Directors and Advisors

John Ashmore MA (Edinburgh) French, has worked in a variety of industry sectors including yoghurts, toys, pet nutrition and premium spirits, where he has held positions in Marketing, Sales and General Management. Currently, he is Marketing Director Europe, Middle-East for Clearwater Seafoods, North America’s largest vertically integrated wild shellfish producer. John is a member of the Fishmongers’ Livery Company.

Alexandra Cornforth, MA (Oxon), M.Litt, rejoined the board on the 1st September and has held several Board and Trustee positions over the course of a thirty-five year career in financial services. She is currently Head of Corporate Governance for a FTSE 250 listed investment trust and is also a non executive director of an investment management company providing ethical investment solutions for charities and individuals.

Rajinder Funnell: BA, English Literature pursued a career in publishing with Hodder and Stoughton from 2001, later became a qualified early years practitioner and is a Montessori teacher, training at the Maria Montessori Institute in London. Since 2014, Rajinder has also been actively fundraising for the Rugby Portobello Trust (RPT) and, in 2022, became a Co- chair for one of their fundraising committees. The RPT is a children’s, youth and family support group, supporting the local community for over 135 years, and helping the youngest members build confidence, expand their horizons and realise their potential.

Deborah Livsey: LLB Hons (Exeter), CEO has had a 15 year career in finance which has taken her from London, to Hong Kong and Japan. She has been a governor responsible for safeguarding at Amesbury, a preparatory school in Hampshire since 2012 and a trustee of Send Family Link, a charity which supports children with a female family member in prison. She joined NMS in 2018 as its Chief Operating Officer and became CEO in July 2020.

Xavier Villers: MA (Oxon.), MSt, ACII (Chairman) Xavier spent his working career in the insurance industry in the City of London, specialising in the marine sector and extreme risks, as well as managing and integrating a number of different businesses. He now holds various non-executive roles in finance, charity, and education. He is a non-executive director of a multi academy trust which runs five primary schools over eight different sites in South London. He also resumed his own education, and recently completed a master‘s degree in historical studies focusing on 17th century English history.

Joanna Copland BA (Hons) QTS, PG Cert Dys, Mont Dip has worked in the independent sector for more than 30 years.  Starting as an early years teacher, she was then Deputy Head of Thomas’s School, Clapham for 14 years before becoming Vice Principal of the Thomas’s Schools group, collaborating with the senior leaders and sharing best practice across the schools.  Most recently she has been Head of Pre-Prep at Fulham School.  Joanna is a member of the Educators’ Livery company and a judge for the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay competition.

Jonathan Cubitt: BA ACA is Bursar of Queen’s Gate School. Previous roles include Business Development Director of Charity HR and Finance Director of The Art Fund, the national art charity. Prior to that, he spent 15 years in accountancy, working for several leading accountancy firms.

Vania Georgeson, BA (Hons), MA, PGCE Vania is a former head teacher with a background in English and Drama,  teaching in both state and independent schools. Under her 14 year headship, The Roche School in SW London became known for academic excellence, strong pastoral care, and a progressive approach to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion. She holds an MA from King’s College London/The Globe Theatre and has directed youth Shakespeare productions, and co-edited The Women Writers Handbook. Vania now runs speech classes for children and advises on parents on school placement and educational choices.

Jane Ritchie: Early Years Professional (CWDC), Cert Ed in Early Childhood Education over 40 years of experience working in Early Years Education. Jane has worked within the independent sector in advisory/management roles to nursery groups, schools, companies and individuals both in the UK and abroad. Her experience includes 9 years at the Alpha Plus Group as Director of Nurseries and Head of Early Years and owner of The Minors Nursery School, London from 1990 to August 2005.

Justin Shaw: MA (Cantab) is a former Director and Deputy Chairman of NMS, and was the company’s Chairman from its foundation in 2004 until 2008. He was also Chairman of Civitas and remains a trustee of the independent social policy think-tank. After receiving a Senior Exhibition in Philosophy at Cambridge, he studied law and was called to the Bar at Lincoln’s Inn. Justin is now a full-time writer. Recent novels include The Illumination of Merton Browne and Ten Weeks in Africa.

Natalie Smith: (Parent Advisor) LLB Hons (London School of Economics) LLM (Queen Mary University). Natalie is a parent of a child at Faraday Prep school and is also a member of the Friends of Faraday ( the School’s parent organisation). Natalie’s professional background is in law. She is a solicitor with extensive experience in both private practice and the civil service, specialising in criminal law and the criminal justice system.

Nisha Vidani: Nisha is a parent of 2 children at Maple Walk and is a successful CFO and Co-Owner of a medium sized business that exports and wholesales British and European FMCG. Nisha is a multi-award winning business executive having been awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade on five occasions and featured in both the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 and International Track 200 as well as reported in JM Morgan’s Top 200 Female- Powered Businesses in both 2022 and 2023.

The Teaching and Learning Committee is the dynamo at the heart of Maple Walk. Its members are education specialists who oversee and drive our ambitious, knowledge-based curriculum.