Alumni

The schools aim not only to prepare pupils for examinations but also to provide them with the skills needed to succeed and thrive in the wider world.

The high achievements of past pupils across such a wide selection of careers, we believe, reflects the well-rounded education on offer and demonstrates how we help to develop each pupil’s individual talents and strengths. Amongst the schools’ alumni are those with outstanding careers in the arts, academia, sports, the media, the Armed Forces, retail, the Church, politics and the Civil Service.

There are close links in place with past pupils and opportunities for them to keep in touch with the schools and one another.  Attendance at school events and the number of alumni who are now themselves parents or even grandparents bears testament to the deep and lasting attachment forged between the schools and their pupils, past and present.

Alumni interviews

Watch all of our Alumni interviews

We have listed just a small cross-section of alumni to highlight the diverse and inspiring career paths they have chosen.

Monmouth School for Boys Alumni

This list is ever-expanding, and is by no means exhaustive, but gives a flavour of the wide range achievements of our many distinguished alumni.

POLITICS, GOVERNMENT

Sir John Beddington Retired Chief Government Scientific Officer
Sir Frank Davies CBE Former Chairman, Health & Safety Commission
Derek Ezra, Lord Ezra Liberal Democrat peer, former chairman of the National Coal Board. For an obituary, please click here
Brian Strong Chairman of Monmouthshire County Council.
Geoff Hughes Penal Expert, Former Prison Governor and International Prisons Consultant

THE ARMED FORCES

Angus Buchanan VC (1894-1944) Awarded the Victoria Cross during World War I. More detailed biography here
Colonel Simon Butt Commanding Officer, HQ Allied Rapid Reaction Corps
Colonel John Chaston MC (1916-2010) OBE, CBE, MC, Deputy Lieutenant of Monmouthshire. For an obituary, please click here
Flt Lt. William Clifford Townsend CGM DFM (1921-1991) RAF pilot; awarded Conspicuous Gallantry Medal for part played in the ‘Dambusters’ raid during WWII; later businessman and civil servant

THE CHURCH

Tom Collings Bishop of Keewatin, Canada, 1991-1996
Christopher Herbert Bishop of St Albans 1995-2009

ACADEMIA

Prof Richard Carwardine President, Corpus Christi College, Oxford; Professor of American History; Fellow of the British Academy; Governor, Haberdashers’ Monmouth Schools
Prof Paul Langford, 1945-2015 Professor of History, Oxford University; former Rector of  Lincoln College, Oxford. Click here to read his obituary
Professor Ben Quash Professor of Christianity & the Arts, King’s College, London
Dr Will Sutherland Professor of Astronomy at St Mary’s London

SCIENCE, DESIGN & ENGINEERING

Robin Herd Engineer, designer and businessman. Senior Scientific Officer on the Concorde Project, distinguished career in developing F1 racing cars. Former chairman, Oxford United Football Club
Dr Mike Tunstall (1928-2011) Doctor, inventor of Entonox, better know as ‘gas and air’.  For obituary, click here
Prof Julian Stevens Leading Eye Surgeon, Moorfields Hospital

BUSINESS

Simon Cartmell OBE Healthcare and LifeScience company entrepreneur, Chairman Aske’s Board, Elstree and Member of the Court of Assistants, Haberdashers Company
Bob Blake Pharmaceuticals and Benefactor Lincoln College Oxford and Monmouth School for Boys
Warren East CBE  CEO of Rolls-Royce Holdings plc, Engineer and Philanthropist.
David Hitchcock OBE Chairman, Cyrus Investment Management
Carl Leaver Group Chief Executive, Gala Coral Read more
David Malpas Former Managing Director of Tesco
Noel Manns Co-founder and Principal, Europa Capital LLP; Governor, Haberdashers’ Monmouth Schools
Mark Neale Founder and Chief Executive of Mountain Warehouse
Richard Booth KC Barrister
Patrick Worsnip United Nations correspondent for Reuters (Retired 2012)
Marcus Taverner KC Leading London Barrister
John Ryder KC Leading criminal silk on Damilola Taylor case
Mark Fox Managing Director, Starbucks UK
Paul Faulkner  CEO Nottingham Forest FC
Terry Jones Director General of NFU, appointed April 2016

SPORT

Hallam Amos Medic; Wales International Rugby Union player who plays for Cardiff Blues
Wayne Barnes International rugby union referee
Eddie Butler  Journalist, sports commentator and former Welsh rugby union player (British Lion, Captain of Wales) http://Eddie Butler obituary | Rugby union | The Guardian
David Broome Former international show jumper
Gareth Davies Telegraph boxing correspondent
John Gwilliam Former Welsh rugby union player
Steve James Former Glamorgan and England batsman, now Sunday Telegraph cricket columnist
Keith Jarrett Former Welsh international rugby player
Tom Lucy GB rower (silver medallist in men’s VIII, Beijing 2008), now serving officer with Royal Marines
Lord Colin Moynihan Former British Olympic cox, politician, businessman and former Chairman of British Olympic Association
Lewis Oliva Professional cyclist and GB team sprinter, contracted to British Cycling, U23 Academy
Richard Parks Former Wales international rugby union player, now international explorer and charity fundraiser – Website
Charles Wiggin Rowing commentator, bronze medallist 1980 Olympics, men’s coxless pair
Robin Williams World and Olympic rowing coach; coached Heather Stanning and Helen Glover to gold medal in women’s coxless pair in London 2012 Olympics; former GB rowing international and medallist
Mark Waller Head of NFL (National Football League) USA

