Classics for All is delighted to announce the appointment of Andrew Copson OBE as Chair of Trustees. Andrew will take up the role in early October, succeeding Jimmy Mulville, who has chaired the charity since November 2020 and overseen a period of significant growth and development.
Andrew brings extensive experience in education, charity leadership and governance, alongside a personal understanding of the life-changing opportunities that access to Classics can provide.
A Classics graduate and the first in his family to attend university, Andrew studied Classics at Balliol College, Oxford. He credits discovering the ancient world while at school as a transformative experience that shaped the course of his life and career.
Over the past two decades, Andrew has become one of the UK's most experienced charity leaders and education advocates. He began his career in citizenship education and has held a range of roles supporting the teaching of religion, ethics and values in schools. He has served as a trustee of the Religious Education Council of England and Wales, chaired Westminster's Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education, advised the Department for Education on curriculum matters, and has been Chief Executive of Humanists UK since 2010.
Andrew also has substantial governance experience, having served as a trustee or director of more than twenty charities and not-for-profit organisations, from grassroots community groups to international NGOs. He was appointed OBE in 2025 in recognition of his contribution to the charitable sector.
Speaking about his appointment, Andrew said:
"The study of the ancient world is one of the greatest sources of fascination and fulfilment there is, and I believe every young person should have the right to experience it.
“I was fortunate enough to have that chance myself, through a Government assisted place in the 1980s, and when I became the first in my family to go away to university it was to read Classics.
“I have never forgotten the world that opened up for me. I am delighted to be joining Classics for All to help bring the same opportunity to many more young people, whatever their background."
Chief Executive Jo Hobbs MBE welcomed the appointment:
"We're so pleased to welcome Andrew as our new Chair. He brings a rare combination of deep charity governance experience and a lifelong commitment to education and social mobility.
“What's more, as someone whose own life was changed by the chance to study the ancient world, he understands exactly why our work matters. I look forward to working closely with him as we bring Classics to many more state schools and many more young people."
As Andrew takes up the role, Classics for All also extends its sincere thanks to outgoing Chair Jimmy Mulville for his leadership, commitment and support over the past six years. During his tenure, the charity has expanded its reach and strengthened its support for state schools across the UK.
Jimmy said:
"It's been a great privilege and pleasure to have spent the last eight years as Chair of one of the most effective charities in the country. I've seen Classics for All go from strength to strength in that time and now we have Andrew coming in as the new Chair I can only see it going from strength to strength.
“He has seen how Classics has been transformational in his own life and Classics for All is lucky to have him."
Founded in 2010, Classics for All works to ensure that every young person has the opportunity to study and engage with the ancient world, regardless of their background, geography or school type. Through its work, thousands of young people are gaining access to subjects and stories that broaden horizons, build confidence and open doors to future study and employment.
