Mrs. S. Coutinho
Chair of Governors
Sam qualified as an accountant in the corporate sector in 1996 and very soon after realised that she was destined to develop her career in the charity and education sectors. For 22 years provided internal audit, external audit, and advisory services to independent schools and now provides finance, risk and governance advice to the education sector as well as a wide range of charities.
In addition to Copthorne, Sam is governor of Woldingham School, a Member of the Ivy Learning Trust, the Chair of Trustees of the Nightingale Cancer Support Centre and a governor of Westlea School which caters for children and young people aged 4-19 with special needs . All these roles give her tremendous insight into the governance and risk challenges facing trustees and governors, and the risks they need to manage.
Her interest in governance and risk has developed over many years and started in 2002 at Crowe UK where she was also a charity and education audit partner. She further developed her interest as Head of Education at Haysmacintyre and qualified with the International Institute of Risk Management in 2019. She is the owner of a Montessori Nursery, has a diploma in Early Years Education and is a trained DSL. Her passion is in education.
Mr. S. Gibbons
Chair of Finance & General Purposes Committee and Estates Committee
Simon is currently the Head of Wealth Management for Fidelity, with over 25 years’ experience within the wealth and management sector, working with corporate, institutional and personal clients both domestically and globally.
He is also a parent of children currently attending Caterham School and Copthorne Prep.
Simon joined the Board in 2020 and Chairs the Finance & General Purposes and Estates Committee (F&GP).
Mrs. A. Fletcher
Governor
Anne is a highly experienced Early Years childcare professional and was the Manager of the Ide Hill Pre-School for some 14 years.
She joined Ide Hill C E Primary School as a Governor in October 2009 with the key focus on Early Years and Transitions. She was appointed Chair of Governors in 2012.
Three of her children attended Caterham School and during that time she was the Chair of the Parents’ Association for three years. Anne is a longstanding member of the Caterham School Foundation and a member of the Copthorne Board of Governors and Education Committee.
Mrs. D. Grimason
Governor
Deborah was brought up in Northern Ireland and was educated in Dungannon High School for Girls Grammar and is a Solicitor of the Supreme Court and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries. Deborah studied English Literature and Philosophy (B.A. Hons) and undertook a conversation law degree and solicitors finals at Christleton Hall Law School. After qualifying in 1987, Deborah has worked as a lawyer mostly in international industry roles, but also in private practice in London. She is currently General Counsel and Company Secretary to the Board of Ceres Power, a UK – based engineering and technology solutions provider, developing clean energy to address climate change and improve air quality.
Deborah is member of Finance and General Purposes Committee and Welfare (F&GP) and the Welfare, Child Protection and Safeguarding Committee (WCPS).
Mr. O. Byrne
Governor
Oliver is an Old Caterhamian and a practising solicitor. After leaving Caterham he studied Politics (B.A. Hons) at the University of Warwick and undertook his legal studies at Nottingham Law School. After qualifying in 2007, he worked for a number of years for various City law firms before moving to in-house legal roles.
He is currently General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of Trident Energy, an exploration and production company with a focus on emerging markets.
He is a member of the Copthorne Board of Governors, member of Finance and General Purposes Committee (F&GP) and the Welfare, Child Protection and Safeguarding Committee (WCPS).
Mrs. P. Jubraj
Governor
Preya studied Business & Computing (BSc) at Aston University and then went on to pursue a career in the Financial Services sector with her graduate position starting out at Accenture as a Management Consultant and supported a number of clients primarily within the Insurance space. Preya had a varied and successful 17 year tenure at Accenture before moving over to Baringa where Preya continues to build on her relationships in the Financial Services sector.
Preya is member of Copthorne Board of the Governors and the Finance and General Purposes Committee (F&GP).
Mr. S. Araniyasundaran
Clerk to the Governors
