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OR Board & Committees
OR Board
The OR Board comprises of the OR President (Chairman), Chairs of each OR Committee (see below), the Head, the Bursar, a Teacher Representative, Development Office Representatives and OR Sixth Form Prefects (see biographies of current OR Board members below).
Working closely with the Development Office team, the aims of the OR Board are:
- to strengthen the focus around growing the OR network to provide wider impact amongst our community;
- to align with the School values especially 'building a community for life'; and
- to continue to find ways to support the Reed’s Foundation through a range of fundraising and other initiatives.
OR Committees
Currently, there are five OR Committees representing The Arts, Sports, Heritage, The Foundation and Professional Networking. We also have a special 1950/60s Liaison representative. The aim of these Committees is to continue to build an inclusive and dynamic collaboration between the OR and School communities through networking, communication and fundraising for the mutual benefit of all. Should you be interested in joining a Committee, please contact Sharmaine.
OR Constitution
The OR Constitution is currently being updated based on the new OR Board/Committee structure. Should you have any queries, please contact Sharmaine.
Past OR Presidents
Click here to view a list of the Past Presidents of both the Old Watfordians' Association and the Old Reedonians to whom we are most grateful for their time and commitment.
Profiles of current OR Board members
Jonathan Price (Mullens 1983), OR President & Chairman, OR Board & Governor, Reed's School
Jonathan Price joined the Board of Governors in September 2023 and, as an Old Reedonian, also holds the position of OR President & Chairman, overseeing the strong link between the School and its alumni.
Jonathan’s career started as a management trainee with Marks & Spencer which led to a variety of senior directorships with global brands such as Body Shop and Targus. He then joined the private equity company TPG Capital where he was a senior advisor and, on his return from Asia after 25 years, founded his own company, Laguna Consulting.
He is also a non-executive director for a VC fund, Lyra Ventures, and has invested in over 10 early-stage businesses for which he is now actively consulting.
Roger Mew (Bristowe 1959), 1950s/60s Liaison
At the age of five, Roger became a boarder at Andrew Reed’s Royal Wanstead School. Having passed the 11+, he transferred with nine others to Cobham in 1953. Roger enjoyed his time at Reed's, representing the School at boxing and performing in concerts on piano and clarinet. He was Secretary of the Woodwind Orchestra, a member of the Choir, the Jazz Club, the Cycling Club and a Corporal in CCF.
Roger left Reed’s in 1959 and, after travelling and working in Europe, finally settled down in the financial world eventually to become a tax consultant, which still occupies him on a part-time, freelance basis. Passions include classic cars and travel, having visited around 30 countries.
As a volunteer Roger helps disabled children ride horses and dabbles in painting in water colours and DIY generally. He continues to immensely enjoy the renewed friendships of ORs, running the online 1950s Forum of about 60 ORs and attending as many OR events as possible.
In 2016 the Governors invited Roger to become a Vice President of Reed’s in recognition of his long-standing support of the School.
Andy Wotton (Mullens 1975), OR Chair, Heritage Committee
After leaving Reed’s in 1975, Andy joined National Westminster Bank and essentially had two careers with the organisation. The first lasted for twelve years in what would now be considered ‘traditional branch banking’. The second was in Training & Development where, for the next eighteen years, he undertook and managed every aspect of adult learning and development, enjoying every moment of it. Andrew Klimcke (Mullens 1996), Co-Chair, OR Sports Committee
Andrew is Managing Director of SIAN Wholesale, a leading distributor of branded consumer goods. Under his leadership, SIAN Wholesale has been consistently named as one of the fastest growing distributors of FMCG in the UK & Europe.
At School, Andrew was Captain of Rugby, Hockey and Cricket; he can be seen still playing on Big Side as part of the 40 XL Cricket team. Andrew’s son is currently in the Fourth Form.
Jerry Syms (Mullens 2008), Co-Chair, OR Sports Committee
Having joined Reed's Sixth Form in 2006, Jerry felt immediately welcomed into the School community and, with her general 'fear of missing out', she took up just about everything possible, including a new-found love for hockey. She went on to study English Literature & Geography at Oxford Brookes before joining the public sector as an Intelligence Researcher within law enforcement for five years. She now works in the private security sector which has opened up new opportunities and challenges.
Jerry joined the OR Committee in 2015; over this time, she has been delighted to see the growing number of young alumni engaged with the OR and School community. Jerry married Jack Syms (Blathwayt 2007) in 2019 and they have welcomed two sons into their family.
Nick Gray (Blathwayt 1993), Chair, OR Arts Committee
Nick left Reed’s in 1993 and then studied Business, Economics & Textiles at Manchester University. There he met Laura and have two children - Charlie who is now at Reed’s and Penny who hopes to join in the Sixth Form!
