Our Governance

Richard Cassell started his career as a solicitor and then moved to the US for law school with his American wife, working in Washington DC as a tax lawyer in the 1980s before they returned to London.  Richard joined Withers in London in 2004 where he was part of the firm management before retiring as a partner in 2019.  He continues to practice with the firm as of counsel.

Richard is an Old Pauline (’72) and a Mercer as well as a parent of Simon (’06).  Richard is also a governor of Hammersmith Academy and a trustee of Philanthropy Impact, National Philanthropic Trust in London, Syracuse University London Program and is secretary of the University of Pennsylvania UK Foundation.  Richard enjoys music and plays the ‘cello in the Portobello Orchestra in Notting Hill.

Tim was in the City briefly after leaving university and then moved to education. He taught history at St Paul’s, becoming Surmaster in 1992.

He was Headmaster of first Monmouth (1995-2005) and then Tonbridge (2005-2018). He is now involved in the governance of various schools and is a Liveryman of the Skinners and Haberdashers Companies.

Tom is a technology entrepreneur, advisor and investor with 20 years’ experience in new media, disruptive technology and business strategy focused on positive society and climate related projects.  He was CEO and founder of acquired apparel technology scale-up Metail and is currently co-founder of the non-profit Extend Ventures, which aims to diversify access to finance for underrepresented founders through data and research.

He also serves as non-exec director for zero carbon monitoring consultancy Verco and environmental behavioural change start-up Do Nation.  Additionally, he is chair of the Gen Z music mindfulness startup Spoke, an active supporter of The Brilliant Club and sits on various advisory boards. He has also served as a trustee for the Black and minority ethnic focused creative incubator MeWe360 and on the board of the revolutionary women’s personal wellness scale-up Elvie.

An active Old Pauline (’95), who went on to study Economics at Cambridge, Tom now lives on the other side of London with his wife and two daughters.

Sarah Barker is a partner at international law firm Withers, where she advises private clients and corporates on art law related matters. Sarah started her career in the City where she practised corporate law at Herbert Smith, before founding a law firm specialising in the creative industries which was acquired by a media law firm in 2017. 

Sarah sits on the Advisory Council for the CIRCA 2021 public art project, and previously Chaired the Royal Academy School’s Patrons Committee. Sarah is a liveryman of the Mercers’ Company, and sat for three terms on its Arts & Heritage Giving Committee. She is a regular contributor to Apollo Magazine. 

Nicola Doyle qualified with a Bachelor of Education Degree at Bishop Grosseteste College in Lincoln and has worked in State Primary Education in London for 38 years.  She was appointed Headteacher of St Michael’s Primary School, in Wandsworth after 10 years in teaching.

She has recently retired from her position as Headteacher of St Mary Abbots School, Kensington, having worked at the school for 20 years.

She is a lay reader and chalice bearer at St Mary Abbot’s Church, where she has worshipped with her husband for the last 30 years. She is a keen keep fit enthusiast and enjoys jogging, swimming, the watt bike and rowing machine

Veryan has spent her career with Farrer & Co, after obtaining a degree from Cambridge University in History. She trained as a solicitor, becoming a partner in the Family team and now works in the Safeguarding Unit advising schools, charities and organisations working with young people.

Veryan has lived in Tokyo and Hong Kong with her husband and four daughters and now lives in Chiswick. She is a Governor of Downe House, the Safeguarding Governor of St Peter’s primary school in Hammersmith and is a Trustee of the Nicola Benedetti Foundation. She is a keen musician and spends her holidays in Cornwall where she was born.

Adam Fenwick began his career in the Swire Group with management roles across Asia and North America. He returned to the UK to join his family retail business Fenwick Limited progressing to Chief Executive. He is a Non-Executive Director of Swire Properties in Hong Kong and John Swire & Sons in London.

He is a Warden of the Mercer’s Company and a Deputy Lieutenant of Tyne & Wear. He has also been a Governor of RGS Newcastle and Theatre Royal, Newcastle.

He plays golf, tennis and is a regular theatre goer.

Tony is a QC practising in commercial law and Head of Chambers at One Essex Court in The Temple. He was educated at the local grammar school in Hackney where he grew up and at the LSE.  He also taught at the LSE and was for some years Chairman of its Court of Governors.

