Governing Body

Andrew McGregor

Chair of Governors

Following school at University College School, Hampstead, Andrew read Classics at Pembroke College, Cambridge. He began his teaching career at Brentwood School before joining Harrow School in 1987, where he taught for three decades. He was House Master of The Head Master’s before his appointment to Harrow’s Senior Management Team in September 2012. As Senior Tutor, he oversaw Safeguarding and Child Protection as well as other areas of pastoral care and pupil welfare. Andrew takes a keen interest in all forms of sport. He is a published playwright with a love of musical theatre and sings with Chelmsford Cathedral Choir. Andrew is Governor at two other leading prep schools and sits as a Magistrate in NW London. He joined the Board in 2019.

Kate Pryke

Deputy Chair of Governors, Chair of Pastoral Committee

Kate read Geography at Hertford College, Oxford, before qualifying as a solicitor with Stephenson Harwood in London, specialising in trusts and estates.  After having children, she spent ten years as a Governor at Saffron Walden County High School, the last few years as Deputy Chair, and also sat as a trustee on their charitable trust.  Kate has three children who attended OBH between 2009 and 2019.

Kate joined the Board of Governors at Old Buckenham Hall in 2015.

Penny Calnan

Parent Governor, Marketing

Penny grew up in Essex and attended Bishop’s Stortford College.  After leaving school Penny worked in US equity sales for 12 years before moving into organising financial roadshows for Media Tree and then to Apax Partners as Head of Events and Corporate Partnerships.

Penny now runs her own logistics company and combines this with working for her family’s tourist attraction, Mountfitchet Castle.

Penny and her husband moved to Suffolk from London and in her spare time enjoys playing the piano, gardening and spending time with her family.

Penny is a current parent with a son in Pre-Prep and joined the Board in 2019.

Adam Dixon-Smith

Finance & General Purposes Committee

An OBH Old Boy and father to four OBH boys, Adam has spent almost half of his life involved with the School at some level. Beyond OBH, he attended Oundle School, studied Business at London Guildhall University before spending 15 years working in advertising and media, finishing his ‘corporate’ career as Brand Director at Sky TV. Since 2005 he has followed a more entrepreneurial direction, getting in (and out) of adventure travel, working as a consultant and now spending his time operating two wedding venues and being heavily involved in various development schemes.

Adam is married to Anna, an artist who taught art at OBH.

He joined the Board in 2013.

Camilla Ewart

Parent Governor, Finance & General Purposes Committee

Camilla studied Agricultural Business Management at Wye College, before spending 10 years in Institutional Equity Sales, covering the US stock market. Camilla then became a Freight Derivatives broker at GFI Group, before a return to education to study Law. Camilla practised briefly as a barrister, specialising in the financial element of family law. The arrival of her second daughter brought a change of focus, resulting in a family move back to Suffolk. Prior to having children, Camilla was an enthusiastic point to point jockey, and more recently has enjoyed trialling and working her cocker spaniels. Both daughters are keen members of the Essex & Suffolk Pony Club.

Camilla joined the Board in 2019.

Nicola Harrison

Parent Governor, Education Committee

Following school at St Leonards-Mayfield, Nicola read Economics & Politics at the London School of Economics. She began her career in the City as a Reinsurance Broker at Greig Fester before joining Deutsche Bank as a Director in the Global Markets Investment Banking Division in 2000 where she set up a reinsurance market sales team. Subsequently, she was appointed Managing Director, Head of North European Sales.

On her retirement in 2009, she became a full-time mother to her four young sons.

Nicola enjoys keeping fit, playing tennis and skiing,. She also takes a keen interest in her boys’ various pursuits.

Nicola joined the Board in 2016.

Sarah Kerr-Dineen

Following a primary education under her headmaster father, Sarah was educated at Steyning Grammar School in West Sussex from which she went on to read English at Trinity College, Cambridge, and to study for a DPhil at Christ Church College, Oxford.   Her husband’s career as a Director of Music took the family to Kelly College, Tavistock, and St Edward’s Oxford, with Sarah teaching alongside for the Open University and then in schools.  She was Assistant Head of English at Oxford High School, the inaugural Housemistress of a new girls’ Boarding House at St Edward’s and finally Director of Studies, before being appointed Warden of Forest School, London, in 2009.  Sarah was appointed Head of Oundle School in 2015.

Sarah and her husband have four children and a growing posse of grandchildren. She joined the Board in 2017.