After university, Nick worked in the fashion industry for three years. He then moved to a creative agency called Live & Breathe, where he has been for 24 years and is now one of the two owners with 120 staff across three offices working for the world’s leading brands.
As well as being passionate about Art, Nick also played a lot of sport during and after Reed’s and is now suffering the consequences with permanent injuries, banishing him to running, swimming and cycling! He hopes in the future to resurrect his love of drawing and painting that started at Reed’s.
Nick Dean (Mullens 1976), OR Chair, Foundation & Club Rome Committee
Nick spent seven years at Reed’s, supported by the Foundation which, he says, was a ‘life changer’ for him. Following his passion for all things related to the water and specifically sailing, Nick forged a career in yachting that has seen him involved in all aspects of the industry including, in 2006, co-founding a Yacht Brokerage company that soon rose to one of the largest in the sector.
Nick has been involved for some years with the Reed’s Foundation, including as a donor to support its deserving pupils and a more-recent role as a mentor to a former Foundation pupil to assist with a start-up. Never forgetting the ‘privileged’ start he had under the Foundation; Nick is driven to help in retaining and growing this vital core School value.
Jess Chandler (Bristowe 2013), OR Chair, Professional Networking Committee
Jess joined Reed’s for Sixth Form and, from the outset, loved getting involved with all the opportunities that were on offer (particularly sport and music). After Reed’s, she studied for an undergraduate degree in Natural Sciences (Pharmacology) at the University of Bath, followed by a PhD in Cardiovascular Research at King's College London. Jess quickly decided that the academic life was not for her and has since moved into the corporate world, training as a Patent Attorney at Marks & Clerk in London. Her job principally involves providing intellectual property services for clients in the life sciences sector. Outside of work, Jess is a keen runner, loves to travel and is very well-connected to many OR friends.
Mark Hoskins (Headmaster), Reed's School
Mark was educated at Gowerton School and at the University of Nottingham where he read Economics. After working briefly for the Civil Service as an economist, he studied for his PGCE at the University of London and then entered the teaching profession. Mark has a Master’s degree in Education from the University of London and a Master’s degree in Applied Economics from SOAS, University of London.Lucy Hurford (Bursar), Reed's School
Lucy was educated at St Teresa’s School, Ruskin University and Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge where she read Geography and studied for her PGCE before entering the teaching profession. Alex Balls (Blathwayt 1988) (Deputy Head, Staff), Reed's School
Alex developed a passion for education on a gap year working in a prep school before gaining a degree in Physical Education & Geography from the University of Southampton, his first teaching job being in a large, maintained school in Sussex. Having attended Reed’s as a pupil, he returned in 1998 and has held a variety of roles including Housemaster, Head of The Close, Head of Middle School, and Director of Sport & Activities amongst others. Alex gained a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Buckingham in 2013 and is keen to help develop Reed’s staff through evidence-informed practice.
A firm believer and advocate for excellence in an all-round education, Alex has helped shape the development and growth of the School whilst maintaining its core ethos, having been a Foundationer at Reed’s himself.
Kathryn Bartram (Development & External Relations Director), Reed’s School
Kathryn lives close to the School with husband Jacob and their children, the eldest of whom joined Reed's in the Close in 2018. Sharmaine Matthews (Head of Alumni & Community Relations), Reed’s School
Sharmaine's career started in international development aid followed by 25 years working in corporate communications, marketing and PR mainly in the media and broadcasting world with the likes of Thames Television, Sky and Capital Radio. She joined Reed's in 2008 to start the alumni relations function.
She is passionate about her role building strong relationships between the School and our amazing OR community for the mutual benefit of both parties. In addition, with her third-sector experience, she feels honoured to be able to support the work of the Reed’s Foundation in marketing and fundraising for this wonderful charity.
Married to Peter, they have four children, two of whom are Old Reedonians, leaving in 2016 and 2019. Both have thrived in this wonderful environment and Sharmaine is delighted to know that theirs and her association with the School will be lifelong.
Lucy Martin (Alumni Relations Officer), Reed's School
After gaining a degree in Environmental BioGeoscience from Leeds University, Lucy began her career working in marketing and events, latterly for Virgin where she remained for eight years. After getting married and having children, she started her own business as a wedding dress designer.
Lucy’s mix of experience from running corporate events and campaigns to building relationships through her bespoke bridal service, provides an excellent background in helping to build our alumni network.
Lucy’s eldest son is currently a pupil at Reed’s and her youngest son has a place to start in 2025.
