Governing Body

Robert O’Dowd joined the Rose Theatre in 2011 having previously been Chief Executive of Pontio, a Performance Art and Innovation Centre in Bangor, North Wales. Prior to that, he was Chief Executive of Designs of the Time, a ten-year public engagement with design programme set up by the Design Council. Robert was a founding director of Classic FM and has had a long career in retail, concluding as Buying and Merchandising Director of House of Fraser. His passion is to create and develop sustainable performing arts businesses. Robert is a lifelong rower and lives with his wife in Putney where they brought up their two daughters. He is the Vice-Chairman of Kingston First, a board member of the Kingston Chamber of Commerce where he was President in 2016/17 and a trustee of Creative Youth, a Kingston-based charity.

Dr Na’eem Ahmed BEM FRCR FRCP

Na'eem is a current Governor and Old Kingstonian. 

Na’eem served as an Advisor to the former Chief Executive of NHS England, Sir Simon Stevens and as Director as part of the COVID-19 response where his portfolio of work included workforce safety, supply, and staff Covid-19 vaccinations.

Na’eem is a Consultant Radiologist in London and Former Trustee at Macmillan Cancer Support, Advisor at the Department for International Development, and Advisory Board member for former Mayor of London Boris Johnson’s volunteering initiative Team London.  Na’eem is former Editorial Board member of the Royal College of Physicians’ Clinical Medicine and Future Healthcare Journals. 

Na’eem has written for REFORM, The Guardian, the Health Foundation, Health Services Journal, and Prospect magazine. He is currently a  Health Executive in Residence at the new UCL Global Business School for Health.  Naeem is a former Associate Technology and Public Policy Fellow at the Tony Blair Institute. 

Na’eem has been awarded the Point of Light award by Prime Minister David Cameron and Medallist of the Order of the British Empire for services to volunteering and healthcare in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2019.

As a partner at global law firm Hogan Lovells, Ed Bowyer specialises in employment law and has over 20 years’ experience in advising major household name clients on all aspects of the employment relationship.  He has deep experience in handling complex claims and investigations in discrimination, harassment and bullying and whistleblowing issues. He regularly speaks at employment law seminars and workshops and is part of the Graduate Recruitment team at Hogan Lovells and looks after the relationship with Durham University. Before joining Hogan Lovells in 2007, he was part of the employment law team at Travers Smith, having started as a trainee in 1988.

Ed has a daughter at KGS and has an interest in working with employers and charities on issues relating to mental health. He feels particularly strongly about normalising the conversation around mental health issues in both children and adults.

Ed went to Durham University.  At Durham, Ed played for the 1^st VI Tennis Team for three years, was Captain of Tennis in his last year and was awarded a Full Palatinate.

Catherine Chevallier is a business coach and management consultant, working with organisations to develop their strategy and engage with diverse stakeholder groups. A retail career at Marks & Spencer saw her undertake a number of HR and commercial roles including leading the change programme for the international division to support entry to new markets, the appointment and termination of franchise partners and the redesign of the supply chain. An interim role at the Alzheimer’s Society saw her drive the charity’s strategic plan across multiple projects.

Catherine is passionate about education and the opportunities it brings to transform the lives of young people and she is particularly interested in the role of extra-curricular activities in enriching their experiences. An enthusiastic lover of theatre and live music, Catherine is Chair of Governors at a local state primary school, a Chartered Member of the Institute of Personnel and Development and a Trustee at the suicide prevention charity CALM. All three of Catherine’s children have attended KGS.

Nicholas Cole is a Senior Research Fellow in History at Pembroke College, Oxford, where he runs the Quill Project, a research centre that studies the history and negotiation of constitutional law. He left Kingston Grammar School in 1997, studying Ancient and Modern History (BA) and then Greek and Roman History (MPhil) at University College, Oxford, where he stayed to write his doctorate on ‘The Ancient World in Thomas Jefferson’s America’. Prior to moving to Pembroke College, he held other teaching and research posts in the Oxford University History Faculty and at St Peter’s College, Oxford.  He has also been a Visiting Scholar at the International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello. His work with the Quill Project involves working with several highly varied universities in the USA, including a close collaboration with an open-enrolment university.