MEDIA, PERFORMING ARTS

Andrew Henley Opera singer, contracted to the National Opera Studio
Angus McBean (1904-1990) Internationally-renowned, surrealist photographer
Tom Fairfoot British Actor and award winning Voice Artist grew up in South Wales. Trained at Webber Douglas Academy. Best known in Uk as Eddie in the award winning musical ‘Blood Brothers’ on the first Uk National Tour, and then later in the West End London.
Grant Nicholas Lead singer and guitarist of rock band ‘Feeder’
Victor Spinetti (1929 – 2012) Actor, comedian and producer (click here for obituary)
Glyn Worsnip (1938-1996) Actor and broadcaster (click here for obituary)
Monmouth School for Girls Alumnae

ACADEMIA & MEDICINE

Dame Jenny Harries OBE Chief Executive of the UK Health Security Agency, which combines Public Health England and NHS Test and Trace. She was a regional director at Public Health England, and then Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England from June 2019 to April 2021.
Celia Ingham Clark MBE Medical Director for Clinical Effectiveness at NHS England. For two years from 2014 she was the NHS England Director for reducing premature mortality, and in 2016 became the Medical Director for Clinical Effectiveness. She was awarded an MBE in 2013 for services to the NHS. Celia is also the interim National Director of Patient Safety at NHS Improvement.
Dr Anjali Mahto One of the UK’s leading dermatologists Read more
Dr Anne Moore Consultant Neurosurgeon, Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust
Dr Helen Cugnoni Director of Medical Education at Homerton Hospital Trust, London.  Appeared as trauma consultant on BBC documentary Trauma
Nicola Lathey (nee Lucas) Speech and Language Therapist specialising in under-fives http://www.theowltherapycentre.co.uk/
Nicola published her book ‘Small Talk’ in June 2013.
Dr Rosalind Love Head of Department and reader in Insular Latin. Fellow at Robinson College, University of Cambridge
Professor Anne Davies Dean of the Oxford Law Faculty and Professor of Law and Public Policy https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/people/anne-davies
Professor Rosamund Sutherland (nee Hatfield) Emeritus Professor and former Head of the School of Education. International mathematics educator who promoted social justice in the digital age More details

BUSINESS

Natalie Sandercock Barrister and Deputy District Judge
Jane Hoyal Jane was co-founder of 1 Pump Court Chambers way back in 1978. She specialises in public and private family law, and is known for taking on cases that others would not touch. Jane won legal aid barrister of the year in 2013.
Corrina Walker Head of HR, North America at Lloyds Banking Group
Laura Tenison OBE Founder of JoJo Maman Bebe, an internet maternity and babywear firm. Named Veuve Clicquot Business Woman of the Year 2010. In June 2013, Laura appeared on a BBC2 programme ‘Peter Jones meets…’http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/b02zn9zm/
Sarah Melvin Head of UK at BlackRock
Jackie Ballard Chief Executive at Alcohol Concern
Irene Barclay Britain’s first female surveyor
Rachel Carnac Managing Director of Metal Events which received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in April 2013 www.metalevents.com
Emily Webb Inventor of the ‘Webway’ handle, an ergonomically designed rowing handle, now patented in 5 countries. Owner of Oarsome Potential – won Young Enterprise of the Year at the South Wales Business Awards 2012.
Alexandra Butler Executive Headteacher, Head of Hamsptead Norreys CE Primary School and The Willows School
Claire Martinsen Owner of Breckland Orchard – Award winning ‘Posh Pop’

SPORTS

Becky Morgan Professional golfer (US-based LPGA tour, Ladies European Tour)
Kate Callaghan Rowed for Wales at the 1986 Commonwealth Games
Sarah Rossiter Represented England in the Long Jump
Isabel Noel-Smith International Rugby Union player (Bristol & England)

THE ARTS

Abbie Trayler-Smith Award-winning documentary and portrait photographer whose work has been widely published and exhibited internationally
Lisa Rogers TV presenter
Sandra Huggett Actress (Holby City)
Liz de Havilland Shoe Designer
Dame Jane Glover CBE Conductor, musical scholar, composer
Giulia Mori Fashion designer
Faye Baker Fashion designer
Alison Guill Opera singer and actress
Charlotte Hume Freelance TV presenter and author of ‘The Great Big Vegetable Challenge’ cookbook
Lucy Wisdom
(1956-2009)
Performance Artist and Conservationist. For an obituary, please click here
Marina Diamandis Singer-songwriter, performing as ‘Marina and the Diamonds’.  Runner up, BBC Sound of Music 2010, Critics’ Choice nominee, Brit Awards 2010

MEDIA

Aly Vance A former international athlete, has worked for broadcasters including CNN, BBC, Sky Sports, BT Sport and Channel 4. Biography
Frances Donovan BBC Wales Sports presenter, BBC Wales News presenter
Samantha Lloyd Founder of Lloyd Bell Productions www.lloydbell.co.uk
Alex Lodge ITV Wales Reporter

MISCELLANEOUS

Helena Bevan Military – one of the first female officers to lead a battery in combat in Iraq