Trustees

The Dulwich Estate charity is governed by a Board of 14 trustees. Eleven of these are nominated by relevant bodies, including the beneficiary school governors, the Dulwich Almshouse Charity, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Archbishop of Canterbury. The other three trustees are appointed by the Board through a selection criteria which aims to ensure a broad mix of skills and representation.

The role of the trustees

The assets of the Estate are governed by the trustees on behalf of the beneficiaries.

Trustees can be contacted via the chief executive, Simone Crofton simone.crofton@thedulwichestate.org.uk

Nicola Meredith, BA (Hons), FCCA

Nicola is an accountant, director of a property company and a former management consultant with Cap Gemini Ernst & Young specialising in strategy development and delivery for clients in the UK and abroad. She was previously a Governor of James Allen’s Girls’ School, Deputy Chair of its Board and Chair of its Community Enterprises Company. Nicola and her family have lived in Dulwich for over 30 years. She has been a Trustee of The Dulwich Estate since 2010, nominated by JAGS and became Chairman of Trustees in 2018.

Dr Andreas Köttering, D Phil

Andreas works as head of infrastructure investment practice at CBRE Caledon. His career spans the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, experience in banking and investment at Citigroup, Schroders, Siemens and KfW in London, Hong Kong and Frankfurt. Andreas and his family have been residents of Dulwich for more than 20 years. He is a Governor of Dulwich College and was nominated by Dulwich College to serve as a Trustee of The Dulwich Estate, which he has done since 2012.

Martin Bagley, MA

Martin is a former director general of Courtaulds French textile subsidiaries and was part-owner of two UK textile design and manufacturing businesses. His family has lived in Dulwich and been members of the wider parish community since 1896. Martin has been a co-optative Trustee of The Dulwich Estate since 2009, and served as Chairman of Trustees from 2015 to 2017.

Dr Irene Bishop, LLD, CBE

Irene taught in inner London state schools for 42 years and was Head of St Saviour's and St Olave's School for 19 years. She co-founded Southwark Schools Learning Partnership which breaks down barriers between the independent and state sectors. Irene was awarded a CBE in 2012 for services to education. She continues to work with schools and academies and is a Governor of two schools, including Dulwich College. She has been a Trustee, nominated by Dulwich College, since November 2016.

Patricia Cox, OBE

Patricia is a retired barrister, who worked in the Government Legal Service. She has lived in Dulwich since 1969. She has been a Trustee the Dulwich Almshouse Charity for six years and also serves as Trustee of other local charities, including the Friends of Dulwich Picture Gallery. She has been a Trustee of The Dulwich Estate since 2017, and was nominated by the Dulwich Almshouse Charity.

John Cruse, BSc (Hons)

John was a lecturer in trading standards and worked in local government for Tower Hamlets before retiring in 2009. John is a Governor at Central Foundation Girls School and was Chair for eight years. He is also a Trustee of the Central Foundation Schools of London. He has been a Trustee of The Dulwich Estate since 2015, and was nominated by The Central Foundation Schools of London.

Catherine Jeffrey, MA Catherine Jeffrey, MA, MA

Catherine has worked as a senior manager for over 30 years in health and social care in London. She lives in Herne Hill with her family and is a Trustee at the Dulwich Almshouse Charity and has been a co-optative Trustee of The Dulwich Estate since 2009.

David Miller, MA, FCSI

David is a local resident, Governor at James Allen’s Girls’ School and parent of children educated at Dulwich College and JAGS. He has been involved in financial markets since 1980 working for several prominent financial institutions. His current role is as an Executive Director at Quilter Cheviot where, in addition to his investment role he writes a weekly note about financial markets and makes regular appearances on television and radio. He has been a Dulwich resident for nearly 20 years. He is a Governor at JAGS and was nominated by JAGS Governors to be a Trustee of The Dulwich Estate in 2016.

Richard Pinckard, BSc (Econ), FCA

Richard is a chartered accountant and has been a partner at KPMG since 1996, working with many of its major international clients across a wide range of industries. A former member of the Financial Reporting Review Panel, the UK’s financial reporting regulator, he is also a Governor of Alleyn’s School and has been a Trustee of the British Lung Foundation. He has lived in Dulwich for many years. Richard is a Governor of Alleyn's and has been a Trustee of The Dulwich Estate since 2014, having been nominated by Alleyn's School.

Sarah Slater, BSc (Hons), MRICS

Sarah is the Chief Executive of The Eyre Estate, and holds a number of non-executive positions. She has been on the Board of GRIP REIT Plc, the UK’s largest residential real estate investment trust, since 2016. Throughout her career, Sarah has been responsible for the delivery of major real estate programmes, ensuring implementation against objectives. She has been a co-optative Trustee of The Dulwich Estate since 2015.

Simon Taylor, FRICS Simon Taylor, FRCIS

Simon’s property career spans 30 years with experience in retail occupation, retail development, retail asset management and the retail investment market. He has high-level experience working as a non-executive director on a commercial and residential trust and additionally on a major urban regeneration project in East Ham, London. He is a Dulwich resident, former Governor of Dulwich College and has been a Trustee of The Dulwich Estate since 2010. He was nominated by the President of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

Russell Vaizey, MA, FCA

Russell has been Chief Executive of the Worshipful Company of Dyers since 2005. His career spans working as a chartered structural and civil engineer. More recently he has been financial controller at Commercial Union Asset Management and finance director at Newton Investment Management. He is a Governor at Norwich School, Former Chairman at St Saviour’s School and current Estate representative to St Olave’s and St Saviour’s Schools Foundation. He has been a Trustee of The Dulwich Estate since 2011, having been nominated by St Olave's & St Saviour's School Foundation.

Roger Westbrook, CMG, MA

Roger is a former Ambassador to Portugal. Roger was Chairman of Spencer House from 2000-2006 and Chief Honorary Steward at Westminster Abbey from 2000-2016. He is the nominee of the Archbishop of Canterbury. For many years he has been associated with Book Aid International – which provides books and promotes literacy around the world. Roger has been a Trustee of The Dulwich Estate since 2015 and was nominated by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Peter Yetzes, BA, JP

Peter is executive chairman for a group of recruitment companies based at London Bridge and also works as a magistrate, chairing in the youth and adult courts in Bromley and Bexley. He is a former director at the Audit Commission where he developed the National Fraud Initiative which to date has saved more than £1billion for the public purse. He is a Governor of Alleyn's School and has been a Trustee of The Dulwich Estate since 2017. He was nominated by the Governors of Alleyn's School.