students holding planets

Governors & Staff

Governors

Any correspondence for the Chair of Governors should be addressed to: Mrs Leanne Leigh, Chair of Governors, Channing School, Highgate, London N6 5HF – chairman@channing.co.uk.

Our registered office is Channing School, Highgate, London N6 5HF.

Vacancies

The school also has a vacancy for a Governor who is a Unitarian. If you are a Unitarian and would like to learn more about this role, we invite you to contact us at bursar@channing.co.uk. For additional details, please refer to the job description provided below:

Leanne Leigh BA(Hons) FCA

Leanne Leigh BA(Hons) FCA

Educated at Haberdashers’ Girls’ School, Leanne studied Mathematics and Psychology at Manchester University.

Having originally qualified as a Chartered Accountant and then, more recently, as an Interior Designer, Leanne now runs her own businesses balancing a portfolio career of Strategy Consulting to small and medium-sized companies, and Interior Design for residential projects of varying magnitude. Leanne began her career at PwC, qualifying in 1993. After then spending a number of years in commercial strategy roles including working within the retail sector at both Arcadia Group Plc and Dixons Stores Group Plc, Leanne returned to the world of Practice in the role of Business Consultant, advising companies on their financial planning, strategy, growth, profitability and business development.

Leanne has a keen interest in education and, since 2015, has been a school governor at Haberdashers’ Girls’ and Haberdashers’ Boys’ Schools in Elstree. Prior to this, she was a school governor of St Mary’s CofE High School in Hendon. Chair of Governors.

John Alexander FCA, MA

John Alexander FCA, MA

John is a Chartered Accountant, having been a full-time Insolvency Practitioner and partner with KPMG, PKF and Carter Backer Winter. He continues to act as a business advisor and Non-executive Director. He was a founding member of R3 (the insolvency profession’s trade body) and has been on a number of committees of the ICAEW. Until recently he was on the Financial Reporting Council’s panel of tribunal members which hears major public interest cases against accountants. John has, since retiring from his last accountancy practice, completed a BA and then an MA in History of Art at Birkbeck, part of London University. In additional to other charitable activities, John acts as a guide in Kenwood House. His professional background and History of Art studies lead him to take a particular interest in Channing’s finances and art departments.

Carol Chandler-Thompson

Carol Chandler-Thompson

Educated at the School of St. Helen and St. Katharine, Abingdon and the University of Exeter. Currently Head at Blackheath High School GDST, where she has been the Head since 2014. A historian, Carol started her career at Habs Girls in Elstree and led the History and Politics department at North London Collegiate School before heading to Jeju island in South Korea as Head of the Girls’ School and part of the start-up Leadership Team for North London Collegiate School, Jeju. Holds particular interest in sport and DEI.

Daniel Costley BA

Daniel Costley BA

Trained for Unitarian Ministry at Harris Manchester College, Oxford and called to the Sevenoaks Unitarian congregation in 2010. Secretary and Trustee to the General Baptist Assembly, and Treasurer to the Manchester Academy Trust. Former Policy Advisor at HM Treasury.

Lisa Cristie BA

Lisa Cristie BA

Lisa was educated at Malvern Girls’ College and the University of Bristol. She completed a law conversion course at the College of Law and trained as a solicitor at Simmons & Simmons. After qualifying, she specialised in corporate taxation with a broad transactional and consultancy practice. She moved to HM Treasury where she currently works as a tax policy adviser. Lisa is a current Channing parent.

Rahim Hirji

Rahim Hirji

Rahim was educated at Merchant Taylors School, Loughborough University (Comp/Sci) and Manchester Business School (MBA). He has spent the last 25 years working within technology and start-ups across media and education, founding EtonX, an edtech platform focused on delivering future skills for teenagers. Rahim has worked across Europe, Asia and the Middle East and is currently Country Manager at Quizlet, one of the largest edtech platforms in the world.

Caroline Hulme-McKibbin

Caroline Hulme-McKibbin

Mrs Hulme-Mckibbin was educated at Altrincham Girls’ Grammar School and holds a B.Ed (Hons) from Homerton College, Cambridge, (where she was also a dancer and choreographer for the Cambridge Footlights and the ADC Theatre).

