Governing Body and Leadership Team

Obaid Choudhry was a pupil at King Edward’s School before going on to read Natural Sciences at St John’s College in Cambridge.

He is a Director at Rothschild & Co, having joined the firm in 2011, and now advises both public and private clients on a range of corporate finance matters including mergers and acquisitions. Prior to this, Obaid completed his ACA with Deloitte and is a chartered accountant.

He also sits on the Board of the Health Exchange, a community health and well-being focused charity based in Birmingham.

Katherine Coates was a pupil at King Edward VI High School for Girls from 1970 to 1977 and went on to study Jurisprudence at Somerville College, Oxford. She joined Clifford Chance LLP in 1981 where she has spent her entire legal career, becoming a partner in 1990, head of the financial institutions practice in London and of the global insurance practice. She also sat on the firm’s Partnership Council for several years and chaired its audit and risk committee. She advised on a wide range of transactional, regulatory and governance matters for insurers and other financial institutions.

Following her retirement from the partnership in 2021, she remains as a consultant to the firm and has established a portfolio of non-executive director roles. These include chair of risk at Talbot Underwriting Limited, part of the AIG group, chair of risk at Great Lakes Insurance UK Limited, part of the Munich Re group, non-executive director at Phoenix Re Bermuda and non-executive director at UK Endorsement Board (a government arm’s length body responsible for endorsing IFRS for use in the UK). Katherine is also a member of the Council at Imperial College London and sits on its audit and risk committee. She mentors a number of senior employees in commercial and not-for-profit organisations.

She is married to Andrew, a professor in space physics at UCL, and has twin daughters.

Philippa Eddie became a member of the Independent Schools’ Governing Body in 2023. A commercial finance specialist at the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (Cabinet Office), Philippa advises Government departments on projects in the energy, transport, water and digital sectors. She has worked in infrastructure finance for 30 years, as an adviser, lender and principal, with previous roles at HM Treasury, EY, Deutsche Bank/Morgan Grenfell and Morgan Stanley.

As a strong supporter of developing talent, Philippa has been mentoring for 25 years and coaching for five years, and is an ILM Level 7 qualified Executive Coach and Mentor. Her areas of expertise for coaching are financial services, professional services, the civil service and non-executive directors, and she also has a special interest in coaching people who are neurodivergent.

Philippa is a non-executive director on two boards: Regen SW and the EMCC (European Mentoring and Coaching Council).

She has an MA in Engineering and Economics from the University of Cambridge and an MAEd in Applied Linguistics from the Open University.  Philippa is also studying part-time for a PhD at Oxford Brookes Business School.

Chris Hosty was educated at KEHS Edgbaston before obtaining a degree in Mathematics from York University. After completing her PGCE at Nottingham University, Chris taught in Bristol and at Edgbaston High School. Chris joined the Maths department at KEHS in September 1987 and retired in July 2018. She was appointed to the ISGB in March 2020.

Barnaby Lenon taught at Eton for 12 years, was Deputy Head of Highgate School, Headmaster of Trinity School Croydon and Head of Harrow (12 years). He has been a Governor of 22 schools.

Barnaby is Chair of Governors and joint founder of the London Academy of Excellence school in Newham, East London, one of the most successful state schools in England. He is Professor of Education at the University of Buckingham, Chair of the Independent Schools’ Council, a Trustee of the Yellow Submarine charity, and a consultant to the Robertson Foundation which sponsors schools in New York and South Africa (amongst other things). He is a member of the Ofqual standards advisory group.

He has recently published two books, Much Promise: successful schools in England and Other People’s Children: what happens to the academically least successful 50%?

George Marsh was educated at King Edward’s School and the University of Sheffield (civil and structural engineering).

He spent most of his career with construction company Galliford, including 10 years as Chief Executive. He has since been involved as non-executive Chair of a number of construction companies, including leading MBOs and PFI Projects, and has been actively involved in industry affairs for 40 years. A former Chair of Governors and Pro-Chancellor of Coventry University, George has recently served as a trustee of the Engineering Council.

George served in the TA Royal Engineers for 30 years, ultimately commanding the RE Specialist TA as a Colonel and working on projects on the worldwide military estate and is currently a Board Member of the West Midlands Reserve Forces and Cadets Association.

An active Deputy Lieutenant of the West Midlands, George previously served as Vice-Lord Lieutenant and acting Lord-Lieutenant.

