Board of Governors

The Chair of Governors can be contacted through the Clerk to the Governors, Steve Douty by email to sdo@reigategrammar.org or the via the main Reigate Grammar School telephone number 01737 222231

Mr Mark Elsey

Chairman

Educated at Reigate Grammar School and King’s College London, Mr Elsey attended Chancery Lane Law School before joining Cameron Markby as a trainee solicitor. Mr Elsey is now a Partner at Ashurst where he heads up the Energy, Transport and Infrastructure sector.

Mr Elsey’s son and daughter both attended Reigate Grammar School. Mr Elsey’s family connections with the school are extensive: Mr Elsey met his wife, Mrs Jacqueline Elsey, while at RGS; his father and father in law both attended the school.

Mr Elsey is a member of Old Reigatian RFC and of Reigate Heath Golf Club. Charity work includes his role as Board member, Great Ormond Street Hospital Raising the Roof Charity and Chairman of the RGS London Professional Group, in support of the RGS Foundation raising funds towards ‘needs blind’ entry to RGS.

Mark joined the Board of Governors of Reigate Grammar School in 2012.

Dr Shrilla Banerjee

Mother of two, Interventional Cardiologist Dr Banerjee was educated at Sutton High School before attending Birmingham University Medical School.

In her current position as a Consultant Cardiologist at East Surrey Hospital, Dr Banerjee is the Lead for Education, responsible for the training and supervision of cardiology trainees, and runs the Cardiology Education programme. She is also the NHS Ambassador for Education and involved in the work experience programme for schools.

Dr Banerjee has just completed a three-year elected position on the Education Committee of the British Cardiovascular Society, having previously been Women’s Officer for four years. She has been elected to the Council of the British Cardiovascular Interventional Society (BCIS) and asked to Chair a focus group on Women in Interventional Cardiology in the UK, looking at how the society can attract more women into Interventional Cardiology, support existing female trainees and Consultants and ensure excellent representation and visibility of women in the field.

Outside her medical career, Dr Banerjee enjoys her two children and family. She has recently completed an evening course in painting techniques at a local Higher Education College. She enjoys keeping fit and endeavours to run 5kms regularly in addition to a daily yoga practice.

Mr Marc Benton

Educated at Reigate Grammar School (1982 – 1990) and the University of Birmingham studying Commerce and French followed by a Masters of European Business at L’Ecole Superieure de Commerce de Clermont Ferrand in France.

In 1995, Marc entered oil and gas investment banking and joined Kleinwort Benson as a Graduate Trainee based in London and then Moscow. In 1998, Marc joined Salomon Brothers/Citigroup in a similar role in London before relocating to Hong Kong in 2004. Marc returned to the UK to live in Reigate in 2014 to take up a new role as Managing Director, Head of EMEA Oil & Gas Investment Banking at Deutsche Bank. Following his departure from investment banking in 2018, Marc joined the UK Oil & Gas Authority in a new investor finance role covering both oil and gas investment in the UK along with ensuring sufficient investment into the energy transition and net zero 2050 sectors.

Marc is married with two children, one of which left RGS in 2020 and one who is currently at RGS. His interests include travel and golf.

Marc joined the Board of Governors of Reigate Grammar School in 2015 and is also a member of the Finance and Foundation Committee. In 2017, when RGS partnered with Chinthurst School, Marc, a former Chinthurst student, also took over the role as Chair of the Chinthurst Board of Governors in addition to his responsibilities on the RGS board until the Boards merged in 2019.

Mr Colin Cobain

Chairman of Finance and Foundation Committee

Mr Cobain’s career has concentrated on leading business change through the application of technology for major UK and global companies, including Tesco, Kingfisher and SABMiller. In addition, Mr Cobain has held the position of Non-Exec Director for HMRC and Non-Exec Chairman for Safe Patient Systems. He was also a Partner at Oliver Wyman, a leading management consultancy.

Colin’s interests include sports, the theatre and travel. Mr Cobain’s daughters both attended RGS.
Colin joined the Board of Reigate Grammar School in 2014.

Mr Dave Cole

Dave was educated at Reigate Grammar School after which he read Law at the University of Exeter. It seemed unlikely that becoming a primary school teacher was ‘on the cards’ but after a chance visit to a local primary school, Dave embarked on a teaching career and he has never looked back.

Dave is passionate about the education of the whole child and the importance that a ‘values education’ plays in shaping well rounded independent learners, who are ready and able to meet the demands of the 21st century head-on and with confidence. Dave’s passion and particular area of interest is coaching and the power this has to transform organisational culture.

Since 2003, his involvement in, and commitment to education, has seen him hold a variety of leadership roles: Headteacher Coach, Leadership Trainer, School Improvement Partner (Surrey, West Sussex, Brighton and Hove), Support Tutor for the Surrey South Farnham, School-Centred Initial Teaching Training Program along with three primary school headships. Dave now enjoys his current role as an author and an independent Education Consultant and Leadership Coach.

Dave is married with three boys.

Dave joined the Board of Governors of Reigate Grammar School in 2016

Mr Brian Day

Chairman of Estates and Premises Committee and Health and Safety Governor

Educated at the University of Strathclyde, School of Architecture, Mr Day won a Glasgow Institute of Architect’s Student Prize in 1973.

Brian was responsible for many key projects over the years including: Executive Project Manager for the Goldman Sachs European HQ (“Peterborough Court”) on the site of the old Daily Telegraph; Director for the West India Quay development – a joint venture project with Marriott and Manhattan Loft Corporation in Canary Wharf; Director of the award-winning Radisson hotel in Glasgow, and adviser to the LSE on student accommodation and teaching projects. More recently, Brian was Director of the redevelopment of the Grade 1 listed St Pancras Chambers into a Renaissance hotel and private apartments. He has been a key figure in the development of some of the most exciting architectural projects the UK has seen in the last thirty years.

