Our Patron is The Duchess of Somerset
Judith-Rose, Duchess of Somerset, is the Patron of the Douai Foundation. She is also a Trustee of the Walking Together Foundation, an Honorary Vice-President of the Friends of the Ordinariate, a Patron of the Queen Charlotte’s Ball, and heavily involved in charities in Italy.
Fr Alban Hood OSB
Fr Alban is the Abbot of Douai’s representative on the Board. He studied at the Liverpool Institute and St Benet’s Hall Oxford, and holds a PhD from Liverpool University. He taught at Douai School in the 1990s and was Prior of Douai from 2014 to 2021. He has also acted as Roman Catholic Chaplain to Cambridge University.
Richard Quarterman (Chair of Trustees)
Richard studied English and Philosophy at the University of Southampton, followed by a 30 year career with the John Lewis Partnership. More recently he has worked as a consultant and a lecturer in Retail Management, and spent a year on secondment to the Business in the Community charity. In 2018 he was elected to Hart District Council, where he currently holds the cabinet portfolio for Commercialisation. Richard lives in Yateley, Hampshire with his wife and two children.
Richard Sims (Honorary Secretary)
After Douai, and university at Aberdeen and Cambridge, Richard qualified as a lawyer and worked in private practice in London, before being appointed Secretary & General Counsel of St John Ambulance. He now lives in the Isle of Wight, works as the legal counsel to an international animal charity, and sits on the boards of several not-for-profit organisations.
Andrew Taylor
Andrew has enjoyed a life in education spanning 35 years: as Headmaster, Housemaster and Head of History. The last 22 years of his career were spent at the Benedictine Schools of Douai and Worth, where both of his sons were educated. In retirement, he sits on the committee of the Worth Society.
Christopher Vale (Honorary Treasurer)
Chris was educated at Douai and Exeter University and after a short service commission in the Army, spent 30 years in the fund management industry including 8 years in Hong Kong and 3 years in Seoul. He now has a portfolio of non executive roles and is a member of Esher Catenians and the local Save the Children Committee. He is married with one daughter and still enjoys squash and golf.