Ian Metcalfe, a qualified solicitor, retired as managing partner of international law firm Wragge & Co in 2014 after eight years in post. Prior to managing the business, Ian was a corporate partner at the firm for 14 years, acting for several substantial public and private companies and private equity houses on a wide range of transactions.

Ian now pursues a “portfolio” career, with a range of non-executive appointments, combining his interests in sport and business. Ian is Chair of Commonwealth Games England and a non-executive director of the global waste management and environmental services group TRRG Holdings Ltd, a joint venture between the Dutch Terberg Group and the Spanish Ros Roca Group.

In the public company world, Ian is the senior independent Non-executive Director and Chairman of Remco at Mercia Technologies plc and a Non-executive Director and Chairman of Remco of Arena Events Group plc.

A double rugby blue, Ian represents Cambridge University RUFC on the Council of the Rugby Football Union, having previously served nine years on the Board of the RFU, chaired the Professional Game Board and sat on the Board of ER 2015 Limited, the organising body for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Katherine Coates was a pupil at King Edward VI High School for Girls from 1970 to 1977 and went on to study Jurisprudence at Somerville College, Oxford. She joined Clifford Chance LLP in 1981 where she has spent her entire legal career, becoming a partner in 1990, head of the financial institutions practice in London and of the global insurance practice. She also sat on the firm’s Partnership Council for several years and chaired its audit and risk committee. She advised on a wide range of transactional, regulatory and governance matters for insurers and other financial institutions.

Following her retirement from the partnership in 2021, she remains as a consultant to the firm and has established a portfolio of non-executive director roles. These include chair of risk at Talbot Underwriting Limited, part of the AIG group, chair of risk at Great Lakes Insurance UK Limited, part of the Munich Re group, non-executive director at Phoenix Re Bermuda and non-executive director at UK Endorsement Board (a government arm’s length body responsible for endorsing IFRS for use in the UK). Katherine is also a member of the Council at Imperial College London and sits on its audit and risk committee. She mentors a number of senior employees in commercial and not-for-profit organisations.

She is married to Andrew, a professor in space physics at UCL, and has twin daughters.

Qamar Riaz was born and brought up in central Birmingham. He started his career teaching in a large East London comprehensive in 2001.

Originally a history teacher, he has held leadership roles at middle and senior level since 2003. These roles have all been in areas of significant economic disadvantage in London, the Black Country and the West Midlands.

He was appointed to his first headship in 2016 and has been Headteacher of King Edward VI Handsworth Wood Girls’ Academy, a non-selective school in the King Edward VI Foundation, since September 2019.

He is resolute in his drive to eradicate inequality and promote social mobility.

Currently Qamar is also Chair of a social mobility charity and Trustee at a Multi Academy Trust.

Neil Shastri-Hurst is an Old Edwardian of King Edward’s School, who is dual qualified in Medicine and Law. After graduating from the University of Nottingham, he spent a number of years as a Medical Officer in the Royal Army Medical Corps before specialising in trauma. His most recent medical appointment was as an Honorary Consultant Trauma Co-ordinator for the Major Trauma Service at University Hospitals Birmingham. In addition to his clinical work, Neil was appointed a Medical Member of the Medical Practitioners Tribunal in 2016.

Since 2019, Neil has been a member of No5 Barristers’ Chambers, specialising in healthcare, coronial, and personal injury law. He is a qualified mediator and a member of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority Appeals Committee.

Outside of work, Neil maintains a keen interest in veterans’ affairs. He was appointed a member of the West Midlands Veterans Advisory and Pension Committee by the Minister for Defence People and Veterans in 2021.

Hywel Thomas is Chair of the Foundation Board. He is Emeritus Professor of the Economics of Education, University of Birmingham and was the Director of the Centre for Research in Medical and Dental Education at the University. He was Head of the School of Education for 10 years, from 1993-2003.

His research and writing included studies on resource management in schools (DFE/OECD), the school workforce (DfES), smoking prevention strategies (EU), the career paths of graduates (HEFCE), designing a curriculum for training medical general practitioners (RCGP) and evaluating selection processes for medical speciality training (DH).

Hywel has undertaken work for The World Bank, UNESCO, the British Council and the Department for International Development (DfID). He has been Education Adviser to the British Council and specialist adviser to the OECD.