Trustees

Richard served 36 years as a Royal Navy Officer, leaving in May 2018 as a Rear Admiral. A submarine weapon engineer by background, his recent responsibilities have included running the UK’s three operational Naval Bases, managing the future nuclear submarine programme, and directing the Navy’s Logistics, Infrastructure, and Engineering Support.

He has experienced first-hand the transformational effect of spending time at sea, in warships, submarines, and through sailing. Richard is a keen recreational skier and sailor, and a previous Chair of the UK Armed Forces Winter Sports Charity. He was honoured with the award of a CBE in the 2018 New Years Honours. Richard lives in Havant, Hants with his wife Claire and they regularly sail their yacht ‘Skybird’ around the South Coast. Richard was appointed to Chair of Trustees in August 2022.

Cath is a leadership coach working with senior leaders, teams and groups across the charity, public and small business sectors. She has more than 20 years’ experience as CEO for EBP South, a charity whose mission is to inspire and prepare young people for the world of work, working closely with schools and businesses across Hampshire. In 2022 she was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from the University of Portsmouth for her work across the community.

Cath has a professional background in working with young people and has seen first-hand the positive impact of sailing and outdoor education, particularly for young people living with disadvantage. She is a keen sailor herself, having raced a dinghy with her partner for many years and been Commodore at Locks SC. She and her partner now enjoy cruising their yacht in the Solent.

Debra Price is Head of Philanthropy at RSAcademics where she helps schools all over the UK develop multi-million pound fundraising programmes.  Previously she was Benenden School’s Development Director for over 20 years before becoming Deputy Head. She is also a director of an educational publishing company, Education Consultant to Harrow International and its portfolio of schools in China, Hong Kong and Thailand. She is also a member of the governing body of each of the four Harrow International Schools.

Debra is deeply committed to helping young people.  She has written a parent’s guide to critical thinking and regularly visits schools to speak to teachers, parents and pupils about the power of critical thinking.  She lives on the Island with her husband, and has two children.

David is the nephew of UKSA founder, Noel Lister. A husband and father of three, David is a former Olympic rowing coach and was chief coach to the National Women’s Light Weight Rowing Squad in 1990. He has also been a trustee of the Whirlwind Trust for over 10 years. David runs various businesses including management of rental properties, property development, and private yacht charter boats on the Thames. He is the Rear Commodore of the Thames Vintage Boat Club and was awarded the MBE in 2010.

Marc’s business background started in property. As European CFO for a US Real Estate firm, Marc travelled extensively working across Europe, the USA and Russia. He then founded a financial services support business with offices in London, Jersey, Guernsey and Hong Kong. As an accountant with an MBA from London Business School, Marc now works with new and established management teams to maximise their success.

He lives on the Island with his family and enjoys cruiser sailing and racing on the water.

Marc sees the life changing transformational impact that sailing has on individuals. He is passionate about providing access to this opportunity to as many people as possible. This is exactly what UKSA does and does so well.

Sam works as a coach to support leaders and managers to unlock their potential. She gathered experience over twenty-five years leading businesses and working in teams in the corporate and social impact sectors including family-owned businesses, partnerships, entrepreneurial ventures and education. She has been a Governor of the Skinners’ Kent Academy.

Sam is a keen sailor. She learned to sail on the Island and regularly races from Cowes. Sam became a Trustee of UKSA because she saw first-hand, when training as a Day Skipper at UKSA, the positive impact that sailing and experiencing the maritime world can have on young people. She wanted to get more involved by helping to shape the environment that supports the growth and emotional wellbeing of the young people who come to UKSA.

Shonagh has built and led a number of high-performing teams in both small, entrepreneurial businesses and established organisations in the consumer sector.

Shonagh has always loved the water and enjoys a range of water sports. Always up for a challenge, in 2004 she competed in the Global Challenge Round the World Yacht Race, the world’s toughest amateur yacht race.

Shonagh became a Trustee of UKSA because she wanted to support and play an active role in an organisation that has such a positive impact on the lives of young people, especially those that have not had the opportunity to spend time on the water before.

Claire Sunderland Hay is Head of Corporate Risk at Visa Europe, a regulated payments company with operations across 38 countries in Europe. Prior to this she was Chief of Staff at Visa Europe and spent 9 and a half years at the Bank of England in a variety of roles spanning policy making, firm oversight, FinTech and Chief of Staff to the Deputy Governor. Claire is also a governor at a primary school where she chairs the Pay and Admissions Committees. She is also a qualified accountant.

Claire and her family are frequent visitors to the Island, and she is passionate about the impact that UKSA has, especially those from less advantaged backgrounds. She is keen to support UKSA in its work to expand access to these opportunities and widen the population able to benefit.

Rachel Kitley is the Principal of Cowes Enterprise College. Rachel is an experienced head and under her leadership the academy has been recognised for its innovative approach to developing maritime careers knowledge and skills, including by the Minister for Academies for the government and the Permanent Secretary for Education.

Rachel’s dedication to the maritime and skills sector extends beyond the walls of Cowes Enterprise College. She has sat on the government’s United Kingdom Shipbuilding Skills Task Force, advocating for the maritime industry at a national level. Her vision and willingness to share her experiences have also led to the establishment of a network of coastal schools developing maritime curricula, further cementing her status as a maritime ambassador. Rachel was awarded the Maritime UK Solent Legacy award in 2023.

Niall has worked in the Maritime industry in all spheres of port centric operations liaising with ship operators and owners. His career has taken him overseas to work in Southeast Asia for a number of years before returning to the UK. He has just retired as Managing Director of a large shipping and logistics business sited throughout the UK with global interconnectivity. Like many other stakeholders Niall has strong ties to the sea not only from a professional capacity but also he is often to be seen aboard his motorboat “Talisker” either in the Solent or further afield. Niall lives near Bishops Waltham, Hants with his wife Sarah.

Tom Athron is the Chief Executive Officer of Fortnum & Mason, the UK’s iconic, globally-renowned home of extraordinary food and drink, and has been in the role since joining the business in December 2020.

Tom joined Fortnum & Mason from his previous role at Matchesfashion, where for three years, he held the position of Chief Operating Officer. Prior to this, Tom spent 13 years at the John Lewis Partnership where he held several senior roles including Buying Director at John Lewis and Chief Financial Officer at the Partnership’s supermarket arm, Waitrose.

In 2015, Tom was appointed to the main board of the John Lewis Partnership Plc where he founded the Partnership’s innovation unit, JLP Ventures. This unit’s main aim was to identify and drive new growth opportunities and creative partnerships across the group’s operations.

In addition, he served for 6 years as a trustee on the board of the JLP Pension scheme and until recently he was a non- executive director at Åhlens AB, the large swedish department store group based in Stockholm, and owned by Axel Johnson Group.