Trustees & Advisors

Jimmy came to classics at university where he read French and Classics at Jesus College, Cambridge. “In my case, studying classics at Cambridge changed my life for the better giving me many opportunities. It was an engine for social mobility.”

Jimmy is Managing Director of Hat Trick Productions, which he co-founded in 1986. Since then, it has grown into one of the country’s leading producers of comedy, drama and entertainment.

Nicholas Barber read Greats (Classics) at Oxford, after which he moved to America where he started a classics department at Marlboro College in Vermont. He then began a long career in the shipping business, rising to become Chief Executive of Ocean Group. He renewed his classical roots when he became a Trustee of the British Museum and later Chairman of Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum during its recent major rejuvenation project. He has also chaired a publishing company whose publications included books on classical themes. He is a Foundation Fellow of Wadham College, Oxford. He served as a Trustee of Classics for All from 2013-19.

Although he came relatively late to the study of Latin, via his law degree, Geoffrey quickly discovered that the language teaches grammar, logic and thinking skills at the highest level.

In his other incarnations, Geoffrey is a life president of Oxford Philomusica, an honorary Life member of Elias Ashmole Group of the Ashmolean Museum, an honorary fellow of Trinity College, Oxford and a patron of the National Galleries Scotland and the Sparrow Schools Foundation.

Helen read Classics at The Queen's College, Oxford, where she loved exploring the wide range of disciplines which the subject made available to her. She is passionate about widening access to educational opportunity and the joy of learning; she firmly believes that classics can give each and every child the chance to find the window on to the ancient world which mirrors their own particular interests, igniting a spark which could lead absolutely anywhere.

Helen is a certified member of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising with 20 years' experience in development and communications in the arts, heritage and education sectors. She is currently Director of Fundraising at Lichfield Cathedral, as well as a Trustee of Sinfonia Viva and an Associate of Tarnside Consulting.

Marion was captivated by the classics at her state school and went on to read classics at Bristol University. She taught classics for 38 years, with a brief excursus to become an HMI, before Ofsted changed everything. A head teacher for 21 years in London, she carried on teaching throughout. She also co-founded and led for 12 years a ground-breaking state-independent school partnership, involving secondary schools in Southwark and neighbouring boroughs; classics was of course part of this. She is currently a trustee of Charleston in Sussex and an independent member of an Academy Trust.

Matthew came to classics as a small boy via Andrew Lang’s Tales of Troy and Greece and has remained enthralled by the ancient world ever since. His interest was reinforced by inspirational teachers at every level of study, culminating in a decision to read classics at Oxford. He is passionate about the benefits that an understanding of classical languages and civilisation can bring to people of all ages and backgrounds.

Matthew is an investment banker and is currently a Senior Managing Director of Evercore in London.  He takes great pleasure in gardens and gardening, and is a Trustee of the Royal Horticulture Society, where regular exposure to botanical Latin at least helps to address some of the rustiness of his Latin vocabulary.

Sonia is the Headteacher at St Matthew’s C.E. Primary School and the Director of St Matthew’s EEF (Education Endowment Foundation) Research School, in Nechells Birmingham. St Matthew’s is a Talk for Writing Training Centre and previously held DfE Teaching School status. Her school regularly hosts’ visits, for leaders, who want to see evidence-informed practice, across the curriculum.

Sonia has recently published a book called, An Ethic of Excellence in Action; has had articles published and regularly reviews blogs for SchoolsWeek. She has a chapter in, The researchED Guide to the Curriculum and is a contributor to the new WALKTHRUs 3 book. Sonia is a member of the UKLA National Council, representing the Teacher RfP Groups and is a member of the Church of England National Society. She has spoken at various conferences including, ResearchED Brum.

Judith Mossman was formerly Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Arts and Humanities, and is now Professor Emerita of Classics, at Coventry University. Previously, Judith held the post of Professor of Classics at the University of Nottingham, and fellowships at Trinity College, Dublin and Christ Church, Oxford, and is currently Vice-President of the Hellenic Society and (more recently) Chair of the CA Council. She specialises in Greek literature in the fifth century BC and the second/third century AD and is the author of two books and a number of edited volumes and articles on Euripides and Plutarch.

Dr Peter Jones MBE, a co-founder of Classics for All, has been a driving force and advocate for the teaching of classics in state schools for more than four decades. He has published widely on ancient language, culture and history, has for 28 years written a weekly ‘Ancient and Modern’ column (now in The Spectator) reflecting on how the ancient world might ‘talk’ to the modern, and is an adviser for the BBC History Magazine.