Duncan Liddell

Chair of Governance, Parent Governor

After a Scottish education at Glenalmond College, Duncan read Jurisprudence at Balliol College, Oxford.  He is a partner at Ashurst LLP, the international law firm, and advises large companies on a range of board level matters including mergers and acquisitions, regulatory investigations, and regulatory litigation.  He was previously in-house counsel at Sky.  Duncan loves participating and watching sports of all kinds.

Duncan joined the Board in 2015.

Innes MacAskill

Health & Safety Governor

Innes attended Bedford School and then qualified with a teaching degree from the University of London. Following a probationary year in the State Sector, in 1981 he moved to Caldicott School, Buckinghamshire, where he spent 17 years and rose to Deputy Headmaster. Thereafter he was appointed Head of Beeston Hall, Norfolk, where his long association with OBH began. He moved to Belhaven Hill Prep School as Head in 2009, before retiring to Oxfordshire in 2016. Throughout his teaching career Innes was a keen sports coach, enjoying much success on the rugby field, while also an enthusiastic supporter of The Arts. Innes has also served as a Governor at a major Public School for 7 years, and sits on another Prep School’s Advisory Board.

Innes joined the Board at OBH in 2017.

Louise Martin

Finance & General Purposes Committee, Safeguarding Governor

Louise was educated at Wycombe Abbey and went on to read Modern Languages at Christ Church College, Oxford. From there she moved to London, working in investment services, initially with AHL, which then became part of the Man Group. After moving to Suffolk to be nearer her husband’s work, she took time out to bring up her son, but has worked part time for her husband’s family engineering firm ever since. Louise’s interests lie in food and drink and she has a diploma in wine from Wine & Spirit Education Trust in London. Her main activities are sailing, skiing and reading, particularly history.

Louise joined the Board in 2016.

Wendy Meadows-Smith

Pastoral Committee

Having been a boarder at Queenswood School, Hertfordshire, Wendy studied Sports Science with Management at Loughborough University. Early in her teaching career she taught Mathematics at two local Secondary Schools before returning to Queenswood School to take up the post of Housemistress in her former House. Wendy is now in her third year as Housemistress at Wycombe Abbey School, running one of the senior Houses. In her free time, she coaches athletics, having herself represented Great Britain at Junior level in High Jump.

Wendy grew up in Suffolk and, when not running her House, is based at her home near Bury St Edmunds.

Wendy joined the Board in 2018.

Christopher Minter

Chair of Finance & General Purposes Committee

After Berkhamsted School, Chris read Law and History at Peterhouse College, Cambridge. Subsequently he spent much of his career in banking and has lived in the Czech Republic, Germany and Switzerland. Currently he manages a USD 3 billion fund for a global insurer where he also has responsibility for mergers and acquisitions.

Chris lives in Suffolk with his wife and two children, both of whom attended OBH. He is a Master of the Suffolk Hunt. He joined the Board in 2015.

Nick Page

Chair of Education Commitee

Nick grew up in Suffolk and was educated at Ipswich School, before moving to Nottingham University to study French, Russian and Spanish. Having completed his PGCE at Queens’ College, Cambridge, he began his teaching career at Harrow School. Nick fulfilled a number of roles at Harrow, including, Head of Modern Languages, Commanding Officer of the Harrow Rifle Corps and Senior Head of Subject, as well as remaining heavily involved in the School’s co-curricular life, in particular coaching rugby, football and polo. In 2014 Nick was appointed to Harrow’s Senior Management Team with responsibility for the day-to-day academic running of the school and with oversight of all matters relating to Higher Education. In 2017, Nick moved to Westminster School, where he is Deputy Head (Co-curricular) and Director of Communications.

In his own time, Nick is to be found either in Suffolk, where he lives when not at work in London, or on a running track or ski piste. Nick enjoys travel, reading, the theatre and learning new languages. He joined the Board in 2014.

James Quick

Education Committee, Boarding Governor

James spent his childhood growing up in boarding schools as his father was a public school Headmaster. After attending Rendcomb College near Cirencester, he read Economic History at the University of Durham before completing his Post Graduate Certificate of Education at the same university.

James spent the first four years of his teaching career at St Edward’s Oxford, before moving to the Dragon School, where he ran a junior house with his wife, who was already on the staff there.  James returned to St Edward’s in 1991 and was a Housemaster there from 1992 until 2003 (with a spell at Geelong College, Australia, on exchange in 2000-2001). In 2003 he and his wife moved to lead Gresham’s Prep School which they did until 2018.

James has taught History, Politics and Religious Studies during his career and has enjoyed coaching a variety of sports to children who play them as badly as he does. He has run 11 marathons with a best time of 2 hours 51 minutes.

He has four grown-up daughters and lives in North Norfolk. James joined the Board in 2020.