Trustees and Team

David joined the Arsenal Board in 1983 and was made Vice-Chairman in the same year.  He also rose to Vice-Chairman of the Football Association and has served on numerous UEFA and FIFA Committees.  

David was an early proponent of women’s football having been President of the hugely successful Arsenal Ladies Team

He was the man who had the foresight to bring Arsene Wenger to Arsenal in 1996.  During David’s reign, the Club won:

• The League x5
• The FA Cup x5
• The UEFA Cup Winners Cup x1
• The League Cup x2
• The Community Shield x5

A total of 18 trophies!

David was a prime mover when the Premier League was launched in 1992.  As Greg Dyke, the former Chairman of the FA, told the Financial Times

“David Dein was the most revolutionary bloke I’ve met in football. David Dein created the Premier League, it was his idea.”

Last year the Daily Mail published a list of the 50 most influential people in the history of the Premier League and David was in the top ten with people like Sir Alex Ferguson.  

These days David spends much of his time speaking in businesses, schools & prisons including students of the world renowned Harvard Business School in Boston.

David was awarded an MBE by the Queen in the New Year’s Honours in recognition of his achievements.

In September 2014, Dame Sally joined United Learning and is National Director of Secondary Education.  United Learning is the biggest Multi Academy Trust in the country with Dame Sally managing 46 secondary academies and 14 independent schools.  

Dame Sally was Principal of Burlington Danes Academy an 11 – 18 Ark Academy in Hammersmith & Fulham from 2008 -2014. The school has 67% pupil premium and mostly serves the very deprived White City Estate.  Burlington Danes was graded ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted in November 2013. Dame Sally acted as Executive Principal at Evelyn Grace Academy in Brixton until July 2012 and was Executive Principal of Ark Putney and West London Free School until July 2014.

Dame Sally was previously Head of Sacred Heart School an Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ VA school in Camberwell, London Borough of Southwark. She has always worked in inner city schools in London and has been in teaching since 1976.

Dame Sally chaired The Review of the Teaching Standards in 2012 and also chaired the Teaching Skills Test Review in 2013.

Her book ‘Headstrong’ 11 lessons of school leadership was published in February 2015.

The Secretary of State for Justice, Michael Gove, asked Dame Sally to conduct an independent review into Prison Education in 2015. The Coates Review reported its findings in May 2016.

Dame Sally currently serves as:

• Trustee on Unlocked graduate scheme of prison officers
• Trustee on NCS (National Citizen Service)
• Trustee on Twinning Project

Sally was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2013 New Years Honours List.

Dame Sally was awarded Fellowship of the College of Teachers in May 2016 and Fellowship of City and Guilds in April 2019.

Rollo is a managing partner and leads the global corporate and CEO positioning practice area. He joined Finsbury in 2000 and has some twenty-five years of agency strategic communications experience, gained in both London and New York. He has led assignments across a wide range of clients, sectors and geographies, including significant corporate reputation, transactional and crisis communications experience.

Rollo started his career at Lehman Brothers International where he obtained the relevant UK and US securities qualifications and is a graduate of Edinburgh University.

Jonathan Norbury is Head of Key Clients at Lloyds Bank Private Banking, a team that manages some of the highest profile clients of Lloyds Bank. A language graduate from Durham University, he entered the City in 1986 following a five year commission in the Army.

He is actively involved in charitable work, being a trustee of The Old Vic Theatre and Global Make Some Noise (the in-house charity for Classic FM, Capital, Heart and LBC radio), as well as helping Tender, a domestic abuse charity.  He is keen to promote philanthropic giving and giving people a helping hand.

Since the 1960s, Greg has had a long career in the UK journalism. He is credited with introducing tabloid television to British broadcasting, and reviving the ratings of TV-am. In the 1990s, he held chief executive positions at LWT, Pearson Television and Channel 5

Greg was Director General of the BBC from January 2000 to January 2004

Greg was a director of Manchester United and chairman of Brentford football clubs, and from 2013 to 2016 was chairman of the FA. He was chancellor of the University of York from 2004 to 2015.

He is currently a panellist on Sky News' The Pledge.

Mark Phillips KC has been a barrister for 35 years.  He was involved in the establishment of the Premier League for the “big 5 clubs” and has appeared for Lewis Hamilton.  He acted for the Bank of England on BCCI and Barings and is currently representing Lehman (US).  Mark sat as a Recorder in the Crown Court for 10 years. Mark is a School Governor of his old school, the John Hampden in High Wycombe.  