He was director of the project that produced the Reading Greek series, for which he was appointed MBE. His ‘Learn Latin’ and ‘Learn Ancient Greek’ columns from The Daily Telegraph are best-selling books (Bloomsbury).

For pupils of classical civilisation and ancient history, he has revised E.V. Rieu’s translations of Homer for Penguin, written commentaries on the Iliad and Odyssey in translation, and eight books for the general public on ancient culture and civilisation. His latest is entitled Memento Mori: What the Romans can tell us about Old Age and Death.

Jeannie’s interest in classics was initiated by the passion of her Latin teacher at school, who offered lunchtime lessons in Greek to anyone who was interested.

Jeannie has taught classics in both the independent and state school systems for many years. She was previously Executive Secretary of the Joint Association of Classical Teachers and Executive Secretary of Friends of Classics.

Harriet is a passionate classicist who studied Classics at the University of Bristol before going on to teach Latin and Classics in state schools. She has witnessed the transformative impact these subjects can have on students and firmly believes that all student - regardless of background - deserve access to the rich linguistic, cognitive, and cultural insights the ancient world offers. One of her most rewarding experiences was introducing Latin at a state school in Birmingham, where, despite being a new subject for most pupils, over 50% chose to take it at GCSE.

After a few years of teaching, Harriet transitioned into the charity sector and is now the Director of Policy, Insights, and External Affairs at the National Youth Agency. In this role, she works to raise the profile of youth work and its profound impact on young lives, leading a team focused on policy, advocacy, research, data, communications, and marketing. With extensive experience in integrated communications and public affairs within the charity sector, Harriet is dedicated to improving life chances for disadvantaged young people. Drawing on her experience as a secondary school teacher, her collaborative approach informs her work on policies designed to increase opportunities for young people, especially those facing adversity.

Lindsay Johns is a writer and broadcaster who relishes his ability to oscillate between the classical canon and the contemporary cutting edge. Sadly he did not read Classics at Oxford (he read Modern Languages instead), so considers himself a Classicist manqué, a bootleg Classicist, or just an exceedingly interested layman.

He currently writes on books and theatre for the Telegraph and the TLS, presents “erudite but accessible” BBC TV and radio arts documentaries and has been a non-residential Fellow at the Hutchins Center, Harvard University. For 20 years, Lindsay was a volunteer mentor in his spare time with Leaders of Tomorrow, a flagship, “grass roots” leadership scheme for young people in Peckham, South London, during which time he attempted to impart a love of Classics (as well as English vocabulary - much of it derived from Latin and Greek) to his mentees.

Lindsay had the privilege of studying Latin for A Level and subsequently fell in love with Classics at university when he saw, albeit refracted through the lens of French and Italian medieval and Renaissance authors, how classical writers and thinkers magisterially sum up the human condition in poems, plays and stories of often astonishing beauty and with a remarkably acute psychological veracity. He ardently believes that Classics - not just a bunch of Dead White Men as it is often erroneously portrayed - is both timeless and universal in its appeal and, as such, is the literary, cultural and intellectual patrimony of all mankind, regardless of one’s colour, class or creed.

Chris initially signed up for an A Level in Classical Civilization because someone told him it came with a trip to Turkey. By the time that turned out to have been completely made up, he was already hooked on Homer and Greek Tragedy. He went on to read Classics as a Course II student at Brasenose College, Oxford, followed by a Masters in Ancient History, also at Oxford, where he completed what is possibly the most boring dissertation in the university's 900-year history. During this time he also taught Classical Greek (badly) and Latin (even worse) for the Classics faculty.

After university, Chris founded MASSOLIT, an online platform that works with university academics to create short video lectures for secondary school teachers and students. The platform is now used by more than 900 schools in the UK, including virtually every Classics department in the country.

Mark began his classical studies with Latin two years before going to university. While at university in the USA, Mark studied Classics, which he continued as a graduate student at the University of St. Andrews. 

Mark’s professional career commenced with being a secondary school Latin teacher, before moving to chartered accountancy and then to banking. Mark is currently a non-executive director at several financial services organisations as well as serving as a Trustee of the Royal Academy of Dance and a Council Member at the University of Liverpool. Mark has experienced first hand the benefits and opportunities classical studies bring to youth as a firm foundation for a wide range of careers.