Nigel Farthing has been a member of the Governing Body since 2008 and a member of the Governors’ Committee since 2009. From 1st January 2025 Nigel took over responsibility as Chair of the Governing Body, having previously served as Vice-Chair. Nigel is a retired solicitor. He is an Old Ipswichian and studied law at Nottingham University. He has experience as a trustee of various public bodies and charitable organisations, including a spell as a non-executive director of Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust.
Anna studied Education and History at Homerton College, Cambridge, and then began her teaching career in inner London. She retired in 2023 having served as Headteacher of two large primary schools and been a founding member and CEO of an Ipswich based Multi Academy Trust. Anna is passionate about the difference access to a high quality education can make for all children, no matter what their needs or starting points. She is a Trustee of a local Alternative Provision Trust, and until recently was Chair of the Teach First National Schools Forum. Anna also worked as a National Leader of Education supporting leaders with their school improvement strategy both locally and nationally. She has a particular interest in leadership development and continues to provide informal support and mentoring for school leaders.
Former Mayor of Ipswich (1998 -1999 and 2013-2014), Hamil joined the governing body in January 2021. He was an Ipswich Borough Councillor from 1990 to 2018. Hamil is one of the founding members of the Ipswich and Suffolk Council for Racial Equality, a Suffolk human rights charity that he currently chairs. He is also chair of the Suffolk Law Centre.
Hamil is passionate about equality of opportunity for all through education, having been Chair and Governor at the Beeches Community Primary School (1997- 2019). He is currently a Board Member of Asset Education multi-academy trust and an ambassador at Suffolk New College. Hamil is a former cricket player, a sport he still keenly follows.
William joined the governing body in March 2017 and became a member of the Governors’ Committee in June 2018. He is an Old Ipswichian and has two children, both of whom have been educated at Ipswich School. He did a degree in Business Administration at Bath University and then qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Arthur Andersen in 1996 in their Cambridge Office. Since 1997 he has been involved in the family retail business, taking over as Managing director in 1998.
A Life Fellow (2007) and former Vice-Master, St Edmund’s College, Cambridge (1983-2007), Geoffrey joined the Governing Body in 2000 and the Academic Committee in June 2018. He has chaired the Campaign Executive for the Music School since 2010, and was President of the Old Ipswichian Club in 2008. Educated at the School from 1949-56, Geoffrey then read Chemistry at the University of Nottingham.
Ordained deacon in 1978 for the service of the RC Diocese of East Anglia, he has chaired the Diocesan Commission for Dialogue and Unity since 1984; Chairman of the Cambridgeshire Ecumenical Council 1990-92, Chairman of Shared Churches (Ely) Limited since 2003 and a member of the Society of Ordained Scientists since 2004.
Geoffrey was Vice-Chair of the Governors of St Bede’s Inter-Church School, Cambridge 2003-2013 and Chairman from 2013. He was a Member of the Governing Council, Cambridge Theological Federation (2007 – 13) and of the Advisory Board, Faraday Institute for Science and Religion. He is also a member of the Academic Board, Spurgeon’s College, London (2014 – to date).
Richard Cooper joined the Governing Body in March 2020 and sits on the Property Strategy Committee. Richard has retired from a career in the agricultural and property sectors. He is an Old Ipswichian and graduated from London University in horticultural science and did his masters in agricultural economics at Cornell University, New York.
Richard was a school governor for a state school in Devon, successfully leading the drive for expansion of teaching accommodation. Richard is Chair of his local parish council and is an active advocate for the support of small rural communities. He is actively involved with Suffolk Community Foundation, having sat on one of their grant giving panels for over 10 years. He now leads the Suffolk Community Foundation’s Suffolk 100 working group. He is a keen conservationist and sails when time allows.
Jane Crame joined the Governing Body in 2015 and was a parent at the School until her son left for university in the summer of the same year. She attended the Colchester County High School for Girls before going up to Leeds University to study Mathematics. She trained as a Chartered Accountant, spending many years in the advertising industry where she became Finance Director of Ogilvy & Mather Ltd.
She joined the teaching profession in 1997, working at Honeywood, Holmwood House and now, Colchester Royal Grammar School. Jane was also Bursar of New Hall School for 7 years.
James Davey joined the Governing Body in March 2017 as the Old Ipswichian Club representative, and became a member of the Academic Committee in June 2018 and the Audit Committee in 2023. He attended Ipswich School from 1966 to 1967. James has a degree in Accountancy and an MBA from the Open University Business School. He has held a number of senior management positions in industry and commerce and currently mentors business owners who want to grow and develop their businesses.
James is married with two children, both of whom attended Ipswich School. James’s daughter was in the first cohort of girls to attend the school from Lower Prep through to Sixth Form. James was Chairman of The Old Ipswichian Club from 2009 to 2012.
Rosemary Gravell has been a governor since January 2011. She has a particular interest in pastoral issues, mental health and safeguarding. She worked in both clinical and managerial roles in the field of acquired brain injury, having undergraduate degrees in Speech & Language Therapy and Psychotherapeutic Counselling, and has written and edited books in the field. She has four sons, all of whom were educated at Ipswich School.
