MCS Governing Body

Jeremy Palmer.

Educated at Magdalen College (MA). Elected Chairman of Governors 2007. Jeremy Palmer has 25 years' experience in financial services, holding senior management positions in private and investment banking in both Asia and Europe. Previously worked for Salomon Brothers, JP Morgan and Barings. CEO at UBS Investment Bank Europe, Middle East and Africa. Appointed partner in investment firm, 2008.

Sir Jonathan Baker.

Educated at St Albans School and St John's College, Cambridge (Law). Governor since 2005 and Vice-Chairman since 2007. He was called to the Bar in 1978 and was in practice for 30 years, specialising in family law; became a Queen's Counsel in 2001. He has recently been appointed a High Court Judge, assigned to the Family Division. He is married with a son (James, educated at MCS) and a daughter.

Dr Michael Allingham.

MA, PhD (Edinburgh), MA (Oxon). Emeritus fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was a Tutorial Fellow in Economics (1993-2009). During this period he acted, inter alia, as Senior Tutor, Clerk to the College, Tutor for Admissions, and Dean. Previously Professor of Economic Theory at the University of Kent, and Lecturer at the London School of Economics and Bristol University. He has written various books and publications in the field of economics.

Penelope Cameron Watt.

Educated at Oxford University (MA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics). CELTA diploma. Worked for 15 years in stockbroking and investment management, finishing as Investment Director of Indosuez Asia Investment Services in Hong Kong (a subsidiary of Banque Indosuez). Retrained as a teacher of Business English and now runs own business, Oxford School of Business English Ltd, which specialises in training executives.

Sue Cunningham.

Director of Development for the University of Oxford. Previously (for 5 years) at Christ Church, where she ran a £30m campaign and established an Annual Fund. Now heads up a team of over 80 fundraising professionals working in collaboration with the Colleges on the Campaign for the University of Oxford, a £1.25 billion campaign to raise funds to secure the future of the University. Her career spans cultural and educational organisations and has included setting up the first fundraising department for the National Museums and Galleries of Wales and running the Department of External Relations for the University of St Andrews. She has also provided training for CASE Europe on numerous occasions, and is a parent governor at MCS.

Tim Knowles.

Educated at Oxford University (MA in Modern History). He is a parent governor, elected by the members of the Parents' Association. Bursar of Lincoln College, Oxford, since 2000. Currently Vice-Chairman of the inter-collegiate Estates Bursars' Committee, and serves on a number of inter-collegiate and University committees. Experience of financial management, accounting, investments, the management of building projects and operational management in a higher educational establishment. Before coming to Oxford in 2000, he spent 17 years as an investment manager in the City, working for Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, and Robert Fleming, and managing international equity and bond portfolios for governments, pension funds, and investment trusts.

John Martin.

Old Waynflete. Educated at St Edmund Hall, Oxford (BA), awarded Cricket and Hockey Blues. Played professional cricket for Somerset (1965 and 1966). Master i/c Rugby and Hockey, Head of Geography, Housemaster, Senior Master, Second Master at Wellington College (1966-2002). Teacher at Melbourne GS, Australia (1983-1984).

Farhan Nizami, CBE.

DPhil (Oxon). Prince of Wales Fellow, Magdalen College, Oxford, and Founder Director of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies. Member of the History Faculty, Oxford University. Emeritus Fellow of St Cross College. Founder Editor of the Journal of Islamic Studies (OUP, 1990-); Series Editor of Makers of Islamic Civilisation (OUP, 2004-). Specialises in Muslim social and intellectual history. Member, Council of Wilton Park; Academic Committee, Cumberland Lodge; Advisory Board, Duke University's DISC; Christian Muslim Forum, Lambeth Palace.

The Revd Dr Michael Piret.

Educated at the State University of New York (BA), University of Oxford (MLitt and MA), and University of Michigan (PhD). Dean of Divinity and an Official Fellow of Magdalen College since 1994. Previously Assistant Curate at St Andrew's Cathedral, Inverness. Before ordination, he taught English as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University of Michigan, while researching a PhD on Charles Dickens and Religion. He came to the UK as a graduate student at Merton College, Oxford. In 1998 he became Fulford Junior Research Fellow at St Anne's College, where he finished a thesis on George Herbert and Rhetoric. He was sponsored as an ordinand by the Diocese of Oxford, and, after training at Edinburgh Theological College, was ordained deacon (1992) and priest (1993) in Inverness Cathedral.