In 2010, he established a charity dedicated to finding a cure for cervical cancer and he is a former member and supporter of the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain. Mark is married to Sam and they have 6 children who range from 6 to 29 years old.

Jason is the Head of Prison Industries, Catering and Physical Education in HM Prison Service (All England and Wales). A self-confessed football nut and lifelong Man City fan.

He joined as a Prison Officer in 1992 and has “come up through the ranks”. Jason’s team manages a large team with an annual budget of £145 Million.

His remit is varied and covers all the work and occupational training for prisoners in each of the 105 public sector prisons across England and Wales. His team makes sure that the Prison Service is largely self-sufficient as they make all the clothing, furniture and infrastructure used in all prisons. Training includes all the major manufacturing trades including woodwork, engineering, printing, textiles manufacturing, laundries, plastic injection moulding and land based activities.
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Jason is also in charge of all the prison kitchens and all the food served to the 83,500 prisoners in England and Wales. His team produces over 91 Million meals per year.

He is responsible for all PE in England and Wales and is overhauling the delivery of Physical Education nationally. He is on a personal mission to improve the mental and physical health of those in custody via exercise and a nutritious diet.

With 33 England caps,185 goals for Arsenal and 117 goals for Crystal Palace, Ian is one of the UK’s all time leading goal scorers. Along with Arsenal and Crystal Palace he also made a number of appearances for West Ham, Nottingham Forest, Celtic and Burnley after which he retired.

During Ians playing career he accumulated a number of honours:

• Premier League: 1997-98
• FA Cup: 1992-93,1997-98
• Football League Cup: 1992-93
• European Cup Winners Cup: 1993-94
• UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1999

Shortly after retiring, in 2000 Ian was awarded an MBE by the Queen in the New Year’s Honours in recognition of his services to football. Which he describes as his career highlight along with playing for England.

Ian has since firmly established himself as one of the most respected and knowledgeable football pundits in the UK. With regular slots on BBC, ITV and Premier League TV, Ian Wright is the ‘footballer’s hero’ and a legend to many.

In September 2019, Ian became an ambassador for Barclays Women’s Super League; promoting the game, the grassroots work Barclays is doing.

Ian is currently working with Spec savers encouraging people to take better care of their eye health and get regular checks.

Ian is one of the most respected football pundits due to his in-depth knowledge, incredible work ethic and honest opinions and not forgetting his infectious laugh.

One of the UK’s most experienced leaders in football, Rick Parry - Chairman of the EFL Board - served as both chief executive of the Premier League between 1991 and 1997, and Liverpool Football Club between 1997 and 2009.  

Vastly experienced, his main contribution to the formation of the Premier League was the introduction of a governance structure which included the formula for the sharing of TV revenues among Clubs. A formula which remained unchanged for 25 years.  

In 2008, a year in which the University of Liverpool awarded him an honorary doctorate for his services to the City of Liverpool, Rick was also elected to the Board of the European Club Association. Since leaving Liverpool the following year, he has carried out a variety of football related consultancy projects in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, the US and Mexico.  

Rick carried out two assignments for the UK government – joining the Sports Betting Integrity Panel in 2009 and advising the DCMS Select Committee on its football governance review in 2011.

In September 2016, he was elected to the Investigatory Chamber of UEFA’s Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Control Board, having been nominated by the European Club Association. He stepped down in October 2019.

Rick brings a wealth of knowledge to the Twinning Project.

After graduating from Bristol, Nigel worked for a few years in merchant banking, before starting his own business publishing financial newsletters.  Having nearly gone bust, the business recovered in time to become one of the first companies to float on the then USM (now AIM) Market where upon he effected a merger with a company called Carlton Communications, in video communications (Adam and the Ants video etc) which in turn became Carlton Television the owners of Thames Television and Central TV.

That was very well run by Michael Green so thinking that I knew something about property, which I didn’t, purchased a controlling share in a small property company, Gilbert House Investments, that, given a favourable climate, went on to purchase another much larger property company and then purchased Singer & Friedlander the merchant bank where I had begun my career.

Retaining my shareholding, I then moved on and this time found somebody, Nick Leslau, who was very able at property and over the next 20 years we built up a substantial property company called Burford Group which we then sold and formed Prestbury which is now essentially represented by two quoted companies on the Stock Market one called Max Property(now sold) and the other Secure Income Reit.