Simon Morris joined the Governing Body in 2022, and from November 2023, has been Chair of the Academic Committee. An Old Ipswichian, he studied Modern and Medieval Languages at the University of Cambridge before embarking on a teaching career firstly at Warwick School and then The Leys School, Cambridge. From 2001-2008 he was Deputy Head at St John’s School, Leatherhead and from 2008-2020 Head of Kingswood School, Bath. He is currently a governor of schools in both the independent and maintained sectors, a trustee of the Derbyshire Diocesan Board of Education and a Senior Leader Appraiser for the Methodist Independent Schools Trust.
Chris joined the Governing Body in December 2016, and the Prep Committee in June 2018. He is a Partner at PwC LLP where he leads the Technology Risk team for their FTSE150 practice. He specialises in advising C-level clients in how to mitigate the risks from implementing and running large scale technology programmes and has worked across a wide range of industry sectors including Technology, Media, Telecoms, Retail & Consumer and Pharma & Life Sciences.
Chris is married and has two children, the youngest of which is at Ipswich School. Outside of work Chris is a keen sportsman and his hobbies include running, cycling and competing in national motorsport as well as photography and music.
Ling joined the Governing Body in December 2022. She was a former student of Ipswich School between 1982-84. During this period, she was a boarder at the school and one of the group of students with parents in Hong Kong. After school, she went on to study Economics at the University of Cambridge and then also qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse in London. A previous President of the Old Ipswichian Club, she worked with its committee to help connect the alumni with the school and in shaping the careers of its students.
Ling is Chief Audit Executive at Rabobank, and has had a career spanning 35 years in audit, finance and investment management. She has established knowledge in managing risks and building sound controls in rapidly-changing environments.
Ling lives in Utrecht in the Netherlands with her husband and dog, has two grown-up children and is a keen traveller. Her interests including skiing, walking and enjoying the food in the Alps in France where she also has a home.
Mark joined the Governing body in 2014 and is currently also a member of the Governors Committee, Prep Committee and The Audit and Risk Committee which he chairs. He has a degree in Accounting and Financial Management and is a qualified Chartered Accountant. He has been a partner since 2010 and has worked in practice for over 30 years, where he specialises in financial services, in particular the insurance sector. Mark is married with three children, all of whom have attended the School from Reception through to Sixth form. Mark is also an active horticulturist and enjoys watching live music.
Emily joined the Governing Body in June 2022 and is a member of the Foundation and Development Committee. Emily was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada where she completed her BA and MA in Psychology and Spanish Translation. Emily moved to Cambridge in 2014 and is now Fellow and Director of Development & Alumni Relations at Jesus College, Cambridge where she is focused on raising funds and encouraging alumni engagement across the broad spectrum of College activity. Emily firmly believes that financial means should never be a barrier to a good education. Outside of work Emily’s interests include yoga, countryside and seaside walks, mental health and wellbeing, and dogs, particularly hers.
Toby re-joined the Governing Body in December 2023 having previously served as a Governor for 5 years between 2015 and 2020. After graduating with First Class Honours from the University of Cambridge, he held academic positions at Cambridge and Durham universities, followed by a series of senior leadership roles in the higher education sector. These included Director of International Strategy at the University of Cambridge, Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Lincoln, and Vice-Chancellor of Fiji National University. Toby is currently a Director of the University of Suffolk, and a Fellow of Clare College Cambridge, where his responsibilities include strategy, communications and advancement. He is also a prize-winning and best-selling author of 14 books which have been translated into 12 languages.
Following his education at Ipswich School, Richard studied History at Cambridge University before winning a scholarship to the Royal College of Music. For over 40 years he has had a career as a tenor soloist in classical music (with the professional name Richard Edgar-Wilson), working with many of the world’s best conductors and orchestras, singing on numerous Oscar-winning films and performing in over thirty countries. Now also a noted singing teacher, he works at King’s College and Christ’s College in Cambridge, at Norwich Cathedral, and extensively with the National Youth Choirs. He writes for various musical publications and is a former Treasurer of the multi-disciplinary British Voice Association. In 2017 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Suffolk.
The son of an Old Ipswichian, his two children were educated at the School, and in 2013 he was President of the Old Ipswichian Club. Richard has been Chairman of the Ipswich School Foundation and Development Committee since 2014 and he is also a member of the Governors’ Committee.
Andrew is an Old Ipswichian who joined the governing body in 2024. Married to a
fellow OI, they have three grown-up children and live in Hampshire, whilst maintaining strong links with Suffolk. Andrew joined the Royal Navy straight from the School’s CCF, studying Earth Sciences at St Edmund Hall, Oxford, before pursuing his career at sea. Serving around the world in ships and helicopters, from the Caribbean to the Far East, he was also posted overseas with NATO, and as the Naval Attaché in Washington DC. Various voluntary roles at home, including 16 (often virtual) years as a Churchwarden, offered welcome balance to a Service career, with an emphasis on management and organisational change.
