The Board of Governors

The Board of Governors are the trustees of the charity (290286) and the directors of the company (01844327). The Board of Governors is legally responsible for the overall management and control of the school. Much of the work of the Board is carried out by seven sub-committees:

Finance and General Purposes Committee
Salaries Committee
Safeguarding Committee
Nominations Committee
Education Committee
Bursary Committee
Development Committee
Disciplinary Committee

The Chair of Governors is Ms Clementine Vaughan. She can be contacted via the Clerk to the Governors at the address below.

Any individual who wishes to express an interest in joining the Board should write to the Chair of the Nominations Committee, c/o the Clerk to the Governors at the address below.

The Clerk to the Governors,
St Mary’s School Ascot,
St Mary’s Road,
Ascot.
SL5 9JF

All governors are unpaid volunteers.

Our Governors

Ms Clemmie Vaughan

Chair of Governors

Chair of Nominations Committee
Member of F&GP Committee

Clemmie Vaughan joined the Board in 2015 and is an Ascot Alumna. She became Chair of Governors in 2022. She is the former CEO of the investment management company, Ruffer LLP and is now the Chair of CG Asset Management and a non-executive Director of Wren Sterling.

Mr Chris Beirne

Vice Chair of Governors

Chair of Pensions Committee
Chair of Education Committee
Chair of Disciplinary Committee

Chris Beirne joined the Board in December 2019. Prior to his recent retirement, Chris was Headmaster & Chief Executive of Beaulieu Convent School on Jersey, where he lives with his wife, Sarah. Their daughter Katharine is a former pupil of St Mary’s, having left in 2019.

Ms Annie Casey

Chair of Safeguarding Committee
Member of Education Committee

Annie Casey (formerly Lee) joined the Board in November 2020 after recently retiring from her role as Head of Garden House School, a London prep school. She brings a wealth of education experience through her career working in co-ed, single sex, day, boarding and prep schools.

Mrs Alice Clementi

Chair of F&GP Committee
Member of Bursary Committee
Member of Nominations Committee

Alice Clementi (formerly Stein) is an Ascot Alumna and joined the Board in May 2021. She is a qualified Chartered Accountant and banking executive with a broad range of leadership experience in the financial services industry. Alice is currently working as a freelance consultant and also runs a charity she co-founded, Charterpath, to inspire more finance professionals into volunteering.

Mr Martin Hattrell

Member of F&GP Committee
Member of Pensions Committee
Member of Salaries Committee
Governor with responsibility for oversight of debtors.

Martin Hattrell joined the Board in June 2019. He is married to an Ascot Alumna and their three daughters all attended the school. Prior to retirement Martin was a Partner of Slaughter & May and is now a Director of Wittington Investments Ltd.

Mr Peter McKenna

Member of Pensions Committee
Member of Education Committee

Peter McKenna joined the Board in March 2018. His three daughters, Jacqueleine, Christina and Meredith all attended St Mary’s, with Christina leaving last summer. Peter is based in the United States. He was the Managing Director/CEO of the insurance group, Ryan Speciality Group Europe responsible for the formation and management of RSG’s European Strategy and is now CEO of Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group in the USA.

Ms Susannah Meadway

Chair of Bursary Committee

Susannah Meadway joined the Board in July 2021. She is a Barrister having been in practice in Lincoln’s Inn since 1989. Her daughter Callista McLaughlin is a St Mary’s Alumna, as are her four nieces; her goddaughter is currently in the Upper Sixth.

Mr Angus Neil

Chair of Property and Health & Safety Committee
Member of F&GP Committee

Angus Neil joined the Board in May 2023. He is a Chartered Architect (Retired) who, before his retirement as Managing Partner of Edgington Spink & Hyne, worked with the school on many projects, including the Orchard Centre, The Rose Theatre and the Mary Breen Courtyard.

Ms Alex Polizzi

Member of the Property and Health & Safety Committee

Alex Polizzi joined the Board in June 2023. She is the daughter of and is herself an Ascot Alumna and is also a current parent. Alex has a long history in the hotel and hospitality industry and has also spent 15 years working as a presenter for various television programmes.

Sister Michaela Robinson

Governor with responsibility for Safeguarding
Member of the Safeguarding Committee

Sister Michaela joined the Board in 2013. She first taught at St Mary’s in 1967 in the then junior school and after many years, including 27 as a Head of House, retired from St Mary’s School Ascot in 2012. She now lives in York.

Ms Gillian van Maaren

Chair of Salaries Committee
Member of the Pensions Committee

Gillian van Maaren joined the Board in September 2023. She is a commercial HR professional, non-executive Director and Executive Coach, having spent the last decade in financial services, most recently as a Partner at Ruffer LLP.

Mr James Weaver

Member of F&GP Committee

James Weaver joined the Board in May 2022. He is Managing Director of private wealth management at Goldman Sachs International in London. James has two daughters, both of whom are Alumna of St Mary’s – Alice, who left in 2021, and Rose, who left last summer.

Sr Frances Orchard

Sister Frances, an Ascot Alumna and a former Headmistress of the school (1982 – 1998), has held various senior appointments since leaving St Mary’s including General Secretary of the Catholic Independent Schools’ Conference (1999 – 2002), Vicar General Congregation of Jesus (Rome (2002- – 2011), Provincial Superior of the Congregation of Jesus English province (2012 – 2020), Lead religious for Safeguarding (2021 – 2023) and Director of the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency (2021 – 2023). Sister Frances has been a governor of seven different Catholic AGBIS schools since 1985.