Headmaster
Ms Elizabeth Stone brings a wide range of previous experience from both co-educational and single-sex, day and boarding schools in Australia and the UK. Prior to Winchester, she spent nine years as Principal of Queenwood School, Sydney, a leading independent girls’ school with 900 pupils. She was Vice Principal of Cheltenham Ladies’ College from 2012-14 and, immediately before this, she spent three years at Winchester, as a maths teacher and Undermaster.
Elizabeth was educated at Ascham School and has undergraduate degrees from the University of New South Wales, where she studied Maths, German and Law. At Oxford University she studied as a Rhodes Scholar and completed a master’s degree at University College. She worked at the Supreme Court of New South Wales and held an academic appointment at the University of New South Wales Faculty of Law, one of Australia’s leading law schools, where she specialised in commercial contract law before commencing her teaching career.
Second Master
Iain Smith joined Winchester from Oundle School, where he was Deputy Head Academic for six years. He has previously held positions as Head of Science at Charterhouse and at Sherborne School, where he was also Head of Chemistry and a resident House Tutor. He is a Natural Sciences graduate from Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he was president of the college music society and a James Crowden Award Holder. He has been a consultant and principal examiner for Cambridge Assessment since 2008.
Iain is a keen musician; singing tenor and playing the bassoon in several external choirs and ensembles. He very much enjoys being in the outdoors as well: he is a white-water kayaking coach and, if not on the river, can often be found on a drier hillside, on the ski slope or in a cave. In the summer months, when the water is lower, he happily devotes his time to cricket: he is a qualified ECB umpire and, less impartially, has coached ‘A’ teams of all age groups.
Bursar
David joins from Sherborne Schools Group, where he has acted as Bursar and, more recently, as the Group’s Chief Operating Officer, since 2020. In this time, David has been responsible for the successful completion of two mergers and has been integral to the evolution of the Group’s strategic and financial planning in response to an evolving independent school’s market. Prior to his role at Sherborne, David was Director of Planning and Performance at The University of Sussex, with responsibility for all aspects of strategic and business planning, as well as the services supporting the university’s eleven schools of study.
David began his career in hospitality and leisure with Whitbread PLC, working on the expansion of the Costa Coffee brand following its acquisition. His experience of developing and translating strategy into delivery, led to senior strategy roles with the Law Society and the Serious Organised Crime Agency. Following London’s successful bid to host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, David acted as Chief Operating Officer of the UK Sports Council for the Beijing, London and Rio Olympics. David is married to Vicky with two children (at various stages of flying the nest) and a labradoodle called Mollie.
Warden
Sir Richard is a former pupil and former parent. He is Chairman of the JP Morgan Asia Growth and Income Trust; and a Trustee of the Turquoise Mountain Foundation and of the Chevening Estate.
Until 2015, Sir Richard was a British Diplomat. His last two postings were High Commissioner to India and Ambassador to Afghanistan.
Sub-Warden
A former pupil, Andrew is the Senior Independent Director of Intermediate Capital Group plc, and serves on the investment committee of Nuffield College, Oxford.
He was formerly Chairman of Smith & Williamson and of Fauna & Flora International.
Governing Body Safeguarding Lead
A former parent, Alison has been involved in education for over twenty-five years, with experience in both teaching and governance, largely in co-educational state schools.
Before joining Winchester, she was Chair of the Board of Trustees at Perins Multi-Academy Trust in Alresford, where, amongst other roles, she had oversight responsibility for safeguarding, child protection and welfare. Prior to her involvement in the education sector, Alison was an investment banker, and has held various charity trustee roles over the years. She completed her MA in History & German and MSt in Literature & the Arts at Oxford University, and has the Bishop’s permission to preach from the Diocese of Winchester.
Alison is the Governing Body’s Fellow with responsibility for safeguarding and health & safety.
Born in west London, David attended a local comprehensive school and was the first member of his family to do A-Levels or go to university. He graduated from Oxford with a First in Classics.
