford Chance’s corporate pro bono practice, which provides corporate and governance services for charities. Hilary is also company secretary of the Canary Wharf Multifaith Chaplaincy as well as the chair of governors of Central Foundation Girls’ School.

    Born and brought up in the Midlands, Hilary is married and now lives in London. She has two adult daughters.

    Hilary was appointed as a trustee in 2022 and is on the People & Nominations committee.

  • Andreas Gaitzsch, a white man wearing a grey pullover and fawn chinos, is standing beside an exposed brick wall with his arms folded and is smiling.

    Andreas Gaitzsch

    Andreas is a careers consultant for the Dickson Poon School of Law at King's College London. Previously he was Head of Organisational Development at Equiom, a specialist international professional services firm. He has also worked in Talent and HR Business Management for Lloyds Banking Group and in Finance/People Change Consulting and Training for PwC.

    Throughout his career, Andreas has been involved in professional education to a greater or lesser extent. His other voluntary roles have included being a trustee for Queen Mary University of London Students’ Union.

    Having come from Germany to the UK to study at university – a choice which was based on a fairly romantic notion of what higher education should be like – Andreas never left.

    Andreas was appointed as a trustee in 2024 and is leading our Education Working Group.

  • Madush Gupta is a light skinned man of South Asian heritage wearing a dark suit, white shirt and red tie. He stands against a blue background and is smiling.

    Madush Gupta

    Madush Gupta is the policy lead for innovation and technology at the City of London Corporation, where he is an elected common councillor. Madush interfaces with regulators and industry, shaping growth-oriented policy.

    Beyond the Corporation, Madush is an innovation and digital transformation leader at Lloyds Banking Group. His influence and experience in innovation and product management enables him to tackle complex business challenges, driving strategic thinking, and sustainable results.

     Madush is a non-executive director of the Centre for Finance, Innovation and Technology, a board advisor to Innovate Finance, and a board advisor to the National Cyber Resilience Centre Group. Madush is passionate about education and is a visiting fellow in fintech at City University, where he lectures in the art of product management. 

    In his spare time, Madush loves kicking a ball around with his football-mad 11 year old son and performs with a couple of choirs. 

    Madush was appointed as a trustee in 2022 and is chair of the Investment Committee.

  • Barry Gooden is a brown man with close cut black hair wearing a light grey suit, white shirt and pink tie. He is standing against a dark background.

    Barry Gooden

    Barry has worked in education for over 35 years, in both the public and private sector, and worked on Tower Hamlets Council’s schools development programme. His association with Central Foundation Girls' School spans most of that time, first as a project officer responsible for the improvement of teaching facilities, and for the transformation of the whole learning experience for both teachers and students.

    After leaving the council, Barry was keen to maintain his relationship with the Girls' School particularly as his daughter was a student. Barry subsequently joined the board of governors, chaired the Finance and Resources Committees and was chair of the governing body itself, before retiring in 2024.

    Barry is passionate about education as a medium for advancing the lives of those with fewer privileges in our society.

    Barry was appointed as a trustee in 2016 and is on the People & Nominations committee.

  • Dilnaz Khambata is a woman of South Asian heritage wearing a blue tunic-style top and patterned scarf. She is smiling as she stands beside an exposed brick wall.

    Dilnaz Khambata

    Dilnaz brings strategic and operational expertise to her role as trustee for Central Foundation Schools for London.

    With over 20 years’ experience in policy, strategy, and transformation consulting, Dilnaz excels in translating complex initiatives into actionable outcomes. While at the Department for Education, she consolidated 13 policy projects into a comprehensive portfolio, demonstrating her ability to streamline educational management processes.

    Dilnaz shaped the provision of new services in various public sector organisations and is experienced in developing business cases which are compliant with the Treasury and the Green Book (central government guidance on appraisal and evaluation). She has led a £1.2 million programme to establish childminding support networks across England. With an MBA focused on 'Integrated Children Services' and an MA in International Affairs researching the 'Online Safety Bill', Dilnaz brings academic insight and practical experience in child-centred policy development.

    Dilnaz was appointed as a trustee in 2015, is the board vice chair and chair of the People & Nominations committee and part if the Education Working Group.

  • Ewelina Lacey is a white woman with long blonde hair wearing a purple top. She is smiling as she stands beside an exposed brick wall.

    Ewelina Lacey

    Ewelina is Regional Director for Europe at the Institute for Study Abroad where she leads strategic programme development, operations and partnerships across the continent.

    With over 17 years' experience in international education, she brings proven success in leading multicultural teams to deliver high-quality educational experiences while driving innovation and operational excellence.

    Ewelina holds a University of Warsaw master’s degree in applied linguistics and a University of Cambridge NQF 7 Diploma in Teaching English as a Foreign Language.

    Ewelina has several voluntary leadership roles. She serves as an enterprise advisor for the Careers and Enterprise Company and chair of governors at Apprenticeship Connect. As a founding member of the Human Intelligence Movement and Mission Impact Academy AI, she remains passionate about the future of responsible AI in education and the workplace.

