CHAIR

Bertie Cairns is an educator and has a Masters in organisational psychology. He is currently Deputy Head Academic at Bedales School, and he has been a teacher since 2004. He has taught across the state maintained and independent sector.

Bertie is passionate about progressive education and about improving the system for students.

Vice-Chair

Matthew Parish is a chartered surveyor by profession and he works for the National Health Service (NHS) in England.

Beyond the NHS, Matthew has a lifelong passion for rowing, where resilience, teamwork and commitment are everything.

Vice-Chair

Suzannah Taylor is currently the Executive Director of Development at PA Housing. Throughout her career, Suzannah has worked in the fields of regeneration and affordable housing within local authorities and housing associations.

Suzannah is a member of the Chartered Institute of Housing and holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Housing Studies.

Committee Member

Andy Watt is currently the CFO of Proxymity Ltd, which is a leading digital investor communications platform, backed by a consortium of the world’s largest investment banks. He has spent the whole of his career working for venture-backed, early-stage technology companies, in both New York and London. He lives in London.

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Nivene Powell is the Resident Empowerment Manager at Housing Solutions. With an educational background in social policy, Nivene has dedicated her career to working in the areas of social policy and community engagement.

Her passion lies in creating social value and fostering civic leadership that is led by communities, for communities. Nivene is committed to empowering individuals and ensuring their voices are heard in the decision-making processes that affect their lives.

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Peter McKee is the Vice-Provost of Eton College, with a distinguished background in both mathematics and law. He has held the position of Vice-Provost since September 2021, following an extensive career at Eton that includes roles as House Master, Director of Admissions, and member of the Mathematics Department.

Originally from Belfast and educated in Scotland, Peter completed his law degree at Downing College, Cambridge, and was called to the Bar in 1987. He later transitioned to a career in education, specialising in mathematics and sports coaching. He began teaching at Sherborne in Dorset before joining Eton in 1994.

In addition to his roles at Eton, Peter chairs the Eton Star Partnership Board, underscoring his commitment to broadening educational opportunities and supporting initiatives that extend beyond the traditional school environment.

Company Secretary

After graduating from the University of Birmingham, Devan has primarily worked in social housing. He holds a degree Town Planning and Public Policy Making and Administration.

In the early stages of his professional career, Devan worked for the Housing Association Charitable Trust. More recently, he served as the Chief Executive of both the Tamil Committee Housing Association and the Teachers Housing Association before assuming the role of Company Secretary at OEHA.