Neil Record.

Educated at Balliol College, Oxford, Essex University, and University College, London. Economist in the Economic Intelligence Department of the Bank of England from 1983. Later founded Record plc, a currency risk and asset manager, now quoted on the London Stock Exchange. Publications include Currency Overlay (Wiley, 2003), Sir Humphrey's Legacy (IEA, 2006), and Public Sector Pensions: The UK's Second National Debt (Policy Exchange, 2009). Trustee of the Institute of Economic Affairs and Visiting Fellow of Nuffield College, Oxford.

Dr Nigel Richardson.

Holds a history degree from Cambridge, a PGCE from Bristol, and a doctorate in the History of Public Health from UCL. Head of Perse School, Cambridge (1994-2008), previously Second Master at Uppingham, Head of the Dragon School, Oxford, and Deputy Head of The King's School, Macclesfield. Appraiser of Heads and teachers, governor of several HMC schools, Editor of the HMC magazine Conference and Common Room (1999-2002). Author of history books for children and training literature for the Industrial Society. Chairman of HMC in 2007.

Professor J.A.C. Smith.

Professor of Plant Sciences at the University of Oxford and a Tutorial Fellow of Magdalen College. He took his first degree in Natural Sciences in Cambridge, followed by a PhD in Glasgow, a period of postdoctoral research in Germany, and a university lectureship in Edinburgh. He took up his current post in Oxford in 1990. He has held a number of administrative posts in Oxford in the last 15 years, including those of Senior Dean, Senior Tutor and Admissions Tutor at the College, as well as Chair of the University's Teaching Committee in Biological Sciences and Chair of Examiners.

Professor Brian Sutton.

Educated at Oxford University (MA in Chemistry, PhD in X-ray crystallography). Held Royal Society University Research Fellowship at Oxford University (Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics). Currently Professor of Molecular Biophysics at King's College, London, based at the Guy's Hospital Campus. Leader of a research group investigating the molecular mechanisms of allergic disease, with a particular interest in asthma, and involved in the development of a new therapeutic agent. Leads one of the research programmes within the Medical Research Council and Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma, and has considerable experience of collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry. Teaches undergraduates on Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences BSc programmes, pre-clinical medical and dental students, and postgraduate courses at King's and elsewhere. A frequent visitor to schools, giving talks to sixth form students and science societies, he has recently set up a collaborative research project with St Paul's School, London. He first joined the Governing Body of MCS as a parent governor (serving for 6 years); his two sons attended the school. His wife has taught in several local schools and is currently Senior Vice-Principal at a secondary school.

Sir Michael Wheeler-Booth.

Educated at Magdalen College (Exhibitioner, MA). Clerk at House of Lords 1960-1990, Clerk of the Parliaments and accounting officer 1991-1997. Since retiring, Lecturer at Magdalen College in Politics 1991-2009, Member of various Government commissions including Welsh devolution.

The Revd Canon Keith Wilkinson.

Educated at University of Hull (BA), English/Theology; Emmanuel College, Cambridge (MA), Westcott House. FRSA (1980). Conduct and Senior Chaplain, Eton College (since 2008). Previously Headmaster, King's School, Canterbury (1996-2007); Headmaster, Berkhamsted School, Hertfordshire (1989-1996); Senior Chaplain and Senior Tutor, Malvern College, Worcestershire (1985-1989); Assistant Master and Chaplain, Eton College (1979-1985); Parish Priest, St Jude, Peterborough (1976-1979); Assistant Regional Director of the Samaritans (1974-1977); Head of Humanities, Kelvin Hall Senior High School, Hull (1972-1974); Head of Religious Studies, Bricknell Technical Grammar School, Hull (1970-1972). Canon of Canterbury (1996-2007), Canon Emeritus (2007-present).