    Ewelina was appointed as a trustee in 2024, is on the Finance committee and a member of the Education Working Group.

  • Nick Mattis is a brown man with a bald head, short facial hair and glasses. He wears a white sweatshirt and is smiling as he stands against an exposed brick wall.

    Nicolas Mattis

    Nick attended Central Foundation School for Boys between 1990-1995 and has been a governor at the Boys’ School since 2002.

    Career wise, Nick currently heads up the regulatory affairs functions for a Danish Bank who operate in the UK and previously held similar roles at HSBC and RBS. Prior to that, Nick was part of HM Treasury’s local regeneration programme management divisions, having spent the early part of his career in local government and at the John Lewis Partnership. 

    Nick hopes to bring his skills and experience from the banking and public sectors to assist the Foundation in its ambitious vision and strategy towards enhancing the outcomes for the young people we support.

    Nick became a trustee to give skills, knowledge and experience back to the school that gave him a wonderful experience and a launch pad for his future. Nick’s interests are travel (54 countries so far), property developing, and reading.

    Nicolas was appointed as a trustee in 2024 and is the Foundation’s Board representative on the Girls School 6th Form Extension Steering Group.

  • John Pike is a white man with grey hair, moustache and beard. He is wearing a white cable knit jumper and smiling as he stands beside an exposed brick wall.

    John G Pike

    John is an alumnus of Central Foundation School for Boys and graduate of the London School of Economics. An experienced lawyer who has held both chief executive and leadership roles in major City and International law firms, John deals with strategic expansion and position in the market.

    As president and then chair, John led a major media charity through a period of significant change. This involved a full rebrand and the launch of the charity’s free and confidential support line and marked a shift in the charity’s focus.

    John fully appreciates that education, in the widest sense, is a fundamental human right and one of the strongest instruments for a stronger and better society, improving health, gender equality and reducing poverty.

    John was appointed as a trustee in 2024 and is a member of the Investment and Fundraising committees.

  • Amandeep Rehlon, a brown man of South Asian heritage wears a black turban and black v neck sweater. He is seated at a desk in a wood panelled room and smiling at the camera. He is holding a pen over a sheet of paper.

    Amandeep Rehlon

    Amandeep Rehlon is a trustee and chair of the Finance and Audit Committee; and is the nominated representative for the Bank of England.

    He has worked at the Bank of England for over 20 years after originally qualifying as a chartered accountant with KPMG. He has carried out a number of roles related to financial stability, bank failures and market infrastructures, most recently as Head of Post Trade Policy.

    As well as being a trustee of CFSL, Amandeep is a trustee of the Harpur Trust, sitting on their Community and Audit Committees.

    He is currently on a three-year secondment to the Bank for International Settlements in Basel, Switzerland, living with his wife and two young daughters in the picturesque village of Arlesheim. There in his spare time he enjoys exploring the Swiss mountains and countryside, to work off the local cheese and chocolate he also enjoys far too much.

    Amandeep was appointed as a trustee in 2022 and is chair of the Finance & Audit committee.

  • Quinton Soper is a white man with dark swept back hair wearing a black sweatshirt. He is smiling as he stands against an exposed brick wall.

    Quinton Soper

    Quinton has over 15 years’ experience in investment banking, focusing on development finance and impact investing. He currently serves as an investment director at British International Investment. Prior to that, he worked in different capacities at the French development bank, Proparco, most recently as a senior investment officer in the private equity division managing investments in Africa and the Middle East.

    Over the past decade, Quinton has led private equity and corporate finance transactions in more than 10 African countries, managing complex structures in challenging jurisdictions. His experience covers a broad array of sectors from education and healthcare to financial institutions and energy and infrastructure.

    Quinton holds a Bachelor of Commerce Honours degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Johannesburg. He was born and raised in South Africa, and now lives in London.

    Quinton was appointed as a trustee in 2023 and is on the Investment and Fundraising committees.

  • Mike Yershon is a white man wearing a white shirt, navy cardigan and blue jeans. He is smiling as he stands beside an exposed brick wall.

    Mike Yershon

    Mike Yershon is a former student at Central Foundation School Boys’ School. His career in the advertising industry spans six decades and he is widely recognised as one of the top 50 game-changers in the advertising industry over the past 100 years.

    Mike was media head at three of the UK’s leading full-service agencies before setting up Yershon Media in 1980, which was the UK’s first strategic media planning company.

    The innovative strategies he developed, such as the ‘light viewer’ approach have had a significant impact on advertising effectiveness.

    Aged 82, Mike keeps abreast of the fast-moving developments within the industry and continues to work directly with CEOs helping them interpret and adapt complex media spending advice. He brings expertise in adapting to changing media landscapes with an emphasis on preparation for future business challenges

    Mike was appointed as a trustee in 2019 and is the chair of the Fundraising committee, and on the Investment and Finance & Audit committees.