During that time I had the great fortune in the late 90’s to bump into Domino’s which without doubt is as predictable a business as I have ever come across.  This went from being a relatively small company to being by my standards a very large company and only last year after 17 years, did I finally exit.  We have now metamorphosed into holding stakes in over 20 quoted and un-quoted companies.  In every case, we are very long-term investors and in most cases have been invested in the company for most of this century.

Perhaps the thing I’m most proud of however, is over 20 years we have taken Saracens Rugby Club to being a respected name in this country and across much of the world, as European Champions twice over. The Saracens Foundation, our charitable arm, now connects with over 70,000 children per annum in the field of sport and education and are simply trying to help people become better people. That was also the reason we became the first professional club to set up a school, the Saracens High School, now with 340 pupils and growing the power of sport to do good

Hilton Freund MBE has dedicated his career to transforming lives through criminal justice reform, beginning in the United Kingdom and now reaching across the globe. He has been a driving force behind initiatives that place rehabilitation, dignity, and opportunity at the heart of custodial settings. Central to his philosophy is the belief that sport can be a catalyst for change, uniquely capable of engaging individuals who may resist traditional education or training.

Hilton has cultivated a rich and respected network within professional sport, bringing together some of the world’s most recognized teams, athletes, and organizations to collaborate with correctional systems. These partnerships deliver programs that improve mental and physical well-being, develop essential skills, and provide hope for sustainable reentry into society. His ability to bridge professional sport and criminal justice has won him admiration from leaders across both sectors.

In recognition of his extraordinary impact, Hilton was awarded the prestigious Member of the British Empire (MBE) by King Charles III, honoring his outstanding services to criminal justice and charity. This distinction reflects not only his achievements but also his tireless commitment to giving others a second chance.

Today, Hilton continues to expand his work internationally, shaping projects that reduce reoffending, strengthen rehabilitation, and build safer communities worldwide. His passion, credibility, and global perspective make him one of the most influential advocates for reimagining criminal justice through the power of sport.

TBC

Les has a vast experience in grassroots football, having been involved as a player, referee, administrator and coach. Previously he worked in Sports and Youth Development, before joining the English FA in 1998.

During his time at the FA, he led on the implementation of Mini Soccer, FA Youth Review, Charter Standard Club programme, Skills Programme, and Coach Development & Education.

As Head of Grassroots, he led a team of 73 technical staff who supported coach development and education across the grassroots game.

He has written 4 coaching courses, produced 4 coaching DVDs and written 2 books, he has also delivered for UEFA, AFC, CONCACAF, OFC, AYSO, US Youth Soccer, he has delivered coach development courses in Ethiopia, Lesotho, Rwanda, Fiji, China, Afghanistan, UAE, USA and Trinidad & Tobago. He is a FIFA instructor.

He was until recently still active as a grassroots coach, and voluntary chairman of his local youth league which provides weekly football for over 14,000 children.

Graeme loves long walks especially with his Bernese Mountain dog, Bentley. Married to Joanne with three children, all of whom are on their own pathways. He has now retired from the Prison Service after 31 years. Graeme is also a FA Tutor - Football, First Aid, Safeguarding. Looks like Graeme is perfectly placed to start working for the Twinning Project as a Relationship Lead in the North East.

Farhad has maintained a passion for football growing up in Lewisham & Greenwich, in South-East London.  He has played for all of his educational establishments, along with numerous grassroots football clubs.  Whilst growing up in these areas, he has also seen many, including talented footballers, imprisoned.  

Through playing grassroots football, he knows the positive effects the sport has. He has also learnt of its social & scientific importance, during his 2:1 BSc Sport & Exercise Science from the University of Northampton in 2017.  His dissertation research paper was awarded a 1st class and he presented his findings to Northampton FC and Northampton Saints RUFC.

Farhad’s previous employment has remained in sport.  Most notably, he has been an intern at the academy of 2008 FA Cup Champions, Portsmouth FC, as a Performance Analyst, analysing FA Youth Cup fixtures at Fratton Park. Farhad is now aligned with working at the Twinning Project, conducting purposeful work that links back to his roots.  As a Relationship Lead, he will ensure sustainable robust delivery across a number of partnerships in Greater London.  He holds a focus of ensuring graduates from the programme are able to use their qualifications to gain employment back in their local area post-release.

As a person, Farhad has self-described himself as determined, insightful, analytical, a team-player, and a leader. He remains an avid football player as a ball-playing centre back. As captain, he can be heard shouting instructions and making sure the team shape remains intact.