As a Governor, he has a particular interest in the evolution of the curriculum and assessments, and in the assistance that the School gives its students as they prepare for university.  Since his own research crosses the boundary between information technology and the humanities, he is especially interested in efforts to prepare all students to use computers more effectively in all areas of study. A member of several school choirs, orchestras as well as the CCF while he was at KGS, he is extremely supportive of the School’s extra-curricular provision.

Liz Dux is Chambers Director at Littleton Chambers, London. A qualified solicitor, she was formerly an equity partner at Russell Jones and Walker where she headed a team investigating high profile historical sexual abuse. Liz is passionate about issues involving safeguarding. Both her sons attended KGS and she is particularly enthusiastic about ensuring that the School stimulates and prepares its male students to perform at their very best academically whilst embracing the fantastic extra-curricular activities on offer.  

After graduating with a degree in Economics and Econometrics, Andy Evans joined Deloitte in 2001 where he is now a partner. He is a Fellow of the ICAEW, Chair of the F&GP Committee at KGS and sits on both the Remuneration and Audit Committee, utilising his many years’ experience of working in finance and risk management. Andy is a keen sportsman, having played 1st XI hockey a t KGS in the 1990s as well as representing Wales at a junior level.

Jatinder Harchowal is currently Chief Pharmacist and Clinical Director at the Royal Marsden Hospital, a world-leading cancer centre. Having qualified in 1991, he is a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and has an MSc in Clinical Pharmacy Practice and a Master’s in Leadership and Quality Improvement. He was previously Chair of Governors at a primary school in North Kingston and joined the KGS Governing Board in December 2018. With a son at KGS, Jatinder is passionate about improving the School’s facilities and creating an environment for children to thrive academically and socially.

One of the first women to graduate from King’s College, Cambridge, Diana was Deputy Head of Oxford High and, until December 2016, Head of The Royal Masonic School for Girls. Chair of the Governors’ Education Committees at Wycombe Abbey and KGS, formerly an ISI Inspector and currently a Quality Assurance Officer for IStip, Diana has been a member of the Schools Panel of the Wolfson Foundation for over 20 years and mentors for the Sutton Trust University Access Scheme. She is passionate about promoting social mobility through education, pastoral care and is also involved in Holocaust education

During his career in Financial Services at Merrill Lynch and latterly at Charles Stanley where he was Head of Investment Management, Peter’s roles have spanned several disciplines, including Finance and Procurement, Risk and Compliance as well as work on Board Governance and Conduct. During a period based in Paris, Peter became a governor of the British Section of the Lycée International in St Germain-en-Laye. At KGS, Peter is a member of the F&GP Committee, the Investment Committee and the International Working Group. He is also a Foundation Trustee at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy Trust in Newham.

With more than 20 years' experience of working across Europe and Asia, Vivek Agarwal has held leadership positions in companies ranging from start-ups to multinationals, with responsibility for finance, strategy and business development. Currently a Senior Manager at Amazon, he is passionate about mentoring and coaching. Vivek also consults for a health tech company, advising them on marketing strategy.

As VP of Strategic Partnerships & Licensing for Makematic, an educational video production company, Beatrijs collaborates with organisations including Crayola, Adobe, Newsela, DK Learning, Oxford University Press and the BBC. Having been involved in acquisition, licensing and distribution for more than twenty years, she has experience of working with companies such as Reuters, Associated Press, RealNetworks, ITN and Shutterstock and is co-founder of the world's largest video library for education, boclips. She was an early advocate of online video and this has now turned into a passion for using video as a tool to engage and empower students in and outside the classroo

Having begun his career at Kingston Grammar School as a Physics teacher, Mark Weatheritt moved to Dulwich College where he was responsible for supporting PGCE students and ECT teachers. Time at Tonbridge School saw him move from Head of Physics to Deputy Head: Teaching and Learning followed by Deputy Head: Academic. Mark is an ISI Inspector and a Governor of St Michael's Prep School in Otford, Kent.  Within his Governing Body role, Mark’s particular interests are curriculum development, social mobility through widening access and how AI can be used in education.