Tony has been a member of the House of Lords since 1999 and sits on the Cross Benches.  He is also the Master of Clare College in Cambridge. He has non-executive directorships with Goldman Sachs and The University of Law. He and his wife Jane have four children, three of whom are boys who all attended St Paul’s School.

Harry Hampson has spent over 30 years working for JP Morgan in London holding a variety of roles in the investment bank. He is now one of the Global Chairs of Investment Banking and a member of the Executive Committee.

Harry is an Old Pauline who went on to read Natural Sciences and Chemical Engineering at Cambridge University.  He is also a former parent having had two boys attend the school.

Harry is a former oarsman and now is a keen skier and runner, and enjoys fishing and other outdoor pursuits.

Sam started his career in investment banking, following a degree at Oxford University in English Language & Literature. He subsequently trained to be a solicitor and spent nearly 17 years at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, before leaving to join Latham & Watkins in 2020. He specializes in high-value cross-border mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures.

Sam is an Old Pauline (1991-1996) and a Freeman of the City of London. He is married with 3 children and lives in Fulham (next to Craven Cottage, where he is a long-suffering season ticket holder).

Ali Palmer started her career in investment banking working in credit risk after gaining a degree in Business Management. She is now a Partner at Odgers Berndtson leading the Interim Consumer and Telecoms division within the UK.

Ali is an Old Paulina and for many years was Chair of the Old Girls’ Association. She is a Freeman of the City of London.

A keen sportswoman, Ali is an avid middle distance runner in her spare time.

Aisha Sanusi is an anti-racism consultant and director of the African Caribbean Education Network, a national network of parents, students, and teachers working to effect racial equality in education.

She has a background in marketing and communications, with a particular focus on communication and content strategies for organisations operating in diverse/cross-cultural spaces.

Aisha has a passion for all forms of diversity, equity and inclusion, and has previously written for and worked with political and charitable organisations operating in the areas of race inequality/equity.

In her spare time, Aisha plays Netball competitively.

As Inclusion Governor, she leads the Governing Body’s work on DE&I.

After university, Sarah Thomas spent a year in the city as an articled clerk to a Notary Public before concluding she was a born and bred teacher. After a year’s PGCE she started teaching Classics at Sevenoaks School and spent 13 happy years there before moving to Uppingham School for 6 years as Deputy Head.

From 2005-2019, Sarah was the Head of Bryanston School in Dorset which she much enjoyed and is now happily retired in Bath. Her interests remain (the people, young and older) in schools (governing at a school in Bath as well as at St Paul’s) and in education more widely as well, of course, as in her family, friends, and walking the dog.

Lord Vaizey attended St Paul’s School between 1981 and 1985.  He is a qualified barrister who worked in public affairs, before being elected as the Member of Parliament for Wantage.  He served as a Minister under David Cameron, and was responsible for culture, the creative industries, telecoms and technology.  He left the House of Commons in 2019 and was elevated to the House of Lords in 2020, where he serves on the Digital and Communications Select Committee.  He is President of the Old Pauline Club and a board member of Tate.

Chris left St Paul’s in 1978 for Magdalene College Cambridge, where he read Geography and Social & Political Sciences. His early career was in international finance, partly based in Calcutta and New Delhi. Chris left banking before the 2008 Financial Crisis and became the founding CEO of GuarantCo – a financial guarantee company backed by four European governments + Australia, which helps broaden access to finance for essential infrastructure in Africa and Asia.

Chris retired from GuarantCo in 2017 but has a number of interests which keep him busy. He is Chairman of BPL (Holdings) Ltd – the leading Credit and Political Risk Insurance broker, a non-executive director of InfraCredit Nigeria and a member of the Charity Bank Advisory Panel. He has also acted as Senior Advisor to the European Commission for their European Fund for Sustainable Development and to Cardano Development – both connected with the use of guarantees to improve infrastructure investment and deepen capital markets in poorer countries.

Chris is Upper Warden of the Mercers Company and chairs both their Young People & Education Committee and Heritage & Arts Advisory Group.