He is married with one son who attended RSM. His interests include photography and painting.

Brian Day joined the Board of Governors of Reigate Grammar School in 2015 and is also a member of the Estates and Premises Committee.

Mr Chris Dixon

A former Chinthurst Governor, Chris joined the RGS Board of Governors in March 2017.

Chris was educated at Malvern College, Worcestershire. Chris then went on to study a combined honours degree in Economics and Geography at Exeter University and then went to Exeter Law School where he achieved a Diploma in Law and LPC.

Chris is a solicitor with a specialism in commercial and residential property. Chris climbed up the ranks at Ashurst, initially a trainee, then an Associate and onto Senior Associate. After several years at Rawlinson Butler, he is now a partner at Bowles & Co in Epsom.

Chris is married with two children, both formerly at Chinthurst and now both at Epsom College.

Mrs Mary Edmunds

Strategic HR, International Development, Education and Welfare

Educated in the US with global experience in business transformation, human resources and strategy, Mrs Edmunds arrived at Reigate Grammar School with a global perspective. Mrs Edmunds is a Senior Managing Director for Hines Real Estate. She studied Economics and Psychology at Vanderbilt University in the United States and her Master’s of Business at Exeter University, UK.

Mrs. Edmunds has worked in business education with Harvard University since 2014 to deliver leadership programmes for a sovereign wealth fund in the Middle East. Having seen education from a global perspective and taking a deep interest in the future of Reigate Grammar School, Mary joined the Board of Governors of Reigate Grammar School in 2018 with a focus on strategy, people and growth.

Mrs Edmunds is married with two daughters, one of which is a graduate of Reigate Grammar School and the other a current student.

Mr Luke Herbert

Chairman of Education and Welfare Committee and Child Protection and Safeguarding Governor

Educated at Cheltenham Grammar School before completing a BSc at Imperial College, a MB BS at University of London and, latterly, a FRCOphth at Royal College of Ophthalmologists, London. Mr Herbert is a Consultant Retinal Surgeon and has held the roles of Lead Clinician Opthalmology and Audit Lead Ophthalmology for Surrey and Sussex Health NHS Trust with papers published in the British Medical Journal and specialised medical journals including Retna.

Interests include playing the flute, guitar, trumpet and saxophone. Mr Herbert is married with three daughters. One of whom previously attended RGS, and two of whom are current RGS students.

Mrs Maxine Hulme

Former Chair of Governors at Chinthurst School, Maxine joined the RGS board after the partnership between the RGS and Chinthurst was announced in March 2017. Maxine remains a Chinthurst Governor responsible for Health & Safety and School Development.

In her professional life, Maxine worked as Deputy Assistant Commissioner in the Metropolitan Police Service serving as both Transformation Director and Central Operations lead. As recognition for her services to policing, Maxine was awarded the Queen’s Policing Medal in 2014 for outstanding services to policing. Maxine has recently retired from policing and has set up her own company MMJH Ltd. which sees her promoting exceptional leadership through public speaking, transformation and consultancy roles.

Maxine is married with a son who previously attended Chinthurst School and is now a student at RGS.

Miss Lisa Page

Child Protection and Safeguarding

Educated at Kingston University, Lisa was awarded a Commendation in her MA, Management Studies. Initially starting off in education as a primary school support teacher at All Saints Benhilton and St Dunstan’s Primary Schools, Lisa subsequently moved her career into management roles within the Health Sector.

Lisa worked for Great Ormond Street Hospital as an inpatient service manager and pathway manager, before moving onto local charity, The Children’s Trust, in Tadworth where she was responsible for business development and strategic direction of UK and International Private Services. In January 2016, Lisa also assumed the responsibility of Service Manager for the Royal Marsden Hospital. As part of the senior leadership team she is responsible for the operational management of all services within the Private Care division across London and Surrey.

Outside of work, Lisa enjoys an active lifestyle and likes to travel. Lisa joined the RGS board of governors in March 2017 and is also responsible for Safeguarding (child protection), the Pre-Prep and the EYFS on the Chinthurst Board of Governors.

Mr Nicholas Weber

Nick Weber holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University. All five of his children have been educated at Reigate Grammar School.

Nick is the Founder and CEO of Henderson Park, a c.60 person real estate investment firm focused on the UK and Continental Europe. Henderson Park manages $3.5 billion of investor equity, and to date has invested over $10 billion in building a portfolio of real estate assets across Europe.

Prior to founding Henderson Park, Nick was a founding partner at Mount Kellett, an $8 billion multi-asset class investment platform, and ran its European operations from 2008 to 2015. Before joining Mount Kellett, Nick spent 15 years at Goldman Sachs, becoming a partner in 2006.

Nick joined the Board of Governors of Reigate Grammar School in 2018.

Mr Ed Wheeler

Educated at Douai School, Reading and the former Polytechnic of the South Bank, London, Ed is a practicing Chartered Quantity Surveyor with over 35 years experience in the estimating, procurement and management of UK construction projects for major commercial, institutional, governmental and private clients, often working in tandem with world renowned design teams. He has chaired his practice since 1997 and is responsible for all professional and technical activities, administration and regulation.

Ed is married with two sons, both of whom attended Reigate St. Mary’s and Reigate Grammar School. His interests include rugby, golf, cricket, sports photography and travel.

Ed joined the Board of Governors at Reigate Grammar School in 2021 and is also a member of the Estates and Premises Committee.