Our Team
At Ufton, our team is dedicated to giving children the freedom to flourish, making their time here a truly wonderful and unforgettable experience.
From the moment you arrive, we're committed to ensuring your safety and enjoyment every step of the way.
Senior Leadership Team
Enablers Team
Education Team
Housekeeping Team
Catering Team
Maintenance and Grounds Team
Mary Riall
Our Founder
Mary Riall, BEd, MA, trained as a primary school teacher and taught for 10 years before founding the Ufton Educational Trust in 2006.
Mary was CEO of Ufton for 9 years before moving to the Chair role. She is now a member of the board. Mary has previously chaired the governors at the John Madjeski Academy and has been on the board of Bradfield College and Sulhamstead and Ufton Nervet Primary School.
She was awarded an honorary degree from Reading University in 2016 for her work in the education and charity sector in Reading. Mary was High Sheriff of Berkshire in 2020 and now chairs the Ernest Cook Trust and sits on the board of the Talbot Village Trust.
Our Trustees
.png)
James Hawker
Chair of Trustees
James Hawker is the Founder and CEO of Bluecube Technology Solutions. He has extensive experience of the IT industry, having worked in a variety of organisations, from start-ups through to global players. He has led several major successful bids for global solutions that include the likes of Coca-Cola, Telenor, Asia-Info, B/S/H and IBM.
James is married with two children and lives in Oxfordshire. He has a passion for adventure and is a qualified helicopter pilot and powerboat skipper.
Zoe Benyon
Zoe is a near neighbour of Ufton Court and loves the opportunity it gives to children to explore their surroundings and by extension their own potential.
She has run a business for over 25 years, is the mother of sons and is also a trustee of the Greenham Trust, The Wheelyboat Trust, the Englefield Charitable Trust and a school governor.
She also understands the ebb and flow of running a venue and how the wedding market is a key link in the Ufton chain.
Pippa Medd
Pippa Medd works in recruitment where her focus on, and interest in, people and their development drives her to help connect candidates to opportunities.
She is particularly interested in neurodiversity in the workplace and in promoting and enabling the hiring of neurodiverse talent. Pippa will have a particular role in supporting our HR team.
Clare Normand
Clare has a background in sustainability, management consultancy and the charity sector. After an engineering degree at Cambridge University, she qualified as a chartered accountant then, following a Master’s Degree in Environmental Technology from Imperial College, helped shape the early response to sustainability as a management consultant with PwC.
Changing direction after a family loss, Clare led on strategy for a medical charity, playing a key part in it becoming the largest brain tumour charity globally. She currently leads the development of a global collaborative strategy for Accounting for Sustainability, a charity established by HM King Charles III in 2004 to transform finance and deliver a sustainable future.
Carol Fuller
Carol Fuller is a Professor of Sociology of Education, as well as the Head of the Institute of Education at the University of Reading. Her research expertise lies in understanding the impact of social disadvantage on aspirations, educational engagement, self-confidence, and self-identity development, and she has published widely in these areas.
She is passionate about the power of education to transform lives and is, therefore, wholeheartedly committed to supporting the work of Ufton in her role as a trustee.
Geoff Eversfield
Geoff has a background in finance, having been a partner at PwC for 25 years – he advises a variety of businesses and Private Equity companies on acquisitions and disposals - these range from large multinational corporates through to small fast growing entrepreneurial businesses. His work covers reviews of strategy, governance, management capabilities, IT systems and financial performance.
He lives locally with his wife and four children and is a Governor at Bradfield College. He has been a Trustee since 2016 and is responsible for finance at Ufton.
Amanda Clarke
Amanda Clarke is an archaeologist who has spent many years working on excavations all over the world. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Reading and is the Director of the Archaeology Field Schools which teach students the basics of archaeological excavation techniques as well as the joys and benefits of working together, as part of a large team, in an outdoor environment.
She has run the Field Schools for 25 years and is passionate about the transformative power of hands-on learning experiences. Amanda will have a particular interest in supporting our history offer.
Edward Crookes
Edward is a Chartered Surveyor and Estates Director to the Englefield Estate, which has diverse rural and urban property interests in Berkshire, London and Scotland.
He has extensive experience of combining successful business initiatives with support for local communities and care for the environment and is involved with a range of sustainability, charitable and education initiatives.
_edited.jpg)
Tanya Galliara
Tanya graduated as a mechanical engineer from UCL in 2004 and has worked predominantly in the Rail Sector, but also in the Nuclear and Defence sectors. She currently works as a Systems Engineer, with a particular interest in strategic relationships and decision making to support the delivery of projects and programmes in a holistic way.
She has previously volunteered with Girlguiding UK for a period of nearly nine years. She is particularly interested in how to improve social mobility and working with children to help broaden their horizons. She lives near Ufton Court, in Beenham, with her husband and two dogs.