Mrs Hulme-McKibbin has been head of both all girls’ schools and co-ed. She began her teaching career in Manchester, and then moved to The King’s School in Macclesfield, which was opening a new Junior Department and was promoted to Academic Head and Vice-Principal. Following four years as Head of Junior School at Alderley Edge School for Girls, in 2009 Mrs Hulme-McKibbin returned to King’s to become the Principal of the Infant and Junior Division. During her nine years in post she led her team in developing a values led community with an enquiry based learning challenge curriculum, bespoke assessment and tracking systems and achieved two excellent inspection outcomes, the last one in 2015, with no recommendations for improvement.

In September 2018, Mrs Hulme-McKibbin was appointed as Head of Kensington Prep School GDST where she has brought the vision of, ‘Growing great minds’, to life with a focus on nurturing curious, creative, healthy and minds.

In wider educational roles, she was a governor of Bury Grammar Schools serving as Chair of the Education Committee from 2015 until March 2020 and in addition served as Chair of the Associated Independent Junior Schools North West for three years. Mrs Hulme-McKibbin is an active member of GSA and IAPS.

Mrs Hulme-McKibbin and her husband have two daughters, one a medical doctor and the other studying for a Master’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering. She has played and coached netball, enjoys reading, swimming, skiing and maintains a keen interest in theatre and dance.

Dominic Oliver

Dominic Oliver

Educated at the universities of Sheffield and Oxford. Since 2014, Head Master of Lancing College, West Sussex (co-educational boarding and day from 13-18; two day preparatory schools for girls and boys aged 3-12). Previously: Managing Head, Bedales School; Head of English, Malvern College; Lecturer in English, St Peter’s College, Oxford.

 

Punam Peck BA Hons (Cantab), MBA (Oxon)

Punam Peck BA Hons (Cantab), MBA (Oxon)

Punam was educated at Channing School (Deputy Head Girl), Cambridge University (Physics & Management), and Oxford University (MBA). She has spent her career in consulting (Accenture) and in banking, specialising in managing strategic, large-scale and complex regulatory transformation programmes at a range of global investment banks.

Stuart Prior

Stuart Prior

Educated at Malvern College, Worcestershire followed by a Bsc (Hons) in Land Management from Reading University. A practicing Chartered Surveyor, until recently the CEO of the real estate arm of a global Family Office, now acting as a real estate consultant to the same Family Office and a Regional Housing developer.

Anna Rentoul (BA Hons)

Anna Rentoul (BA Hons)

Anna was educated at Lady Eleanor Holles School, Oxford University and the University of Law. She became a partner at City law firm Simmons & Simmons, specialising in employment law, and then moved into education where she worked as a governor on the executive management team at House Schools Group, a group of three independent prep schools in West London. Anna has since returned to the City and currently works in Human Resources as an employee relations specialist with the Royal Bank of Canada. She is the mother of two teenage girls and has a keen interest in theatre and the arts. Anna sits on the Education Committee.

Brigid Rentoul MA

Brigid Rentoul MA

Educated at Cambridge and Yale, Brigid is a corporate finance lawyer, practising both English and NY law. Currently employed at Winton Capital Management Ltd as General Counsel. Former Crafts Council Trustee and Member of the Audit Committee.

William Spears, BA, MBA, FRGS, AFNI

William Spears, BA, MBA, FRGS, AFNI

Educated at Brentwood School (Essex) and the University of London (BA, SOAS and MBA, Bayes Business School). William has a background in marketing and public relations and currently runs his own communications consultancy. He is a descendent of the Reverend Robert Spears, co-founder of Channing School.

Amanda Sutton MB ChB, DRCOG, MRCGP, DFSRH

Amanda Sutton MB ChB, DRCOG, MRCGP, DFSRH

Educated at the University of Bristol, Amanda Sutton is currently a GP partner at a large practice in Muswell Hill. She has nearly 20 years’ of experience as a GP trainer and educationalist with responsibility for training junior doctors in General Practice. Her two daughters both attended Channing School. Amanda is Chair of Education Committee.

Kees Van der Sande MA(Hons) DipArch RIBA RIAS FRSA

Kees Van der Sande MA(Hons) DipArch RIBA RIAS FRSA

Kees was educated at Eltham College, Parsons School of Design in New York, and Edinburgh University. A Chartered Architect since 1999, he is a Director and Trustee of Formation Architects in London, specialising in the restoration and redevelopment of historic buildings. For the previous 5 Years he has also been a Governor for Islington Council’s PRUs advising their estates department and chairing the finance committee.