David was Head of Latymer Upper School from 2012. In September 2023 he took on a new role as Managing Director of Dukes Education. He is committed to advancing social mobility through independent school bursary programmes, in conjunction with their partnership and outreach work.
A former pupil, Brian is the Co-Chief Executive of The Bank of East Asia Limited and serves on the board of several listed companies in Hong Kong. Brian sits on the school’s Audit and Risk Committee. He is also the Chairman of The Hong Kong Friends of Winchester College.
Helen has worked in higher education for almost forty years. She is currently Professor of Higher Education, Learning and Management in Aston Business School and interim Head of the Mathematics in the College of Engineering.
Helen serves on a number of boards, including Ravensbourne University, London; the Society for Research in Higher Education; the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals; the Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, and Navitas UK Holdings Ltd.
Helen was awarded an OBE in 2011 for services to Higher Education, and in 2020 was appointed Vice Lord-Lieutenant of the West Midlands. Helen spent the first 25 years of her life living at Winchester College as her father was a don. She studied English Literature at Newnham College and her PhD was awarded by Birkbeck College, London.
Magnus is a former pupil and Associate Professor in the History Faculty at Cambridge University. His principal research interests are the history of medieval law and political ideas.
Miles was appointed as Warden of New College, Oxford in September 2016. He was Chairman and CEO of Ogilvy and Mather, a leading global communications network and spent much of his career in China and North America. He is Chair of the English Speaking Union.
Laura Sanderson co-leads the Europe, Middle East and India operations of Russell Reynolds Associates, the international leadership advisory consulting firm. Laura specialises in advising on the appointment of chairs, chief executives and non-executive directors to the boards of large companies, both publicly listed and privately owned. She has particular interest and expertise in a range of topics related to leadership: effective governance and individual and team performance and development.
Laura graduated and subsequently achieved her second degree in medieval and renaissance literature at the University of Cambridge. She was a Senior Scholar of Trinity College, and was also awarded a scholarship by the Modern Humanities and Research Association.
Stephen is a former pupil and is now a Lord Justice of Appeal, sitting in the Court of Appeal.
Stephen was called to the Bar in 1985; he was appointed Queen’s Counsel (as it was then) in 2003. For two years (2010-2011), he was Chairman of the Family Law Bar Association. In 2013, he was appointed as a High Court Judge, and sat in the Family Division, the Family Court, the Court of Protection and the Administrative Court of the King’s Bench Division. He was appointed to the Court of Appeal in 2024 and took up his place in 2025. Stephen was sworn as a Privy Counsellor in November 2025. In April 2026, he was appointed to be President of the Family Division and Head of Family Justice for England and Wales. He is a Bencher of Inner Temple.
A former pupil, Richard is a partner at Permira, where he sits on the firm’s Executive and Investment Committees and is a director on a number of portfolio company boards. He is a director of Mercado Libre, Latin America’s leading e-commerce and fintech company, which is listed on NASDAQ. He is Chairman of the Permira Foundation and a Trustee of Career Ready, a social inclusion charity in the UK.
Robert is a former pupil and former parent to two boys at the school. He has held a number of CFO roles in the FTSE 250 and most recently was the Chief Financial Officer of The Crown Estate. Robert is the Chair of the School’s Estate Committee.
Stuart read History at Jesus College, Oxford before qualifying as a Chartered Accountant. After a 37 year career at Deloitte LLP, where he was an Audit and Risk partner, he returned to Jesus College as a Fellow and the Bursar responsible for its finances and endowment. In his eight years there, he was one of the team that oversaw a major property development at the College’s central Oxford site.
Appointed a Governor and member of the Finance Committee of The Pilgrims’ School in 2017, he subsequently became the Vice Chair and played a central role in the merger with Winchester College. Married to Sue, they are former Pilgrims’ parents and both play an active part in the St Cross community.
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